OPPO Digital DV-983H DVD Player with HDMI Output and Anchor Bay VRS Processing

The OPPO DV-983H is a DVD player that really delivers. HDMI connectivity and upscaling using Anchor Bay VRS technology, enables the DV-983H to deliver an excellent picture on an HDTV. In addition, other features, such as SACD and DVD-Audio playback, as well as a rear mounted USB port for importing images and sound from flash drives, add great audio and video flexibility.

If you are looking for a new DVD player, make sure you check this one out. The OPPO DV-983H takes DVD player performance to the highest level. After reading this review, also check out a supplementary Close-up Photo Look at the DV-983H.

Pros

Cons

Despite is modest appearance, the DV-983H is a power house of a DVD player. First off, it is easy to set up and use. Second, its performance is excellent. The DV-983H easily plays commercial DVDs, home recorded DVDs, as well as SACD/DVD-Audio/CD/CDR/RW discs.

In terms of video performance, the HDMI output produced solid results in combination with the DV-983H's Anchor Bay VRS processing system.

Using HDMI with the 720p, 1080i, and 1080p output settings in conjunction with a Westinghouse Digital LVM-37w3 1080p LCD Monitor, and using the Silicon Optix HQV Benchmark DVD as a reference, the DV-983H produced excellent results in terms of detail, color, motion tracking, video noise reduction, moire pattern detection and elimination, and frame cadence detection. The great video quality also bore out in real world DVD playback as well, using several titles, including (but not limited to): Crank, Moulin Rouge, House of the Flying Daggers, and Serenity.

Audio performance of the DV-983H was also excellent. Dolby Digital/DTS surround sound options worked well, with excellent imaging. CD, DVD-Audio, and SACD playback audio reproduction was solid. I did not sense any shortcomings that could be attributed to the DV-983H. NOTE: DVD-Audio and SACD playback can be accessed by either the 5.1 Channel analog or HDMI outputs (provided you have an AV receiver with HDMI 1.2 input capability).

OPPO has succeeded in delivering a true reference-quality DVD player, but the price is high for the average consumer. Also, the location of the USB port on the rear panel, instead of the front of the unit, did make using that feature inconvenient. However, if you are reluctant to jump into true-HD with Blu-ray, you can still get the best that standard DVD can deliver with the almost-perfect DV-983H.

Based on performance, the OPPO DV-983H deserves a 5 out of 5 Star rating.