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Oppo 970 vs. 971 vs. 981...?


Dusty Chalk

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Will someone with familiarity in the subject area please break down the difference(s) between these three? I was going to just get the 970, but it doesn't have the Faroudja chipset -- how important is this? Someone on another forum said the 981 is supposed to be a replacement for the 971, but takes away the Faroudja chipset (I think he meant the 970, because the 981 explicitly has the Faroudja chipset).

This is what I get:

970 -- entry level

971 -- Faroudja chipset

981 -- 1080p

Or are there other important differences? I will be using it with this, amongst other things.

I am interested in sound, especially SACD and DVD-A, as I can always use an outboard DAC to improve redbook.

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I was lucky that the HK DVD-47 Universal DVD/DVD-A/SACD player I picked up had the Faroudja DCDi chipset. I was primarily looking for something to replace my Denon DVD-2910 that matched my HD AVR-635, and hadn't researched the whole HD upscaling and deinterlacing stuff. Since getting my 720p HDTV, I've been very happy with its upscaling capabilities. The upscaled DVD picture's a little soft in comparison to true 720p/1080i HD content, but it's not far behind with my 46" TV and a 9' viewing distance. Having said that, I haven't done any direct comparions to a non-DCDi player.

Check out AVS Forums for more info if you haven't already. I haven't read up on the Oppos much because I'm happy with my player. But there seems to be a ton of info on all three models, and the Oppos seem to have a great reputation over there. I have no idea if the 1080p would be worth while on a 22" monitor, but I guess future-proofing yourself short of a HD-DVD/BluRay player wouldn't be the worst idea if you can afford it.

Good luck!

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beware - the 971 does NOT do SACD. my 970 does. however if you're a vid guy, the 971 is better because it has that faroujda thing, the 970 doesn't. dunno anything about the 981.

Whoops you are correct I meant to say that the 970 is the best of the three Oppo players for audio use.

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Thought I'd chime in and say I recently purchased the 970HD specifically for watching DVD's. Its a great no-nonsense player with a fantastic picture, plus it comes with a free 6ft HDMI cord. :) I've read over on the AVS forums that Oppo's customer service is top notch, but luckily I haven't had the need to use it yet. ;)

I know nothing of its capabilities as a CD player, though.

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