I have both a Oppo 981 and the Toshiba A2, and though the picture quality of a SD DVD is about the same on both, the A2 takes a long time to load. For that reason alone, I won't unplug my Oppo.I also like the feature on the Oppo of displaying on screen how much time is left in the movie...if this feature is available on the Toshiba, I have not been able to find it.
I do have to admit that the A2 with a HD-DVD does provide a great detailed picture and it seems the colors seem stronger (maybe my imagination).