Universal DVD
The DV-981HD Universal DVD Player has topped a big pile of DVD players in the market both for its quality and reasonable price.
The DV-981 HD model retains all the terrific features of its earlier avatar Oppo 970HD Universal Player and has made many innovative additions on them in several areas which justify a slight increase in its price. There is a remarkable improvement both in video and audio upsampling over the 970 model. While the earlier model only uprezzed to 720p, the present model has upped it to both 1080i and 1080p. This model has not only incorporated the uprezzing technology from Faroudja, the world leader in this genre, but has also made further improvements in resolution, bringing greater clarity and fewer noticeable artifacts.
The Mediatek MPEG chip and a Genesis Deinterlacer are distinct improvements over the 970 model in on-screen images from any video source.
If you compare, for example, the image quality of a landscape in this dvd model with that of any other highly rated one, you will see more architectural details in distant buildings. The trees will be found to have more clearly identifiable branches and leaves. Details in very dark areas will be revealed with greater clarity. Or, you will find the thin subtitles of a movie considerably more vivid and legible on the 981 model than on many of its other counterparts.
This model is more shapely, thin, lightweight and lengthy. Its black color with a matte finish and some of popular blue lights give it a beautiful appearance. It comes packed in classy cloth bag which can be used to carry it safely to places. A six foot gold plated HDMI cable is supplied free of charge. So you do not have to buy another costly cable to hook it to your HDMI set.
The 981 model provides for fairly easy and quick disc loading. Its remote control is intuitively built with many useful features. It can easily accept the Marigo Audio Signature Stabilizer Mat which causes problems with other DVD players.
The customer service of Oppo is excellent. You just need to call up their number and a helpful representative will get in touch with you. They will even explain how you can set up your player for "0 Region" coding, i.e., how you can play NTSC and PAL DVDs from any part of the world without problems.
