Does anyone familiar with this HD DVD Player, the price is extremely decent and has quite a good online review too.

There's been quite a bit of discussion of late. Search "oppo" and you'll get lots of hits!

gsny

I own the OPPO HD 981 and it's known as one of the best players out there. I definitely support that claim.

Please note that it does not play HD DVD's. It upconverts regular dvd's to high def.

I’ve got all three (long story to why).

I can vouch for all of them.

971 – Great if you just need 720P and don’t care about having a ‘universal player’. Outstanding picture, unbelievable for the price.
970 – Great universal player. Not as good video wise as the 971, but it is one of the very few players that will output a 480i via HDMI or, 720P via component. (features highly desired if you have an external video processor or a HDTV that does not have DVI/HDMI input)
981 – Great video similar to the 971 but will up convert to 1080P verses 720P. Also a good universal player. Not ‘quite’ on par as the 970 with SACD/DVD-A.

The 1080P is gorgeous. To clarify, it isn't a true HD-DVD player and will not play those discs. It upscales 480P SDVD video to 1080P. And does it far better than my TV's scaler. As far as the SACD/DVD-A, I can't tell you if it is better or worse having not heard the earlier models. I am using a dedicated player for that content anyhow. One very good point- it it region free AND will play protected and non-protected DVD's. AND it will play PAL discs.

I concur. The Oppo 981 is an awesome machine. I had some issues with the macroblocking, but the new beta firmware all but fixed it on "The Matrix", which is one of the worst films for macroblocking. Even with the minor issues, I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up. I hear it's even better with Superbit DVD's. I don't have any, but I'm going to pick up one so I can see for myself.

Krich:
I've read that the 981 is NOT recommended for DLP sets because of macroblocking. I haven't heard anything about a firmware change. Do you know if the issue has been resolved regarding DLP sets?

I'm itching to spend some money (but not too much!!) and would like to try an Oppo for all the great things I've read!

The only movie I noticed it on was "The Matrix" and it was very apparent. In fact, it was so apparent that I at first thought it was an intentional special effect in the movie that I had never noticed before. You know, green computer looking blocks. Very matrix-ish. I noticed it when Neo went to go see Morpheous, so at the time it seemed appropriate. The blocks continued to show up in scenes when he was out of the matrix, which blew that idea out of the water, so I went in search of the description and fix for something that I had read prior but didn't fully understand...macroblocking.

The firmware (the beta version on the website) fixed a couple related things (not at home, so can't be more specific). A properly calibrated TV also helps immensely, although it didn't help me on The Matrix.

The crispness of the picture is absolutely stunning. Especially for movies with long shots of landscapes and other detail rich scenes like those in the Lord of the Rings series. Beautiful.

I was considering an Oppo player in conjunction with a DLP projector (a dream that withers...). I sent an email to Oppo and they quickly assured me that the DLP issue was being addressed and was NOT relevant to projectors at all. The swiftness and personalization of the reply really impressed me.

I will 2nd their customer service. I emailed them regarding issues w/ a specific DVD and I received a VERY detailed response in a few hours.

Their customer service is astounding. On par with Axiom's.

I had emailed them last month with a few questions and they were answered within 12 hours.