OPPO OPDV971H Digital HD-Ready Up-Converting DVD Player
Ideal for new HDTV users or seekers of a Region 0 player.
I recently purchased the Oppo because it satisfied 3 desires: superior scaling, region free capability, and sub $200 price point. The Secrets review was a big selling point, as well. The free DVI cable sweetened the pot also, it's at least a $15 value.<br /><br />I use my new Oppo with my 50\\" Sony SXRD RPTV, connected via DVI cable.<br /><br />I have to say, out of the box, the Oppo's settings are not the best, at least with my display. The gamma needed to be jacked up to +3 to display a good grayscale with DVE, and the sharpness had to be turned OFF.<br /><br />The performance has been excellent. Firmware upgrades have solved all image quality issues - there is no edge enhancement or shimmering present when the settings are correct. Previously, high contrast vertical or diagonal lines (such as Darth Vader's entrance in SWE4) would show jagginess - the recent firmware release fixed this entirely.<br /><br />I wish the player remembered your position in a disc during power off. This was a nice convenience that my Sony 5-disc proscan deck offered - on up to 7 discs. Since it does consume power in standby, I assume this would not be impossible to engineer in firmware.<br /><br />Also, I have noticed that audio decoding, or perhaps the signal sent via coaxial digital and optical out has a tiny lag - not during play, but as the receiver is picking it up. (I have noticed no lag during play at all).<br /><br />The build quality of the unit is very nice - it is sleek and attractive, and not flimsy at all. The disc tray is clear plastic and flexible, a very interesting choice which i have come to like - no worries about inadvertently hitting the tray and misaligning it or anything.<br /><br />(((A note on build quality - I recently suffered a fire at my apartment, which smoked all of my electronics. Let me put it this way - the Oppo is the only piece I could salvage. It still performs flawlessly. I assume this is because of the complete absence of vents on the chassis. Not only this, but Oppo sent me a free replacement remote when I emailed about buying one. Kudos!!!)))<br /><br />The sharpness and depth of color is superior to my old deck, as is BTB. This is what I was hoping for. Detection of 3:2 and different framerate material is flawless, and PAL-NTSC conversion is very good (but not perfect, some jaggies).<br /><br />A note on the firmware: since the release of this player, Oppo has been extremely cool about listening to customer feedback and releasing upgrades which the user can install themselves via CD-ROM.  This is a very cool thing about dealing with such a \\"young\\" company (in the US, anyway) - their responsiveness to consumers.<br /><br />I am already happy with this purchase. If Oppo can address my few remaining wishes, it will be just about the perfect player. I would have upped my rating to 5 starts since editing this review, but amazon doesn't let you change the star rating.<br /><br />I highly recommend this player based both on the OOTB performance and the potential with upcoming firmware. It is a tremendous value given other decks on the market. I think this is an ideal purchase for someone upgrading an old interlaced player for their new HDTV display. If you already have a progressive player with your HDTV, them it's a tougher call - clarity and color are slightly better with the Oppo, but it takes a trained eye and some striaght-up comparisons to really see the difference. If you need a region-free player, however, the choice is an easy one.n I emailed about buying one. Kudos!!!)))    The sharpness and depth of color is superior to my old deck, as is BTB. This is what I was hoping for. Detection of 3:2 and different framerate material is flawless, and PAL-NTSC conversion is very good (but not perfect, some jaggies).    A note on the firmware: since the release of this player, Oppo has been extremely cool about listening to customer feedback and releasing upgrades which the user can install themselves via CD-ROM.  This is a very cool thing about dealing with such a \\"young\\" company (in the US, anyway) - their responsiveness to consumers.     I am already happy with this purchase. If Oppo can address my few remaining wishes, it will be just about the perfect player. I would have upped my rating to 5 starts since editing this review, but amazon doesn't let you change the star rating.     I highly recommend this player based both on the OOTB performance and the potential with upcoming firmware. It is a tremendous value given other decks on the market. I think this is an ideal purchase for someone upgrading an old interlaced player for their new HDTV display. If you already have a progressive player with your HDTV, them it's a tougher call - clarity and color are slightly better with the Oppo, but it takes a trained eye and some striaght-up comparisons to really see the difference. If you need a region-free player, however, the choice is an easy one.