sunspot,
I think a high-end SD DVD player is a good purchase today - with qualifications.
If you are into hi-resolution audio (DVD-Audio and SACD), most of the top players (including the 2910) offer support for those formats, and excellent performance on Redbook CD's.
If you have an extensive library of SD DVD titles, it is a no-brainer. They won't look any better on one of the HD DVD players, that's for sure.
SD DVD players do not figure to become doorstops any time soon. The format is only eight years old and the software (discs) should
outlast you and I if taken care of properly!
IMHO, I don't believe every DVD released to the buying public once HD-DVD is in place will be HD. Yes, there will be new releases with SD and HD in the same package or on the same double-sided disc. There will be an ungodly number of re-issues in HD - some will even be worth buying.

But not every distributor out there will issue everything in their catalog in HD. SD DVD will coexist with HD DVD for a time as the public decides whether to adopt the hardware when they already have two or more SD players in their houses.
Unless the film or video source being released on DVD is worthy of HD treatment, I would rather see it released in SD than to have the studio or distributor pretend the source material is HD.
I am certain that videophiles will find many early HD DVD releases disappointing due to the lack of noticeable improvement in PQ over SD. There will be some stunning examples of the technology, make no mistake about it, but there will be turkeys on the shelves alongside the trophies, just as when SD DVD was introduced. Never underestimate the greed of the studios.....
The short answer is: if you are a renter, no. If you are a collector , yes.
