[klh]

Does anyone have experience with this new Oppo universal player?

http://www.oppodigital.com/dv970hd/dv970hd.html

It looks very compelling... especially for $150 .

Let the mods begin!

[Bob in St. Louis]

OPDV971H

Better!
Only $50 more.

Bob

[ted_b]

Why do you say the 971 is better?  It's different.  The extensive research and feedback from forums like AVS net it out this way:
The 970 is a perfect budget digital transport if you want to use it with a scaler/video processor, and a nice player regardless, using HDMI 1.1 and having enough flexibility for $150.  It has no macroblocking, does 480i over HDMI (important for outboard scaling), plays both SACD and DVD-A and even plays SACD (converted to PCM) over HDMI 1.1 (although a bug allows SACD mulitchannel signal path on HDMI 1.1 only in 1080i mode currently).  Full mch DVD-A over HDMI 1.1 is available, too, but that's to be expected.

The 971 is a good player if you are not using a scaler and if you have a DVI/HDMI 1.0 connection.  It does not play SACD, is not HDMI 1.1, nor does it do any upconverting over component video.  I owned one, liked it, but found it somewhat compressed (duh!, for $199) in the hirez audio analog stages.

Kris Deering did his usual overkill writeup on the 970 in the latest Secrets review. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

The chipset in the 971 is superior to the 970. = Less on screen artifacts. Makes videophiles happier.

I've never used either, but have heard/seen many raving reviews on the unit. (Both units really)

The difference between $150, and $200 is not enough to put one in a "higher price bracket" in my opinion. No, I'm not rich, but if a budget type guys got $150, then he can save a little while longer and spend $200.

Is there a true audiophile difference (audible) between the two?

I've never been into SACD. No particular reason, are there many folks interested in it?

Bob

[gitarretyp]

The chipset in the 971 is superior to the 970. = Less on screen artifacts. Makes videophiles happier.
...

Unless your display is susceptible to macroblocking. The 971 has the faroudja DCDi chip and exhibts very obvious (and obnoxious) macroblocking on my display.

[Bob in St. Louis]

!?  What type of display do you have?

I've got a Sanyo PLV-Z2
Bob

[ted_b]

Bob,
You said you've read a lot about these players, yet seem quite surprised by the macroblocking comment.  The 971's Faroudja chip is quite susceptible to mb on many many displays (discussed ad nauseum on the forums).  Videophile?  A dyed-in-the-wool videophile is likely using an outboard scaler in his pre/pro or vid processor to run his video, not a chip inside a player.   

My point is that the broad statement that the 971 is "better" needs to be qualified significantly.  For folks who don't want to run component out, don't use HDMI 1.1, don't want a universal player and don't have displays that exhibit Faroudja mb, then it's a good machine.  In those instances, the Faroudja chip does a slightly better job at deinterlacing.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Opinions are like, well....you know.
But here's a couple. The second link that reviews the 970, actually sold me on the 971.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/oppo_opdv971h_dvd_player.htm

http://www.projectorcentral.com/OPPO_DV-970HD_DVD_Player.htm

In case someone doesn't have time to read both in their entirety, here's a couple excerpts that caught my eye;

"The main drawback of this player {the 970} seems to be its lack of DCDi processing by Faroudja, but the inclusion of the Faroudja chip would have likely added fifty or more dollars to the selling price, and obviously OPPO is positioning this player at a lower price-point than their current flagship, the OPDV971H."

and...

"There are motion artifacts that one wouldn't see in this unit's more expensive sibling, but that's to be expected from any player lacking some form of video processing. Moiré patterns are visible in scenes with brick walls, people in checkered clothing, panning across crowd scenes, etc. Jagged transitions make themselves apparent on diagonal lines and objects such as waving flags. These artifacts do detract from the DVD experience, but most viewers are used to them, as they are a daily part of TV viewing and have been for more than 50 years. Whether or not they bother you will depend on your expectations of a DVD player."

I haven't spent much time on video forums chatting with people regarding the Oppo. Didn't know it had an "issue".

Bob