I would just like some opinions on why the Oppo remains the #1 DVD player at Amazon.

For about $70 more you get just about everything the Oppo is plus HD DVD and 5 free movies. Wouldn't that be worth it to most people if they knew?

I wonder how much the A2 has to come down before it becomes the obvious choice over the Oppo.

The Oppo 970 at #2 is down to $150 from $200. The Audiovox 9" portable at #1 is marked down to $99 from $249

What's V-E-R-Y interesting is that the A2 at #3 is beating all the discount DVD players like the Coby ($27.99) and the Phillips HDMI player that plays Divx at $68.99.

So the HD-DVD discounting strategy is having its impact.

The Oppo 970 at #2 is down to $150 from $200. The Audiovox 9" portable at #1 is marked down to $99 from $249

What's V-E-R-Y interesting is that the A2 at #3 is beating all the discount DVD players like the Coby ($27.99) and the Phillips HDMI player that plays Divx at $68.99.

So the HD-DVD discounting strategy is having its impact.Interesting for sure!

I would just like some opinions on why the Oppo remains the #1 DVD player at Amazon.

For about $70 more you get just about everything the Oppo is plus HD DVD and 5 free movies. Wouldn't that be worth it to most people if they knew?

I wonder how much the A2 has to come down before it becomes the obvious choice over the Oppo.
Because it plays SACDs and DVD-As, and the A2 doesn't? I have the Oppo 970 and the Tosh A2 - the one does not supplant the other.

Also, some people are just staying clear of the HD-DVD vs BD format war, and would rather spend the $70 on SD-DVDs. And it's not $70: the 970 retails for $150, the A2 for $300, I believe. Therefore, it is $150 difference, or twice the price. If you meant the 981, then yeah, I think it retails for about $220, or $80 more.

I love Honda motor vehicles, and I don't understand why anyone buys anything else. But oddly enough, it seems that what I consider useful features and value are not what others perceive.

But I do agree that for all those folks buying the Oppo 970 and but not for DVD-A or SACD probably should consider the A2.

Edit: oh yeah, two more things: the Oppo has been $150 for quite a while now, so that isn't a recent price reduction. And this thread really belongs in either the HD-DVD player forum or the SD-DVD player forum, not here.

shinksma

I kinda thought the same thing. I too had purchased an upconvert player, but returned it to get an A1. I see the price difference as not that much of a factor seeing how yo then move to comlete HD not Faux HD. :D

Because it plays SACDs and DVD-As, and the A2 doesn't? I have the Oppo 970 and the Tosh A2 - the one does not supplant the other.

Additionally, isn't the Oppo region-free? That's a pretty huge selling point.

Even though I have the A1, I still have my Momitsu 880 in the rack and it gets a fair amount of use due to its region-free capabilities.


But your general point is valid -- the HD DVD players are definitely closing the gap on price with the current upconverting players. People who care about upconversion and are really doing some good comparison shopping are likely to consider the Toshiba player to be the best choice.

Additionally, isn't the Oppo region-free? That's a pretty huge selling point.

Even though I have the A1, I still have my Momitsu 880 in the rack and it gets a fair amount of use due to its region-free capabilities.


But your general point is valid -- the HD DVD players are definitely closing the gap on price with the current upconverting players. People who care about upconversion and are really doing some good comparison shopping are likely to consider the Toshiba player to be the best choice.

Not to get too far off the original topic but I was wondering if the Momitsu is still available? Does it have VGA ouput and will it do 720p over that? I'm setting up a CRT projector and need a fairly inexpensive source to test with.

Shinksma, I've been looking at both the Oppo 970 and the Tosh A2. Quick question. Which in your opinion does a better job with SD-DVD?

Shinksma, I've been looking at both the Oppo 970 and the Tosh A2. Quick question. Which in your opinion does a better job with SD-DVD?
I honestly don't know, because I've never played an SD-DVD in my A2.

One of these days I will try it out, but usually if I'm firing up the A2 it's because I'm busy unwrapping the latest HD-DVD I want to watch...

shinksma

Oppo can be made region-free, plays NTSC, PAL, DIVX, and (maybe, I forget) WMA. And SACD and DVA-A, as has been mentioned.

Maybe not a big deal for most people, but I actually use all those features (except SACD) and I'm not aware of any HD player that can do all that, unless there's maybe an Oppo HD someday. :)

My personal experience with the 970, the A1 and the BDP-S1 was that the Oppo rendered the best picture for upconversion out of the 3.

I haven't tried my A20 for upconversion, but the added functionality of the Oppo is worth keeping it around for SD IMO.