Okay, I'll just cut to the chase... I bought a Samsung LNT4061F LCD HDTV, and we're really enjoying the HD cable channels. But my old Sony DVD player doesn't even have progressive scan, so sadly, movies look pretty darn crappy.

Is it best (at this stage of the format wars) to just pay the fiddler and get a Sony PS3, or XBox 360 which can do gaming and HD movie watching? Or for less money, to go get an upscaling DVD player (ie: Oppo)? And on that note, does Oppo product even retail in Canada?

Or, is it best to still wait a little longer to see how this format battle shakes out, and for prices to come down?

This may be a repetitive topic on ehMac, but it's also a moving target with things changing from month to month. Thus my new thread. :baby:

The XBox 360 is way too noisy to enjoy your movies, unless you put it in some acoustically sealed space. Careful not to overheat the thing ;) The PS3 is a bit more quiet but still needs to be hidden in a cabinet or whatever to shield the noise. A standalone upscaling DVD player is your best bet... but why not get a shiny new 160GB Apple TV for that TV of yours? ;)

Actually, I've been surfing around since posting, and these guys...
http://www.onlybestrated.com/
... have an Oppo model for $200.00 CDN including shipping & taxes. The thing that makes me laugh, is that it even comes with a decent HDMI cable. Actually, that makes me cry because FutureSlop suckered me into buying one for a hundred bucks when I bought my TV. I never learn. :o

But you're right dona83, unless a person plays a lot of games (I don't) and has a way to supress the noise, an upscaling player is a better (and way cheaper) way to go.

but why not get a shiny new 160GB Apple TV for that TV of yours? ;)

Besides the lack of content on iTunes Canada, I actually am going to re-read this review...
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/appletv.ars/1
... to make sure that that isn't actually a really good idea. I just need to refresh my memory with how limited the Apple TV output is.

Convert all you DVDs into Apple TV, and there are excellent podcasts, some of it in HD.

OPPO is a brilliant interim product until the dust settles.
Get a third party remote tho - unless they changed it - it sucks big time.

Xbox is much too loud. It started driving me crazy during quiet moments of the movie. I bought an OPPO DV-981HD from onlybestrated.com and it's been great. It really makes DVD movies look like film movies on my Sony XBR 40" LCD.

We used the XBox 360 as a DVD player for a year without finding it too loud.
That is something we never paid attention to.
The convenience of having one single tool is great except when all these unknown teenagers show-up for an all out Halo gaming night.

That is why I exercised my owner"s right on the main set and bought and Oppo 970 for it. It is a good inexpensive in-between solution until the war format is over.
And the remote is truly the worst.

I'm doing a little hunting on the web right now to see if some other manufacturers have caught up to Oppo. There's the Pioneer DV-400V-K-S that gets some praises. More reading to do, but that Oppo remote has me wondering about alternatives.

Just ordered the OPPO DV-970HD. I figure Oppo is still one of the best, with so many positive reviews, and the included HDMI cable makes it ready to go. (I can't believe how hard it is to find a reasonably priced HDMI cable at the big box stores) They just seem to want to sell you the Monster HDMI cable for a hundred bucks. :mad: But that's a whole other topic.

I'll hope for the best with the remote.

Probably be a week till it arrives.

(I can't believe how hard it is to find a reasonably priced HDMI cable at the big box stores) They just seem to want to sell you the Monster HDMI cable for a hundred bucks. :mad: But that's a whole other topic.


G, if you want a reasonably-priced HDMI cable, try these guys:

monoprice.com (http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&style=) (scroll down for the shorter, less-expensive cables)

They are highly thought of on redflagdeals.com.

G, if you want a reasonably-priced HDMI cable, try these guys:

monoprice.com (http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&style=) (scroll down for the shorter, less-expensive cables)

They are highly thought of on redflagdeals.com.

Thanks for that, the place I bought the Oppo from has pretty good prices on cables too. Monoprice has way more selection though, so I'm definitely bookmarking that site.

I was going to make a comment about Monster cable, but I'll hold my tongue. Let's just say I'd have used the word, scam. :greedy: ;)

Congratulations on your purchase.
Your are in for a treat when the box will arrive.
It is amazing how good packaging creates the perception of quality on a product.
Don't worry about the remote. It is a very bad design but it works.

