Ravi,
The Oppo 970, which I've been using for about six months is outstanding for DVD-A and SACD. It sounds as good as any player that I've heard at any price. While its video processor does not have the Faroudja circuit, its DVD de-interlacing and upscaling via HDMI is excellent.
I've done comparisons of the DVD version of "Flight of the Phoenix" (the remake) through the Oppo 970 upscaled to 720p via HDMI with an HD version stored on my DVR, with both versions synced up. While the HD version is visibly superior--after all, it is HD-- the DVD version from the Oppo 970 upscaled to 720p via HDMI, is extremely close, so close that without the comparison it's easy to forget you're not watching HD.
Subtle video artifacts and differences between players can be spotted with test DVDs, but I tend to find some of the comparisons made at other sites of DVD player video quality are exaggerated or overblown in part because they are based on test DVDs. In day-to-day use, I seldom if ever notice any video artifacts from the Oppo 970. By comparison to earlier generations of low-cost universal upconverting DVD players (Pioneer, Samsung, etc.), the Oppo 970's performance is astonishingly good.
I don't get Bridgman's comment that it's ugly. It's very thin and streamlined looking, only 1.5 inches thick. It's silent in operation and its on-screen menus are easy to use. Compared to my clunky old 1st-generation Sony DVD player, circa 1997, which of course didn't play DVD-A or SACD and which cost about four times as much as the Oppo, the 970 is a spaceship.
Regards,
