Oppo Releases New DV-970HD DVD Player for $149!

[Audioholics]

<A href="http://www.audioholics.com/news/pressreleases/OppoHD970HDdvdplayer.php"><IMG style="WIDTH: 125px; HEIGHT: 94px" alt=[OppoDV970HD1] hspace=10 src="http://www.audioholics.com/news/thumbs/OppoDV970HD1_th.jpg" align=left border=0></A>We were fortunate enough to get a sneak peek at the new DV-970HD DVD player from Oppo. Well, the NDA has lifted and we can let you know that this new player is a significant step up from their current OPDV971H. Some additional features include universal disc playback (it now does DVD-Audio, SACD via PCM, DivX, Xvid, HDCD and WMA), HDMI output with 480i/576i support (cable included), 4-in-1 memory card reader, USB port, and the new remote Oppo introduced in later iterations of the original player. We will be releasing a comprehensive review of this new player shortly, but are amazed at the features available <STRONG>FOR AN MSRP OF $149 </STRONG>- and no, that's not a typo.

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ALL: Be sure to see our update on the HDMI audio output.

 

[WndrBr3d]

Simply incredible!

Looks like I'll be buying a new DVD player soon after all

SACD support is a serious bonus.

 

[j_garcia]

I may just spring for one of these guys too....almost too good to pass up. I'd like to see if it has any decent bass management for hires before I pull the trigger.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

My jaw dropped when you said the HDMI cable was included. Wow! They may be taking a bite out of HD-DVD and Blu-ray sales by pricing this unit so favorably. Any chance for a review?

 

[j_garcia]

Any chance for a review?

I had originally asked that too...then saw this:

We will be releasing a comprehensive review of this new player shortly,

 

[westcott]

What a price for a player that does so much right!!!!
It was just a matter of time before an HDMI version was released.

I wonder if the component out is still limited to 480i?

 

[Rickster71]

Guess I jumpped the gun a little

I bought the OPDV971H this winter, while waiting for my Integra player to be fixed. I thought $199. was a fair price. It came with all cables; and software upgrades can be downloaded from their web site.
Now at $149! Maybe one for another room...

 

[Nomo]

I'm not quite ready to jump just yet, But what the heck, let the war begin!
It's nice to see the bottom drop out of the pricing, as opposed to any other new format, right out of the block.
Love the DVD-A, SACD capabilities.

 

[Audioholics]

We were fortunate enough to be asked to write the supplemental "Advanced Setup Guide" for this new Oppo which is why we had the player in-house so early. I actually didn't know about the MSRP until today and almost fell out of my chair - most companies keep the price the same (or raise it) when they add new features.

For $149 it's simply a no-brainer. We'll test out the deinterlacing and scaling later, but just with what I've seen now it's a very decent product. Heck, the last player didn't do SACD and its video performance was waaay above the norm for its class.

 

[sbader2]

I called up Oppo last week to ask about the new product because I was looking to buy the 971. They told me that the real difference between the two is that the 971 has the Faroudja DCDi chip while the new one does not. (I'm not concerned about SACD support) On the website it appears that they are selling the new one as a lower model.

I bought the 971 last week.

Was this a mistake?

Its coming Thursday and there's a 30 day money back guarantee. So I'm not really worried. But will I get the same performance for $50 less???

-Scott

 

[Audioholics]

We'll find out.

 

[supervij]

Any word on it's video quality through component out? I read that the previous model had a pretty soft image through component, so I'm curious about the new unit.

cheers,
supervij

 

[GlocksRock]

I'm anxious to see how the video quality stacks up to the original player so we can really see how much difference the DCDi chip makes. I hope the original player has better video so I don't feel bad about my purchase. I can live with the extra audio cable if the video quality is better.

 

[supervij]

Here's what Oppo has to say on that subject: "The OPDV971H features video processing with "DCDi by Faroudja" technology and video chipset by Genesis/Faroudja; the DV-970HD uses a different chipset and technology for video de-interlacing and up-conversion. While both player produce excellent picture quality and the difference is subtle, the "DCDi by Faroudja" technology is able to handle some tricky video contents. On very large TV or projector screens, the difference could be noticed by experts or videophiles. When benchmarked with contents designed to test video performance, the OPDV971H will score higher than the DV-970HD."

Well, that sucks! I'm wondering if I should wait until they've released firmware for it that will make it the equal or better to the original. Time will tell.

cheers,
supervij

 

[GlocksRock]

I don't know that a firmware update would make the video processing better, I think they would need to install a DCDi chip to give you that extra video processing power. I would bet they come out with a player in the future that has both HDMI and DCDi.

 

[ned]

I'm just happy to be able to get a player this inexpensive that can output 480i via HDMI to match my Calibre Vantage HD without going thu SDI route. Hopefully it would output clean/untouched digital signal without the HDCP glitch!

 

[ironlung]

I'm probaply dense!

I don't get all the excitment. The preview and oppo website are unclear or I'm dense. Does this player play HD-DVD's or is is just another upconvert DVD player(big woop)?

Thanks for clearing me up!

 

[zildjian]

Does this player play HD-DVD's or is is just another upconvert DVD player(big woop)?

another upconverting player.
the HD is just part of the players name/model #; I wondered if it was an HD-DVD player myself when I first read it.
Brad

 

[supervij]

Nope, doesn't play HD-DVD nor Blu-Ray. Says so on the Oppo website.

It does seem kinda weird that they would name the player with "HD" at the end of it -- sorta invites confusion. Maybe they just want people to think that their standard DVDs will look like HD by using this player.

cheers,
supervij

 

[ironlung]

Nope, doesn't play HD-DVD nor Blu-Ray. Says so on the Oppo website.

It does seem kinda weird that they would name the player with "HD" at the end of it -- sorta invites confusion. Maybe they just want people to think that their standard DVDs will look like HD by using this player.

cheers,
supervij

Nice!!!! Sorta invites...I agree



I just got a noo PC sound card. One of them there 24bit 192khz jobbers. Hooked up with the finest transparent cables to an amp thak can dim the lights in my neighborhood when I turn it on. I like to "upconvert" 64bit mp3's they sound just like hi res DVD audio!!!!


If these upconverting players are not inventing data how can 480i look different than 480i. There is nothing about 480i that is "just like" high bitrate hi res HD.


Here is an experiment to try for the upconvert crowd. Go to my user profile drag and drop my avatar to your desktop. Open the image in kodak imaging or the photo editor of your choice. Now zoom 2000%(or so) to get the 60 x 60 image to fill your 800 x 600 or 1600 x 1200 (whatever you PC res is set at).

Now what do you see? Is it "just like HD"?