OPPO DV-983H Mini ReviewFirst ImpressionsLike my previous review on the 980H, the packaging for the 983H still remains the same. It comes in a compact, sturdy foam packaging and a nice looking designer cloth bag. There is a new look to the accessories box which comes in cool sleek black. The surprise package would be the VRS Evaluation & Optimization DVD.
The 983H weights much heavier than the other OPPO players I had (980, 981 and 970). The faceplate clearly shows a similarity to the 980H. This I can say is one of the best looking players from OPPO; the new aluminum face plate gives it a sleek and solid designer feel which this player definitely deserve at this price tag. It also spots a much cleaner minimalist look minus the circular navigation control found on the 980H. In place are 2 new (round & square) solid, toughen buttons found on the front panel. The tray on the 983H definitely feel and look more secure and sturdy.
The USB port has also been move to the back panel which is a warm welcome to me. No more cables dangling in front of the panel whenever I want to hook up my external hard disk. The rear panel has also some new addition: an RS-232 port (for controlling the player through an automation system) and IR input and output.
VideoThe 983H is hook up to an Onkyo 875 through HDMI with all video by-pass to maximize the full capabilities of the ABT de-interlacing and scaling. Video output from the Onkyo 875 goes to a 50 inch Full HD 1080p Panasonic 50PY700. This is surely the best video chipset (ABT) around since it scored full 100 marks on Hometheaterhifi.
To have a clear understanding on why the ABT scored so well; the Oppo DV-983H uses Anchor Bay for de-interlacing (ABT102) and scaling (ABT1018). There are devices like the Toshiba HD-A20/A30/A35 that use Anchor Bay for scaling only. The main reason that more manufacturers don't uses Anchor Bay's de-interlacing is that the ABT102 is an FPGA implementation of these algorithms (versus an ASIC) which costs more than most manufacturers want to spend. What it means is you will not see the ABT102 chip in a lot of players including HD/BR players; it is just too expensive for manufacturers to even think about including them. If you think that getting a cheap HD-DVD Toshiba player will give you the same 100% top score performance like the 983H then you have got it all wrong. A chipset like this are usually found in very expensive players, in fact the top of the line video processor that incorporates Video Reference Series processing (VRS by) Anchor Bay cost a whopping $3,000 USD!
After going through all the countless SD DVD's which I still own, I finally decided to pick up PIXAR studio "THE INCREDIBLES" which is one of my favorite Animation movie. The last time I played it was on an OPPO 981 which really wowed me. On the 983H, colours were simply amazing, it was rich and the texture was accurate. Watching the movie makes it look like it was a Hi Def version of the movie.
On the 983H, I did not encounter any macro blocking or green push at all. Colour contrast was perfect; the jungle scene where the whole family gathered really showed detailed colours of their uniforms. The surrounding tress has very clear definition of shades. Play back was smooth and flawless at 1080p upscaling. Movie was judder fee with, no artifacting at all.
On a more interesting note, I hook my external hard disk to the 983H which I had close to 100gig of movies thanks to my Anime crazy buddy. The 983H was able to read the hard disk and decode the media pretty fast without any error. It played very smoothly and gives an overall picture improvement however dont expect it give you HD picture quality when feeding it with low quality media e.g. AVI
AudioThe last time I tested and reviewed the 980H the audio caught me by surprise. For such a performance it was truly under-rated for its low price tag.
When Nuforce mention they were involved in 983H audio, it got me really excited. OPPO really mean business when they got Nuforce involved; this is one company that has won numerous awards for producing High End quality audio products
Quote from Nuforce Jason:
FYI, this is the best DVD/SACD/CD player from Oppo. We helped in tweaking the sound. If you can't afford a $3000 CD player, this is the next best thing. This player also makes your DVD movies look exceptionally good. http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?topic=52155.0Two new upgrades to take note, firstly an isolated power supply for the analog audio which has an independent voltage regulators and capacitors for the DAC and the op-amps. The second is an upgrade to the capacitors used in the signal path to the front left/right output op-amp.
Two channel analog was connected to a pair of Nuforce Ref 9V2SE Monoblocks and to a pair of Mark and Daniel Sapphire Bookshelfs. Played my favorite reference CD; Track 3 - There's Nothing Better Than Love (Forever, for Always, for Luther II).
This is one hell of a player that really amazes me. Right from the start I could hear crisp vocals from both the male and female singer. The clear mid range of both singers was precise and distinct that melts your heart away. What really captivate you is that sheer clarity of their voices thats just simply irresistible to any Jazz aficionado. Warm beautiful vocals can be felt as though they were right in front of you. Their voices was so impressive and dramtically real yet so effortlessly with ease and grace. It sounded so good that I repeated the track 3 times! The bass guitar presence was deep and heavy from start to end giving that thumping feel to a passionate love song. This song never fails to impress in terms of dynamics and playing it on the 983H makes it simple even better.
Next up DVD-A, sounds quality move up a huge notch. Let me put it this way its like Blu Ray for DVD-A and SD DVD for CD. DVD-A are always better pressed, with higher sampling and bit rate.
Mastered at 96khz/24 bit, I slotted in Vantage Point and played track 2 - Bless Them Rains. As the song started, both the Sax and Trumpets came on timely, it was precise and distinct. It gave me an adrenaline rush when the drummer went on a solo. You can feel the speed and pace as he goes back and forth with the kicks snares. It was well controlled and with such accurate timing. Identifying the location of the 5 piece band was easily spotted, well with such open soundstage who wouldnt be able to. Oh I simple love the way how the the bassist blend in streamlessly in the background with such rhythm.and groove. Listening to the track simply gave me that funky jazzy groove to my soul that keeps you wanting for more.
To get the best audio settings for 2 channel analog here are my recommendations:
General Setup: DVD-Audio set to DVD-Audio
Speaker Setup: Downmix - Stereo
Audio setup: EQ None
Sound Field Off
Digital Output Raw
LPCM Rate 192K
Audio Tone 00
HDMI Audio Off
SACD Over HDMI DSD
I also set the player onto DIM mode, which switches off the LED display when playing this helps improve background silence, as LEDs are notoriously noisy (in the electrical sense).
Most importantly use the "Audio Only" mode when playing, which switches off all the video circuitry this improvement is the most audible of the lot.
ConclusionThis is so far the BEST player from OPPO and it's worth every single dollar I paid for. With a price tag of $399 USD, this is definitely targeted at videophile that is not willing to give up their huge collection of DVD's and wants the last best dedicated DVD player or for those who are not ready to jump into the HD bandwagon. This also makes a high quality CDP for the fraction of a price; an Arcam CDP costing 4 times the price doesn't even come close to it. I would say this would be my last dedicated DVD player to service my huge collection of DVD's before I get hold of a true Blue Hi Def dedicated player. With this new baby in town it also means countless hours of pure listening joy.
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