Congratulations on your purchase.
Your are in for a treat when the box will arrive.
It is amazing how good packaging creates the perception of quality on a product.
Don't worry about the remote. It is a very bad design but it works.

I've heard they're somewhat Apple-like in their packaging. And yes, the remote will likely serve it's purpose just fine, even if I hate it. :lmao:

I'm a custom HT installer and I can tell you that you made a wise choice. I've installed several Oppo's and use the 970 in my own theater and they're outstanding machines...and they happen to be affordable as an added bonus. In your case I would have suggested the 981 to take advantage of your 1080P display but the 970 will still look very good...well at least as good as upconverted 480P gets :)

I'm a custom HT installer and I can tell you that you made a wise choice. I've installed several Oppo's and use the 970 in my own theater and they're outstanding machines...and they happen to be affordable as an added bonus. In your case I would have suggested the 981 to take advantage of your 1080P display but the 970 will still look very good...well at least as good as upconverted 480P gets :)

Thanks for adding that Andrew. I very nearly ordered the 981, but I've been spending like a drunken sailor lately, so I had to show some restraint. (my wife is a banker, and she's begun commenting on my spending lately, shhhh)

:lmao:

Who in this day and age does not have a secret spouse sheltered techonlogy fund?

Who in this day and age does not have a secret spouse sheltered techonlogy fund?

I'd have to win some money to put into the fund, and heck, she's still discover it. ;)

Did a search and found this earlier but relevent thread... just wonder how are you finding the image quality of the OPPO?

I'm looking the 980H or 981HD... the 983H is hot but it's $400. I've even heard the PS3 does a decent upconverting job (plus GTA4 looks interesting). What do you guys think 10 months later?

Did a search and found this earlier but relevent thread... just wonder how are you finding the image quality of the OPPO?

I'm looking the 980H or 981HD... the 983H is hot but it's $400. I've even heard the PS3 does a decent upconverting job (plus GTA4 looks interesting). What do you guys think 10 months later?

Very pleased. Zero complaints.

Did a search and found this earlier but relevent thread... just wonder how are you finding the image quality of the OPPO?

I'm looking the 980H or 981HD... the 983H is hot but it's $400. I've even heard the PS3 does a decent upconverting job (plus GTA4 looks interesting). What do you guys think 10 months later?

The ps3 does a terrible up convert job, but it has the benefit of having a Blu-ray, and can play Dvix files, oh and I hear it play games. ;) 983H at $400 is just not worth it.

I beg to differ the PS3 has a very clean upconvert and I'm used to an OPPO.

I beg to differ the PS3 has a very clean upconvert and I'm used to an OPPO.

Did you not see my wink...

It actually scores lower compared to other Blu-ray players, but it keeps getting better with every update, the cpu in the PS3 is still under utilized most of the cores are sitting idle, I don't know what screen size you are using, but on our test system it is noticeable, the current best is anything with a Silicon Optix HQV Reon chip. The PS3 is still the best bang for the money bar none, and I would not hesitate to recommend one even as a dedicated Blu-Ray player.

From a recent review comparing ps3 to ...

The bottom line is that the PS3's upscaling is pretty good, although it doesn't compare to top-of-the-line players such as the Oppo DV-981HD or the new high-def disc players with HQV processing, such as the Samsung BD-P1200 and the Toshiba HD-XA2. On the other hand, the PS3's DVD performance is definitely a big step up from that of the Xbox 360 Elite. In the final analysis, when you consider that upscaling is just one of the many functions of the PS3, we think the performance is pretty impressive.

The wink actually seemed part of the dis. :confused:

Bang for the dollar the Sony is a winnah and the PS3 hard drive is a cinch to upgrade.
You can also heat your room with it :rolleyes:

Lots of positives..and Tiger Woods Golf is much fun. :D

Hm, I might go with the 981HD... My main interests right now are: 1) getting good upconversion of my DVDs and 2) cost. Sounds like the 981HD edges out the PS3 in upconversion and it costs a bit less. I'd love a PS3 as a BR player and even for the odd game... hopefully in the near future!