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| Model: | DV-980H |
| Category: | DVD Players |
| Suggested Retail Price: | $299.99 |
| Description: | up-converting dvd player |
| Manufacturer URL: | Oppo |
| Review by author@escapeclause.net on June 26, 2008 at 14:22:18 IP Address: 68.214.96.107 | Add Your Review for the DV-980H |
I am now three years into a long and twisting road toward assembling a "permanent" home entertainment system including decent H/T as well as 2-channel audio. And along that road I've had pleasant surprises and I've had unpleasant surprises -- but I've never been as shocked and stupefied by the disconnect between what other people are saying, and the experience I had, as with the Oppo DV980H. The player (and the company) for which nearly everyone has only praise and nary a whimper of complaint was, in my experience, just about the most single overrated piece of consumer tripe, this side of the New Coke.
To begin with, the Oppo doesn't work properly even by its own standards without a dizzying assembly-line of firmware upgrades. (Note to self: Never again buy a piece of electronics that touts how easy it is to upgrade with a front-end USB port. If it didn't work when it left the factory, don't buy it.) Break point insertions either do- or do not happen from disc to disc, with the same set of keystrokes, audio decoding either works or it doesn't with no apparent rhyme or reason, and most personal DVD backups of old VHS tapes either don't spin up at all, or return perhaps one frame in every twelve to the screen, making every old recording in your collection look like it was made with clay-mation.
Picture quality is lackluster at best, with lots and lots and lots of false contouring, and the audio is peppered with so much midrange breakup at even moderate output levels that for weeks I thought I'd somehow managed to blow up both of my front-channel speakers. It took me three solid days of experimentation to figure out how to make DTS content play to all six channels including the subwoofer, and then when I changed to a second DTS-encoded disc the same switch-settings no longer worked.
Along the way I also learned that the company apparently staffs a team of thinly disguised schills, trolling the discussion forums under the guise of helpful enthusiasts who immediately close down all discussions of their products that aren't favorable. As soon as it became apparent in a different forum that the helpful suggestions I was getting were self-contradictory and ignored my previous posts, my ostensible hobbyist friend posted one more time to say that next time I should read my manual, and then had the thread closed.
Finally I just threw up my hands and bought a Marantz DV7001 and -- WOW! -- it's so much better, from picture quality to audio reproduction to user interface to support, that I just can't see how anyone on earth should patronize Oppo and their second-rate products, whatsoever. Granted, the Marantz will cost a bit more money, but these days it's not really that much more, and besides: in the words of one famous movie character, you *WILL* know where that extra money went.
Send me an e-mail if you'd like more details.
| Product Weakness: | You get what you pay for. |
| Product Strengths: | Well... it's cheap, now isn't it. |
| Amplifier: | McCormack DNA HT-5 |
| Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | McCormack MAP-1 |
| Sources (CDP/Turntable): | Arcam FMJ CD-23, Oppo DVD |
| Speakers: | Linn Ninka's, Linn Trikan, Totem Mite-T's |
| Cables/Interconnects: | Blue Jeans LC-1, Element Speaker Cable |
| Music Used (Genre/Selections): | Cast Away, Fight Club, Godfather II |
| Room Comments/Treatments: | Two d-i-y bass traps, two d-i-y tricorner hf traps |
| Time Period/Length of Audition: | 1-3 months |
| Type of Audition/Review: | Product Owner |
which should really be posted here.
...."Firmware updates?"
I don't know about all that.
Mine worked perfectly out of the box.
The truth hurts, lies kill
"The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses" [Albert Einstein]
oppo wouldn't have released numerous firmware updates. Some were enhancements, while others corrected problems. There have been at least 5 revisions of the original firmware (which can be viewed as both good and bad):
That may be, but as I said, mine worked/works perfectly out of the box.
The truth hurts, lies kill
"The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses" [Albert Einstein]
I've purchased 3 different model Oppos since my first (OPDV971H, followed by the DV981HD & finally the DV983H); I have the latter two in use in different systems (the first one I'll probably sell since Oppos tend to retain most of their value). Obviously, I didn't keep coming back to Oppo because of player failure. I returned to Oppo as a happy customer because they are remarkable performers, great values and because the company provides better support than most other manufacturers.I should also point out that in spite of having HD & Blu-ray in my downstair's system, the latest Oppo (DV983H) STILL gets a lion's share of the exercise (my eclectic tastes often run to British programming, and Oppo's PAL conversions are flawless).
