Olin OBDP-1000

Olin’s OBDP-1000 provides a compelling option for newcomers to the Blu-ray format thanks to bargain-bin pricing and a bevy of features.

Eschewing the tacky silver of other budget players, the OBPD-1000 is coated in glossy black for a similar styling to more expensive players. The player is a lot slimmer than most and will fit well in a modern home theatre setup.

Video connections include single composite, component and HDMI 1.3 outputs, while audio outputs include analog stereo, coaxial, optical and analog 7.1 surround.

Picture quality was largely without fault when playing Blu-ray discs, thanks to support for 1080/60p playback. While playing Blu-ray editions of The Guardian and Pearl Harbour the OBDP-1000 displayed fine detail without problems. Colours were balanced with no sign of tinting, and fast-motion sequences were largely displayed without aberrations. Jaggedness is visible on some edges, but for the most part we didn’t find this to be a problem. This player won’t give you state-of-the-art picture quality, but it can certainly hold its own.

The player’s video quality is at its worst when playing DVDs at standard definition. When testing The Matrix on a Sharp LC-37D33X as well as a Samsung LA40A650 at 576p quality was substandard. Erratic motion made the picture near unwatchable, while ghosting and image noise were fairly prevalent. Although this isn’t surprising for an entry-level player, we were amazed to find that the majority of these problems were rectified when we switched to 1080p. Ghosting was largely invisible although image noise was apparent, particularly on the LA40A650.

The player’s audio output is extremely capable for its price point, supporting built-in decoding for Dolby TrueHD, DTS and DTS-HD. Combined with the player’s support for 7.1 surround through either HDMI or its analog outputs, the player is capable of reproducing high quality audio. Given that DTS-HD decoding capability is normally reserved for players double the price of the OBDP-1000, this certainly distinguishes it from other entry-level players.

Although the OBDP-1000 won’t satisfy home theatre enthusiasts, it’s a solid player for its price point and an affordable entry into the world of high definition.