I'm in need of some assistance with replacing my current DVD players, a Samsung and a LiteOn.

I have a Hitachi 50V500 LCD rear projection TV (handles up to 1080i) with one DVI and multiple component inputs.

My wish list for a new DVD player:

- does PAL to NTSC conversion like my old LiteOn so I can watch European movies I occasionally get from my family in Germany

- is regionfree for the same reason as above

- plays 4:3 on the widescreen TV without stretching it out (the Samsung did that, horrible)

While the LiteOn did the job for 3 years, it was a cheap player, the remote signal sucked, and it just gave up its ghost, no more picture.

I am hoping that there is a new player that will fit the bill.

I'm also playing with the thought of replacing the Samsung with an HD player, but I doubt there is an HD player that also does what I listed above, so I'll take that to the HD DVD forum and do some reading there first.

Unfortunately I am out of touch with what the current models are that would fit my bill, so if you gents have some suggestions I'd really appreciate it. Also, if there are other criteria I should be considering, please feel free to educate me. :)

I'm in need of some assistance with replacing my current DVD players, a Samsung and a LiteOn.

I have a Hitachi 50V500 LCD rear projection TV (handles up to 1080i) with one DVI and multiple component inputs.

My wish list for a new DVD player:

- does PAL to NTSC conversion like my old LiteOn so I can watch European movies I occasionally get from my family in Germany

- is regionfree for the same reason as above

- plays 4:3 on the widescreen TV without stretching it out (the Samsung did that, horrible)

While the LiteOn did the job for 3 years, it was a cheap player, the remote signal sucked, and it just gave up its ghost, no more picture.

I am hoping that there is a new player that will fit the bill.

I'm also playing with the thought of replacing the Samsung with an HD player, but I doubt there is an HD player that also does what I listed above, so I'll take that to the HD DVD forum and do some reading there first.

Unfortunately I am out of touch with what the current models are that would fit my bill, so if you gents have some suggestions I'd really appreciate it. Also, if there are other criteria I should be considering, please feel free to educate me. :)

The Oppos all meet these requirements. You make them region free by entering a code through the remote. The 981 is $229 and has better PAL playback but has no component. The 980 is $169 and has both HDMI and component.

You can use any HDMI player with an HDMI->DVI cable to your display (presuming your DVI port has HDCP). With the 980 you optionally use the component ports at 480i/p.

There is a Wide/Auto setup mode which will pillarbox 4:3 material.

I'm not aware of any HD-DVD or Blu-Ray players that are region-free for SD-DVD or play both NTSC and PAL discs.

-Bill

I've read the specs and reviews for the Oppo DV-981 and they sound great. Looks like that's exactly what I am looking for. Thank you so much!

One question: I reviewed my TV manual, and under Specifications > 1.0 Features I found the following entry:

DVI with HDCP (High bandwidth Digital Content Protection V1.0 compatible).

If I read you correctly, this means I can go to Fry's and buy an off-the-rack HDMI-to-DVI cable to connect the Oppo 981 to the DVI port on my Hitachi - yes?

I've read the specs and reviews for the Oppo DV-981 and they sound great. Looks like that's exactly what I am looking for. Thank you so much!

One question: I reviewed my TV manual, and under Specifications > 1.0 Features I found the following entry:

DVI with HDCP (High bandwidth Digital Content Protection V1.0 compatible).

If I read you correctly, this means I can go to Fry's and buy an off-the-rack HDMI-to-DVI cable to connect the Oppo 981 to the DVI port on my Hitachi - yes?

Correct. You'll have to run the audio separately.

-Bill

Correct. You'll have to run the audio separately.

-Bill

I should add: if you order from Oppo directly, ask for an HDMI->DVI cable and they will give you one. (Or they have in the past)

-Bill

That's good to know.

Turns out the Oppo office is about 30 min from my house or my office. I think I'll just stop by on Monday. :)

Again, thanks for the info.