The picture quality from each of these Oppo players is excellent within each player's parameters, and none have had a "lackluster" picture. No offense, but something must've really been screwed up in your system if you were getting such a poor performance in both video and sound; you description of problems sounds a little like a handshake issue or HDMI cable issue (length?), but being unfamiliar with your system and set-up, who knows.
This isn't to take anything away from your new Marantz DV7001, but why didn't you review it as well instead of just trashing your older Oppo player. It looks to me like you were more interested in trashing Oppo than reviewing both players strengths and weaknesses and providing comparisons of movies watched on both players.
I suspect that others who've had a somewhat different experience with the particular player you're denouncing will want to rebutt your criticisms and query you about why you were unwilling to participate in Oppo's firmware upgrades (they're easy; I bet even John McSame could do it! -grin).
BTW, is your Marantz DV7001 a region free player? Does it convert PAL discs well, and scale all the way up to 1080P? What kind of processing does it employ? How much more is the Marantz than your price misquoted DV-980H? These would be areas worthy of inquiry, but of course, you weren't really interested in reviewing the Marantz player, were you? ;O)
Cheers,
AuPh
It's not $299 -- it's $199. Different country?
It's their lowest and least expensive model of the three they offer: don't expect to be transported to Valhalla riding on the wings of the valkyries upon listening to it. I haven't tested the output voltage on mine (oppo DV-983H), but I'm willing to bet it's more than "just a little" over the standard 2 volts RMS based on the fact that it's much louder than any of my other sources.
The audio is not over-rated if you compare it to similar cost models from other companies. It is, however, very over-rated based on the description that oppo provides on their site.
Firmware updates are a good thing. They allow manufacturers to better their products and/or take care of glitches that QC didn't catch. It's impossible to test every DVD-ROM, DVD+R, DVD-R, CD-ROM, CD-R, etc out there. There will always be certain discs that will give a player fits: sometimes a firmware update can change that. If you don't like firmware updates, either stop buying consumer electronics or stick with Samsung. They, like you, don't care for firmware updates either.
One manufacturer, Sony, is using firmware updates to give their user installed base a player, the PS3, that meets or exceeds the capabilities of every other Blu-ray player out there. That wasn't the case in November '06 when it was released. While not every manufacturer can do that nor do they have a product that can be upgraded so easily, no manufacturer should end support a year after a product's release.
You're probably referring to the oppo shills at AVS Forum. They don't get paid: they get free product and new product early.
As for oppo's customer service, they are quite arrogant. When some douchebag has the nerve to tell me -- in writing -- that what I'm seeing on my screen (in plain text, mind you) isn't really there, it's time to fire some people. And I paid $400 for the DV-983H, not $170 for the DV-980H. If I wasn't confident that the deinterlacing of misflagged discs was going to make a difference when I get a larger display, I'd take a trip out to Mountain View and personally shove the player up someone's ass. Sideways.
I agree with everything else you wrote in response to the review.
I've had a 980H since December, moving from a Pioneer 59AVi. I'm very satisfied with the Oppo, both picture- and audio-wise. I haven't had any of the problems noted by the reviewer. The FW updates are a standard exercise in this day-and-age, and Oppo makes theirs easy.
Is it perfect machine? No. Have I ever owned a perfect machine? No. Does it compare to the much-more-expensive 7001? I don't have the experience to say, but would guess the answer is no.
For me, it's a nice, small machine that fits in my rack along with a DVR and a dual HD player and provides good results.
Doug
I've has mine for I guess a couple of years. i think it is the 970. I bought a new 980 and gave it to my son for a house gift. He isn't having any problems.
Over the years, I have made over 100 DVD's from old VHS tapes and HI 8 . They were recorded on a Toshiba DVD recorder and a Cyberhome recorder. The Toshiba is r- and the Cyber r +.
Every single one of them has played perfectly.
Every one of my 30 DVD Audio disks has played perfectly.
I have a few SACD , and they have played perfectly.
I rarely use it for CD's, because I use a Cal Audio CD player, but when I have used the Oppo, I haven't had any problems.
By audiophile standards, I have what I guess is a pretty modest system. Built on a tight budget.
All I can say is that I am completely satisfied, and the sound is the best I have ever had.
Just my opinion.
I've never had to tlak to anyone @ Oppo.
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