OPPO OPDV971H Digital HD-Ready Up-Converting DVD Player
Great picture quality at a reasonable price.
I bought this player to replace my aging Panasonic CP-72, which had replaced my ancient Pioneer DV-333.  I connected the Oppo to my LCD projector via the DVI connection and the picture quality is much sharper and more vibrant than the Panny connected with a component cable.  I set the DVI output to 720p to match my pj's native resolution so the DVD only gets scaled once (by the Oppo) and since DVI is a digital connection, there is no D/A A/D conversions to introduce noise into the picture.  <br /> <br />The Oppo is also much more responsive in DVD menus than my Panny and the Oppo's layer change is completely invisible.  On the Panny, there would be an annoying point midway through the movie in which the picture and sound freezes for a second during the layer change. <br /> <br />The final bonus is that the Oppo can be made region-free by using some simple remote commands.  I could have watched \\"Kung Fu Hustle\\" several months before the U.S. DVD release if the Panny were region-free.  (The Panny requires an expensive hardware modification to be made region-free.)  <br /> <br />My only concerns are the build quality and the remote control is cheaply made.  Fortunately, I use a Philips Pronto learning remote so once I transferred the RC codes, I never had to touch the Oppo's remote again.  Only time will tell if the Oppo holds up.  If you have a digital display, then you should strongly consider the Oppo.  If not, there are probably better choices out there since the Oppo's component output is not progressive and is not scaled.