I know this has taken a bit of a different direction with 980 discussion, but I've owned both the 981 and the 970. A previous poster noted display types as being important; an assessment I wholeheartedly agree with. I have a Samsung 1080p DLP and first purchased the 981. I was pretty dissatisfied with the upscaled PQ and resultant macroblocking from the Faroudja chip. I traded it for a 970 and haven't looked back since. YMMV depending on the type of display you own. I now use a Toshiba HD-XA2 for most DVD viewing, however the 970 does hold its own, especially considering the price point. The clean 480i output is another thing I wanted in a player as I am considering a VP at some point.
A general quality I enjoy about the 970 is the wealth of formats it will handle.
Just my .02
