For those out there with an HDTV set, if you're looking for a highly rated, upscaling DVD player that has a low price, you might want to check this one out. The player from China's Oppo Digital, employs a high quality Faroudja DCDi chip in it's innards for the task of taking your 480p DVD output and converting it through DVI connection to 540p, 576p 720p, or 1080i. The thing is, maybe your television already does a good job in this department, some do. But, if you want to ensure that you have the best image possible, the testing at Ultimate AV says this player can provide the means.
Here is a nice definition of DCDi from Wikipedia for those that are unfamiliar with this acronym: "DCDi (Directional Correlation Deinterlacing) is a digital enhancement method developed by Faroudja in 1996. DCDi technology is primarily used for improving the image quality of low resolution images. This is done by deinterlacing the image and blending rough edges occurring in diagonal lines. The technique is often used in LCD and plasma television sets. DCDi technology is also present in the Sage FLI2200 chip, which is used in many DVD players."
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On objective test material from any of my three primary sources, Video Essentials, Avia, and Silicon Optix'HQV Benchmark DVD, the Oppo OPDV971H's 720P signal from its DVI outputs delivered top-shelf results. It performed exceptionally well, in particular, on the Silicon Optix disc, the most challenging disc I have for evaluating motion artifacts. This was no surprise, as Faroudja's DCDi processors have performed well on these tests in the past. The two tests for jaggies on this disc'”a rotating bar and three oscillating bars of increasing difficulty, were virtually flawless. The same was true on the fluttering flag test, which showed no jagged edges at all. The Oppo also performed well on the Silicon Optix'detail test, and its pixel cropping was well within acceptable levels. I spent many hours comparing the OPDV971H with the far more expensive Lexicon RT-20 (review coming soon) on conventional, non-test DVDs, and was hard-pressed under those real-world conditions to see any drastic differences in picture quality. Because of its more sophisticated and finely calibrated picture adjustments you may be able to get a slightly sharper picture from a fully tweaked Lexicon (depending on the characteristics of the corresponding controls in your video display), but the Oppo doesn't give up much. |
Although the author mentions this player costing around 250 dollars, it can be found now for considerably less at just under $200. Please keep in mind that for best results, you must use your DVI connection. This player can use the component setup with good results, but pure digital to digital will yield a better picture as mentioned in the review.
In addition, there seems to be plenty of comments from end users on the Internet forums, that indicate they're getting great support and firmwares from this company. The only downside seems to be the remote is a bit lacking. However, most people with a home theater are utilizing some sort of universal remote anyhow.
Source: Ultimate AV
