OPPO DV-981 DVD Player
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DivX and XviD playback was flawless, and OPPO should be commended on this front. After using a number of lackluster DivX players in the past, I was pleasantly surprised by the DivX feature of the OPPO. Fast forwarding and rewinding DivX videos can be done at up to 32X speed, and it is easy to navigate the DivX files menu. File names scroll across on-screen, unlike other players which only display the first few letters of a file. It's little touches like this which ultimately save time and frustration.

Buttons felt solid and satisfying to the touch, with a cool blue eminating glow.


I have since abandoned my old Pioneer DivX DVD player in favor of the OPPO. The remote control is better (it even glows in the dark), the firmware is far superior, the blue LED lighting on the player itself is very nice, and with HDMI and good quality up-conversion for US$229, it's hard to find fault.

I should point out that since the DV-981 is designed for HD displays, it does not have a component output, instead adopting a single HDMI output, along with S-Video for older displays.

The display brightness is both adjustable, and easily readable.


Some reviews of the DV-981 have expressed concern with the thin DVD tray, and although it is a little thinner than most, OPPO say it was designed this way to allow it to flex to some degree, instead of snapping as thicker trays may be prone to do. In our experience, the tray was just fine and shouldn't pose any problems. Overall build quality is superb, and OPPO back up their products with a local support line, open Monday - Friday, should you have any issues.

We have no hesistation in recommending the OPPO DV-981 player. It has proved a formidable performer, and with it's good looks and low price tag it's a safe buy for any HDTV owner.

You can order your own OPPO DV-981 DVD player from the OPPO Digital site.



Highs
Attractive black design with blue lighting; user-friendly interface; good DivX/XviD support; competitively priced; good build quality; admirable up-conversion and video quality.

Lows
No way to bookmark DivX playback position or resume playback.

Final verdict
A formidable performer, and while it may not be the best DivX player on the market due to lack of bookmark/resume features, it is easily the best up-converting DVD player we've tested for those on a budget.

90%

Mar 7, 2007

Review by Richard Manley.

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