OPPO OPDV971H Digital HD-Ready Up-Converting DVD Player
Better than HD cable!
This is one of the most amazing DVD players you can get these days. That is, if your TV has a DVI/HDMI port that can use it. If you don't have it, don't bother buying it because it doesn't have progressive scan, or upconversion, through the component output (YCbCr). It seems like they focused their energy on putting DVI to its best possible use, and boy, did they succeed on that count.<br /><br />First thing you notice when you unpack this player is how nice it looks. Design is important, especially if you plan to stack on top of it, and it's super-sturdy on top, and on the sides. When you turn it on, the front lights up like an airplane dashboard and you get to set it up.<br /><br />When you set it up for your TV and put in your movies, you'll notice stunning detail! If you have a 70 dollar DVD player and plan on getting this one, the difference is staggering. First off, the player not only upscales regular DVD movies which aren't HD into HD using one of the most highly praised de-interlacing algorithms (you'd swear you're looking at HD-made content), but it also eliminates jagged lines AND reduces noise, to name a few things. It does a lot more actually, but details just give people headaches. In other words, just put in a movie and see for yourself.<br /><br />I put in some old Stargate SG-1 season 3 episodes into it, and it reproduced them as if the Sci-Fi channel shot them yesterday and aired them on their own HD channel. I could even discern different colors on the characters' faces. The color reproduction and separation are flawless. The result of everything put together is a life-like picture that will simply blow you away. The reviews pretty much speak for themselves.<br /><br />There are issues though. Some people have said that there is a lip-synch problem (may or may not be easily fixable). I haven't had any problems yet, so it must depend on such factors as how you connected it to your TV and such. There is also a minor issue that the picture has a very slight black border around it, regardless of what resolution it outputs.<br /><br />But, rest assured, it's being worked on, and I'm sure that the upcoming firmware updates will work them both out, and then some. If there's one thing to note about this company is...they support their product. They actually listen to the consumer complaints and address them! How many companies actually do that? This will definitely help them gain a much wider consumer base.<br /><br />If you're looking for an up-scaling DVD player and plan on using it with a DVI connection, this device is a winner. It also comes with a DVI-D male to DVI-D male dual link cable, which is a great addition. Also, the DVI does not support HDCP, so it doesn't require a handshake with your TV to work. This solved me a LOT of problems.s a very slight black border around it, regardless of what resolution it outputs. <br /> <br />But, rest assured, it's being worked on, and I'm sure that the upcoming firmware updates will work them both out, and then some. If there's one thing to note about this company is...they support their product. They actually listen to the consumer complaints and address them! How many companies actually do that? This will definitely help them gain a much wider consumer base. <br /> <br />If you're looking for an up-scaling DVD player and plan on using it with a DVI connection, this device is a winner. It also comes with a DVI-D male to DVI-D male dual link cable, which is a great addition. Also, the DVI does not support HDCP, so it doesn't require a handshake with your TV to work. This solved me a LOT of problems.