OPPO Digital’s DV-970HD Universal DVD Player with HD Up-Conversion

As previously stated, high definition up-conversion only works through the player’s HDMI 1.1 output. Playback formats include 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i for NTSC (576i, 576p, 720p and 1080i for PAL). Component is limited to a maximum output of 480p. OPPO Digital posted an article on their Web site about their up-conversion process that goes into greater detail beyond the scope of this review.

Up-conversion is a feature on some DVD players that is a poor-man’s version of the highly publicized HD-DVD and Blu-ray high definition DVD players. Up-conversion is not true HD, but rather an algorithm that allows the DVD player to digitally produce an image that has a final output in a high definition format. As an up-converting DVD player processes a standard DVD it must fill in holes within an image to create a high definition-like image. Up-converting DVD players use 480i and 480p DVDs, which are the ones that have been sold for the past decade.

While the final output is less than high definition it is better than playback from a player without up-converting technology. It maximizes the performance of a HDTV by displaying these images in 720p or 1080i instead of 480i or 480p. More lines usually translates into a better picture.

The 970HD uses a Mediatek (MTK) MPEG decoder for its up-conversion. OPPO’s higher priced 971HD model ($199) uses the state-of-the-art DCDi by Faroudja chip, which puts that model at the top of up-conversion DVD players. The 970HD is not far behind though. It received a score of 84 on Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity’s DVD Benchmark Test, which put it in the top third of up-scaling DVD players. The 971HD received a 98.

Here are some real-world examples of what I experienced with the 970HD:

• I played The Wizard of Oz in the 970HD to see how it would handle a movie made before any digital technology existed. What I saw was a more-detailed final product. I could see blemishes on Judy Garland’s face that I have never seen before. Overall, every image had more clarity and sharper.
• I also played CastAway and Jaws. These two movies are standards for all of my reviews because scenes of the beach and ocean are so colorful. To put it simply, through the 970HD it looks as though the water is only inches away from me. While this probably has a lot to do with the cinematography of the original movie and the Samsung DLP television I used to watch these movies on, I can’t help but put a little of the credit to the 970HD.

Images were excellent for all movies I played. Please understand that the movies were not in true high definition. I did notice a difference in image between the HD World Cup games and the movies I watched. But, 970HD movies looked better in comparison to movies that weren’t up-converted on my Toshiba DVD player.

My only complaint with the up-conversion is that the audio seemed to be a step ahead of the video – meaning it was slightly out of sync. I imagine this is directly related to the up-conversion process as the audio doesn’t go through the same delay as the video in getting to the viewer.

Buying Opinion: The up-conversion on the 970HD is good. The audio/video sync issue is so slight that I only saw it because of my experience with video editing. It does not impact my decision to buy this product. The up-conversion is a definite selling point when looking at DVD players. At $149, the only other up-conversion models comparable in this price range are Sony’s DVP-NX90V and Samsung’s DVD-HD960.

I really liked the 970HD by OPPO Digital. While it isn't a true high definition DVD player, it still gives the perception of watching movies in HD. It is an affordable product and I like that is comes with a HDMI cable.

I don't like that the front LED display doesn't light up when the device is turned off. It would've been a nice feature to have a built-in clock on the panel to replace the clock on the VCR that many people are doing away with. If that is the worst I can pin on the 970HD then what does that tell you?

The bottom line is that I have OPPO Digital's 970HD up-conversion DVD player a 5-star rating because it will do more than what most people expect out of a DVD player. High end users might want to look at OPPO's 971HD model or true high definition DVD players, but the 970HD should still give plenty of performance for all users.

There are no glaring defects or glitches with the device. It is easy to install and operate. The price is right for me which means it should be right for you.