I can't compare to the 981 as I haven't tried it, but I can tell you in my experience the 983 has a clearly superior picture to the 980. I also had better results with the digital output on the 983. Short of the Panasonic Blu Ray player I tried out, the 983 yields the best picture I've seen on my 1080i CRT (upsampled DVD via HDMI). It does not give up much to Blu-ray either. Oppo's Blu-Ray player is supposed to be coming out soon and will supposedly have the DVD section of the 983. They've discontinued production of the 983, but you may still be able to find a new one at a dealer, or a refurb at Oppo. You'd sure save a bunch of $ going to the 981 though. Have you tried phoning Oppo and just asking them? I've spoke with them a couple of times and found they were very helpful.
Oppo 981 vs 983 Which Has Better Picture Quality?
The Oppo 981 has DCDi by Faroudja video processing technology with progressive scan, film mode detection, TrueLife™ enhancement and motion adaptive noise reduction. Video is analyzed on a single pixel granularity to detect presence or absence of angled lines and edges, which are then processed to produce a smooth natural looking image without visible artifacts (jaggies). The result is a breath-taking picture with vivid color, fine details, and life-like picture quality.
The Oppo 983 has an advanced video processing featuring "VRS™ by Anchor Bay" technologies. With the DV-983H, OPPO has incorporated Anchor Bay's latest VRS (Video Reference Series) technology. The VRS technology suite includes AutoCUE-C™, Progressive Cadence Detection™, Precision De-interlacing™ and Precision Video Scaling™. The VRS video processor also handles frame rate conversion, aspect ratio control and video zooming. These technologies combine to generate a clearer, smoother, and true-to-life picture free of artifacts.
Which unit has a better picture quality?
The Oppo 983 has an advanced video processing featuring "VRS™ by Anchor Bay" technologies. With the DV-983H, OPPO has incorporated Anchor Bay's latest VRS (Video Reference Series) technology. The VRS technology suite includes AutoCUE-C™, Progressive Cadence Detection™, Precision De-interlacing™ and Precision Video Scaling™. The VRS video processor also handles frame rate conversion, aspect ratio control and video zooming. These technologies combine to generate a clearer, smoother, and true-to-life picture free of artifacts.
Which unit has a better picture quality?
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Thanks for the response. I have not called Oppo but have noticed the 983 has been discontinued. I'm trying to solicit some opinions here before I decide on which unit to get. I already have 3 cheap DVD players and was thinking to get an Oppo to improve on the picture quality. I think I'll skip the 981 as it does not have component outputs, and I need that for my projector. So it's either the discontinued 983 or the upcoming blu-ray player, which I suspect would cost quite a bit. |
Ryder - If you're interested in a new 983 one of the last Oppo dearlers to have any was Projector People. Currently they are showing it in stock, but I'd call to double check. Also, Oppo occasionally has refurbs available. The target pricepoint on the BDP-83 that I heard was $599 which was confirmed by someone at Oppo when I spoke with them in January. Of course, that could change depending on what hoops they're having to jump through to make it work. The release date has been pushed forward several times at this point. The company line I was told was that they want to make sure the player they release is the best they can build with the technology they have available and that it works flawlessly. They do have a beta program which they seem to be offering for the Blu-ray player. I signed up for notification and have not heard from them. 983's also show up used both here and on eBay on occasion, and Oppo also pushes their refurbs on eBay. |
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