Oppo DV

Blu-ray is all well and good, but DVD remains the market leader in disc-based entertainment. Indeed, DVD sales still make up most of all sales in the US, which almost certainly means that the UK numbers are even more skewed in DVDs favour. With prices tumbling, what do you need to get the best quality out of them?

Upscaling DVD players are very popular with HD TV owners and the Oppo DV-980H is a well-specified DVD player. It can handle most of the common SD video formats you might encounter, including DivX and XviD. Support for every possible DVD audio codec is included, so Dolby Digital and DTS can both be passed to an external decoder. The really good news is that the 980 has analogue 7.1 audio outputs, which suits some people better than digital connections.

There are more than enough digital connections to keep everyone happy, including HDMI and both coaxial and optical audio out. On the analogue side, you get composite, S-Video and component outputs. There is even a Scart socket on this European version, although we really think the player is best aimed at HD TV owners.

Everything about Oppo DVD players scream quality. You even get an HDMI cable included — please take note, Blu-ray player manufacturers — and the machine comes in a lovely dust jacket, handy if you need to move it around. It’s fair to say that Oppo players are more expensive than many other upscaling players, but we think it’s quite clear the company is aiming at people who want more from their AV gear.

The Oppo DV-980H is available now for around £150 from opposhop.com or via Amazon marketplace. -Ian Morris

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Oppo DV

If you want the best picture from your DVD player, you’ll want to spend more than the £20 some companies charge for their players. Oppo, a company not especially well known in the UK but popular in the US, is bringing its range of upscaling DVD players to the UK, starting with the DV-981HD.

So, what’s the big attraction of the 981? Firstly, it can play damn near anything you care to throw at it, including the obvious DivX and XviD formats. But then you would almost expect that of a £20 supermarket special these days. The exciting bit is that it will also gladly tackle the high-definition DVD Audio and SACD audio formats.

What’s more, the DV-981 also had the ability to upscale DVDs to 1080p and output them via its gold-plated HDMI socket. There are also component outputs, both kinds of digital audio connections — optical and coaxial — as well as Scart, composite and S-Video out. As a bonus, you even get a free HDMI cable
thrown in, and it’s a really sturdy one too.

It also just so happens that it’s damn handsome. Firstly, it’s thin, finished in a smart black and it has an ultra-compact disc tray. It also comes in one of the nicest boxes we’ve ever seen, and the player is packaged in an Oppo-branded dust jacket. Swanky! What’s more, the remote control glows in the dark. What more could anyone ask? The DV-981HD is available now for around £180 online, and you can expect a full review shortly.

Update: A full review of the 981HD is now available. -Ian Morris

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