<![CDATA[Gizmodo: oppo dv-981hd]]> http://tags.gizmodo.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/gizmodo.com.png <![CDATA[Gizmodo: oppo dv-981hd]]> http://gizmodo.com/tag/oppodv981hd http://gizmodo.com/tag/oppodv981hd <![CDATA[Oppo DV-981HD Upconverting DVD Player Reviewed (Verdict: 1080p Alchemy)]]> I just reviewed the Oppo DV-981HD Universal DVD Player, and like its brandmate the Oppo DV-970, the player does a great job of up-rezzing regular old garden-variety DVDs to high definition. This one takes it a step further, though, up-rezzing that unwashed standard-def signal all the way to the holy-grail 1080p resolution.

Taking a look at the results on a 1080p set over HDMI, DVDs just never looked so good. That Faroudja up-rezzing technology under the hood pretty much performs magic, but don't get too excited: even at 1080p, up-rezzed DVDs don't look like real HDTV. Still, it's a remarkable value for $230. – Charlie White

Review: Oppo DV-981HD Universal DVD Player [Consumer Electronics Net]

]]> http://gizmodo.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=224218&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Oppo Unleashes Best DVD Upscaling Player Yet: DV-981HD Does 1080p]]> Even though you've probably never heard of the company, Oppo uses the the best upscaling tech in the biz—by Faroudja. Now Oppo jumps onto the 1080p bandwagon armed with its latest BFG: the $229 DV-981HD player that upscales garden-variety DVDs from the usual 480p up to 1080p resolution. It has an HDMI output, but gone is the component video output of its predecessor. That coveted 1080p video doesn't travel well over component outputs anyway, especially if you're forced to deal with HDCP (copy-protected) content.

This DV-981HD is an improvement over its predecessor, the highly-regarded DV-970HD which I've favorably reviewed. That player upscales DVDs to 1080i or 720p over HDMI or component, and even though its video output looks better than any DVD I've ever seen, it's still nowhere near the quality of HDTV.

Jump for more pics, including the nice ass-end of this mofo, and a bit of pointed editorializing.

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Thank goodness this new model loses the useless SD card reader of its predecessor, which was pretty much a joke. We're looking forward to reviewing this DV-981HD, though, which will probably be the best way to watch plain ol' DVDs on a 1080p HDTV. – Charlie White

Product Page [Oppo Digital]

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