Oppo 970 and 1080p LCD TV?

[DT1009]

I am currently shopping for a new 42" LCD TV and DVD/CD player. I want better than average CD playback using analog audio to my A/V receiver, so it seems that the Oppo 970 has the best DAC's of the 3 models. I also think I want the highest resolution out now in a TV set but...am I wasting a lot of video performance since the 970 does not support 1080p (or am I wrong?), Would I be better off just getting a 720p TV set?

 

[Leprkon]

am I wasting a lot of video performance since the 970 does not support 1080p (or am I wrong?), Would I be better off just getting a 720p TV set?

you really won't see much difference on a 42 inch set between 720P and 1080anything. You really have to get into about 50 or so before the difference is detectable. My 50 inch Sony has as good a picture on 720P as my 60 inch does on 1080P.

I would look more towards pixel response times on that size than on the resolution.

 

[DT1009]

720p vs 1080p

I would look more towards pixel response times on that size than on the resolution.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the input, what are respectable response times to look for?

 

[Leprkon]

anything better than 10 milliseconds would be the goal. most these days should be getting 8 and some of the top end jobs are pushing 5, I believe.

 

[obscbyclouds]

I am currently shopping for a new 42" LCD TV and DVD/CD player. I want better than average CD playback using analog audio to my A/V receiver, so it seems that the Oppo 970 has the best DAC's of the 3 models. I also think I want the highest resolution out now in a TV set but...am I wasting a lot of video performance since the 970 does not support 1080p (or am I wrong?), Would I be better off just getting a 720p TV set?

How far from this TV will you be sitting? You should check out this Article and Forum thread to help you: 1080p and the Acuity of Human Vision

I wouldn't base your ~$1500 TV choice off a $149 DVD player! Get the one that looks the best to you, and then get a DVD player to match. The Oppo is a great player (I own a DV-981HD) but if Audio is your primary concern, you may be happier with a Denon 2910 or similar higher end player. If you do end up with a 1080p TV, I wouldn't go for an Oppo 970HD, get one that upscales to the Native Resolution.

 

[MDS]

With a 42" TV you won't likely notice the increased resolution of 1080p over 720p or 1366 x 768 unless you sit very close to it. I have seen many articles similar to the 1080p article on this site but most people condense the whole thing into '50" or greater size is necessary to appreciate 1080p' and that is NOT the point.

The viewing distance in relation to the TV size is what matters.

 

[DT1009]

We're about 8 feet from the TV.

 

[no. 5]

With a 42" TV you won't likely notice the increased resolution of 1080p over 720p or 1366 x 768 unless you sit very close to it. I have seen many articles similar to the 1080p article on this site but most people condense the whole thing into '50" or greater size is necessary to appreciate 1080p' and that is NOT the point.

The viewing distance in relation to the TV size is what matters.

Exactly, and since the source is 480, that should probably be taking into consideration too; because even though the Oppo is good at scaling, it's not the same as a 720 or 1080 source.

 

[j_garcia]

Yep, I'll second that. I compared The Corpse Bride on my 970 to the BluRay version and while the DVD looked very good, it was no comparison to the BD.

If you are looking to have a 1080p set and really want to take the most advantage of it, I'd be looking at a BluRay or HD-DVD player, both of which will upconvert your DVDs also.

 

[obscbyclouds]

DT1009, At 8 ft, you will have difficulty spotting the difference between 1080p and 720p on an identical tv, however, some 1080p tv's may still have better video performance due to better electronics, etc.

A few questions to help you narrow it down here:

How much are you looking to spend on the TV and DVD Player?

Also, you didn't mention if you wanted to jump into the HD-DVD/Blu-ray market yet?

Do you have and SACD's or DVD-A's this Player needs to play, or just CD's? I ask because you mention Analog audio input to your reciever. I'm not sure how the BR/HD-DVD Players do with analog output from a CD.

I know, we always have more questions than answers. But it's hard to determine exactly what you want.

 

[mouettus]

I once bought a sony 46" bravia lcd (720p). then I returned it and got the same model but in 1080p. I see the difference. It is not day and night but I can easily see it without being at 7 inches of my screen.

For a comparison, try a 1024x768 resolution on a crt computer screen. it is nice. then try 1280x1024... aaaaAAAAAhhhh.... oooOOOOhhhhh! lol

 

[DT1009]

I want to spend under $ 2200 on a TV and up to a few hundred on the DVD player. No plan to get into SACD, just want to have decent CD playback sound.

 

[j_garcia]

The 970 has slightly better audio performance due to a change in design in the 981, but if you aren't going to do critical listening, the 981 will likely meet your needs. The 970 doesn't do 1080p, so that is a factor as well.

 

[avaserfi]

The 970 has slightly better audio performance due to a change in design in the 981, but if you aren't going to do critical listening, the 981 will likely meet your needs. The 970 doesn't do 1080p, so that is a factor as well.

I tried to do a search on it to no avail what did they change in the 981 that makes the 970 better for audio performance?

 

[obscbyclouds]

For $2200, you can get some pretty nice 1080p LCD's, such as the Sharp 46" 1080p LC46D62U. You should definately go view some of these TV's before you buy, however. If you want LCD flat panel, I would stick with Sharp (AQUOS lines) or Sony (Bravia). IMO, they have the best build and picture quality.

Let me just say that I own an Oppo 981, and find the analog audio performance very good. I don't know anyone whose actually done an A/B comparison of audio performance with the 981 vs. 970. The PQ on a 1080p LCD will definately be better with a 981. I'd also be interested to know what makes the audio better on the 970? Is is the DAC's?


There are other upscaling players from other companies (Denon, Marantz, etc.) which I'm sure are excellent, but they are also pricier than the Oppo's. Personally, I couldn't spend $1,000 or more on a DVD player that doesn't play either HD-DVD or BR.

 

[avaserfi]

A note about sharp if you are planning on buying from an online dealer you can look into the 72U models. There were some changes made in the new line that give a better picture (better contrast, response etc) and they aren't that much more. I got mine when they were first released and picked it up on sale for less than the older model.

 

[j_garcia]

I tried to do a search on it to no avail what did they change in the 981 that makes the 970 better for audio performance?

The 981 has 3 daughter boards connected via cables rather than the one main board design of the 970, so the audio performance will be better on the 970 - this info is direct from Oppo themselves.

I agree, at this point, I wouldn't spend top dollar ($500+) without getting a high def player at this point.

Insides of the 981:

 

[avaserfi]

The 981 has 3 daughter boards connected via cables rather than the one main board design of the 970, so the audio performance will be better on the 970 - this info is direct from Oppo themselves.

I agree, at this point, I wouldn't spend top dollar ($500+) without getting a high def player at this point.

Pretty interesting and makes sense. I wonder what the audible difference between the two is though. In all reality it might actually be negligible but than again I might be hoping that it is since I own the 981

 

[j_garcia]

I'm sure the difference isn't HUGE, so probably nothing to lose sleep over. I'm tempted to pick up a 981 also and compare the two just because I don't like the amber display on the 970.

 

[avaserfi]

I wouldn't complain if you did . Would be interesting to read a critical review between the two players upconversion abilities as well.