HD upconversion

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. In the wake of the HDTV revolution, the CE consumer is quickly realizing that unlocking the true potential of HD technology requires state-of-the-art peripherals, especially in the area of video hardware. Yet with a sizeable segment of HDTV owners still on the fence about the future of high-definition DVD formats, the options aren’t always clear.

One solution is the growing market for upconversion technology, and a company quickly making a name for itself in this space is Oppo. With its recent launch of the DV-981HD, Oppo is raising the bar by offering HD upconversion ouput at resolutions of 720p, 1080i, and full 1080p. The new DV-981HD, which went on the market in December 2006 and carries a MSRP of $229, outputs audio in stereo or in 5.1 channel surround, either via HDMI, or through the included 5.1 analogue outputs; supported audio formats include DVD-Audio, Super Audio CS (SACD), Audio CDs, HDCD, WMA, Kodak Picture CDs, all version of DivX including DivX6, as well as Xvid, .SRT, .SMI, .IDX, and .SUB file formats.  For more information, go to www.oppodigital.com.