Superb pictures

The DV-983H delivers some of the best pictures we've seen from any DVD player.

The ABT1018's upscaling capabilities are sublime, boosting the DVD signal to 1080p without a trace of edge noise or moiré patterning, resulting in movie images that look clean, bold and, best of all, utterly cinematic.

Detail handling is top notch, as demonstrated by playback of the demanding King Kong DVD. Skull Island's scenery looks razor-sharp, while the textures and patterns of clothing and skin are eminently visible.

You can also see the advantage of having the competent ABT102 chip at the helm, as there are no jaggies, juddering or other artefacts to sully the picture.

Excellent detail

The strength and purity of colour reproduction also plays a big part in the picture's success.

King Kong's varied palette looks utterly realistic at all times, from delicate skin tones through to the verdant island plant life.

Bring all of these elements together and the resulting picture is the closest thing you'll get to hi-def without buying a Blu-ray player.

Stunning audio quality

OPPO has lavished almost as much attention on the audio side as the video, with the DV-983H proving adept with both movie and music material.

Let the deck decode Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks internally and it delivers cleanly separated front and centre channels, deep punchy bass and dynamic rear channel effects.

The scene where Ann Darrow tumbles down a chasm with two T-Rexes perfectly demonstrates these qualities; it's simply breathtaking.

The wow factor continues with DVD-A and SACD playback, which draws you in with crisp highs, but keeps you in its clutches with a solid and engaging midrange and bass.

Impressive player

With an awesome spec sheet and some serious video electronics, this is the sort of player that DVD
die-hards will give their right arm for, but at over £300 you wouldn't expect anything less – as you can get a Blu-ray player for similar money.

But if you've already got an HD deck and want a dedicated machine for DVD upscaling duties you won't find many better this.