Worth Reading?
-1 [5 votes]
Loading ...Somehow, this DVD player manages to convert all the way up to full 1080p HD, it also offers up to 7.1 channel audio. It apparently does a lot of this using the latest and greatest VRS chips from Anchor Bay.
VRS stands for Video Reference Series and includes the AutoCUE-C, Precision Video Scaling, Progressive Cadence Detection, and Precision Deinterlacing technologies. Those are presumably found on the ABT1018 and ABT102 chips that are found inside the player.
The player also supports a plethora of Dolby Technologies including the following: Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro-Logic II, and then there is a DTS technology thrown in there in the form of DTS Digital Surround. You get the standard grouping of HD audio and video connections but you also get IR in/out, an RS-232 port, and a USB port. All of that comes in at the low, low price of $400, to which I recommend you do your self a favor and go buy either a Blu-Ray player that costs that much if the money isn’t an issue, or if it is, go buy an HD-DVD player that is selling for dirt cheap right now and will do mostly the same things for a lot less.
[via oppodigital]
As an OPPO user who is familiar with OPPO products, I think the article is missing the point. The 983H is OPPO’s “flagship” model which scored 100/100 with the DVD Benchmark test. It is targeted for only a few users who - 1. Like to get the best performance from their gear; and 2. Have an extra $400 to spend. Comparing it to Blu-ray or HD-DVD player in terms of price is misleading, as there is no BD or HD players in the price range that can match the performance of up-converting. I personally own a PS3 for BD playback and an OPPO 980H for DVD. Other makers such as Denon, Marantz and Pioneer all have flagship DVD players priced well above $1k while Sony BD player is less than $400. These products are simply for a different market. On the other hand, the OPPO 980H that I own is priced only at $169, and can play DVD-Audio and SACD. For a music listener, this feature alone is worth the money, and it is not available from any of the BD players or post format war clearance HD-DVD plosers.
“do mostly the same things”? No, there is no any Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player that supports SACD and DVD-Audio, or the sound quality close to OPPO player.
Given that most BR players are defective in one way or another. I still see DVD as more important than BR for sometime yet. DVD will go on because it’s in every home and every collection.