OPPO DV-983H Upconverting DVD Player - On the Test Bench
This portion of the review details how the OPPO DV-983H performed on the test bench. Please read the OPPO DV-983H Review Essentials, if you have not already.
On the Test Bench The very ability to inspect and view an HDMI video source goes directly against the copyright capability of the connection since the means to see it would infer a means to steal it. At this time the Panasonic PTAE-1000U has been kept in the stable just for the purpose of using the Wave Form Monitor feature.
While the Wave Form Monitor does suffer when looking at high frequency response video such as bursts, it is also the perfect tool for checking IRE levels and color decoding. This does come with the limitation of only being able to check YPbPr output, preventing me from verifiying the switching to RGB output that would be required for a DVI input. Some of the results are based on visual calibration checks as well as signal and are noted.
All tests were performed using Digital Video Essentials as the source material. Comparison Players Toshiba HD-A35 OPPO DV-981HD Digital Video Essentials Video Levels Whether by visual calibration or waveform monitoring, the player output 0IRE and 100IRE at the correct 16 235 levels. Horizontal Frequency Response Luminance As noted, waveform monitoring response was useless for this test.
Visually the player passed the continuous frequency burst test quite well for luminance. For the low frequency pattern there is banding for the highest frequency burst. Moving on to the high frequency pattern, recall that I have yet to see any player or scaler player combo pass this pattern correctly and this player is no exception.
This pattern always has banding so the best I can state on this is high, medium or a low contrast response with high being the best and low being the worst. Vertical Frequency Response Luminance Vertical frequency response was excellent in 720p, 1080i and 1080p. Frequency Response Color While some banding is normal, the DV-983H showed a much higher level of banding than any other player reviewed so far.
The contrast levels also dropped for the right one third of the response, the higher frequencies. The Toshiba HD-A35 remains a reference for this test.
CUE, Chroma Upsampling Error This causes a vertical breakup of color detail in the vertical plane, typically expressed in reds but can show up for other colors, and is related to the player using only one MPEG decoding method rather than both interlace and progressive and applying the correct version to the native source on the disc.
The DV-983H passed. Consider this a mini review. Similar to the HQV Benchmark DVD it, contains similar test material for jaggies, cadence and titles. I tested this disc on the OPPO DV-981HD and the Toshiba HD-A35. The OPPO DV-981HD passed many of the tests but it uses intelligent deinterlacing.
The Toshiba failed horribly and uses dumb deinterlacing which so far infers the disc being played lacks progressive flags, which a dumb deinterlacing design depends upon. The ABT disc image quality and some of the tests like jaggies are better implemented and delivered than the HQV Benchmark.
Scaling I tested the OPPO at 1080p, 1080i and 720p feeding a 1080p DLP front projector that supports 1:1 pixel mapping with other scan rates. As expected the edges were soft which is a byproduct of the scaling process for nearly any manufacturer, although pixel-mapped 1080p output into a native 1080p will provide the sharpest response. Color bar patterns showed the typical dark edging where the different colors meet.
Moving on to test images from DVE at 1080p I was greeted with an overall good response. The unit is not perfect and the DV-981HD and Toshiba HD-A35 have an edge. As noticed for the color burst response test this player is lacking by comparison. Overall either of the other players mentioned faired better with the Toshiba remaining a reference.
This loss of detail was most evident in the restaurant sequence during the table view. The young man has a desert plate with a garnish of cut strawberries. The Toshiba provided better detail and nuance with the DV-983H blurring that. The DV-981HD didn't fair as well but outperformed the DV-983H. The next disc up was Star Wars Episode II, a disc I have tested to no end over the last year with numerous products. As with the above, the response was good but lacked that edge of color detail that the Toshiba can deliver.
I typically don't bring up some DVDs I have burned from a variety of old VCR tapes and laserdisc titles. Eventually one of these will fall into a player and the OPPO was no exception. I bring them up because the OPPO would lose cadence lock if a pause, FF or RW function was used causing a choppy, strobing effect. Going in and out of the modes might get it to lock again.
I have never had this problem with any other player. Scaling Special Features and Oddball Cadences Typically I have two paragraphs describing limitations with such content but it is exactly in this area that the DV-983HD shines. What other players trip up on, this one will pass without a hitch. It passed all but one of the HQV Benchmark cadence tests! If you are a DVD collector looking for the best overall response with ANY content the DV-983HD has you covered.
Just like an external scaler the OPPO delivers the goods yet for detail an external scaler has an edge much like the Toshiba HD-A35. Aspect Ratio Control The DV-983HD provides an auto 16:9 4:3 switching mode so the player maintains correct aspect with special features or 4:3 movies, black side bars. OPPO calls this 16:9 Wide Auto and is found in the setup menu.
For the DVD collector with 4:3 letterboxed content this player performs quite well when expanding such content to fill out your screen. Again the player is directly competing with an external scaler in this capability. Additional Video Features Y C Delay With a calibration disc you test for this error on your display and correct it.
CUE Correction Although the player passes the CUE test there is also ICP, Interlaced Chroma Problem. From the manual, "ICP is caused by encoding interlaced video so you may encounter it on some DVDs". Beyond the specific CUE patterns on the ABT test disc I did not see this feature change anything and it would seem leaving it in automatic will give you the best results.
Video Mode If you are playing back a PAL encoded DVD you can select the front end MPEG video decoder, Video 1, or use Video 2, the Precision Scaling and RightRate video processing technologies of the Anchor Bay processor. This feature was not tested. Color Space Auto is based on information from your display during the HDMI handshake.
Useful if your display EDID is incorrect or missing in action for automated settings. Audio Performance The OPPO provides full bit stream or multichannel PCM support for digital audio connections. Being a simple matter of set-and-forget, there was nothing to test. On the other hand it does provide 8-channel analog audio with 24 192 D A converters and supports SACD and DVD Audio. I tested the PCM stream using a Denon AVR3808Ci A V receiver which provides 24 192 DA conversion for the outputs. In this mode I was able to duplicate all DVD Audio formats out to 24 192.
When an SACD is played the Denon indicates 88.2 kHz. Whether in multichannel or stereo mode SACD lacked in clarity not only from being down converted to 88.2 kHz but also conversion from DSD to PCM. Ultimately, getting the full potential of SACD performance is an audiophile concern and I suggest an audiophile stand alone player.
I know that is not an easy or inexpensive product to find. It is unfortunate but in the end maintaining a pure unconverted signal for SACD from source to decoded analog output, whether that be stereo or multichannel analog or digital, is a huge challenge for the end user on a budget. The player has earned some kudos as an audiophile product so I am going into more depth for this aspect of performance.
Testing of the analog outputs takes us to my 2-channel system which is composed of custom and modified products designed and setup for the ultimate expression of a neutral audio signature.
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