Sorry, forgot to tell you how it's connected..Via Component, NOT HDMI, since my current TV cannot do HDMI. I did not know that upconversion only took place on HDMI ? since OPPO has been doing upconversion to 1080P for so long on their regular DVD players, I assumed that you got some upconversion benefits even with component connectivity..if that is not the case, then obviously there is NO upconversion of anykind happening now.. which is probably why I can't seen any difference between my old player vs my new player on the same DVD movie.
As for the Pioneer model I have.. yes, I did look at the Panasonic and it was very high on my list.. but that super slim design just annoys me to no end, and the Pioneer reviews I read were very favourable to it so I had no qualms about getting it. From what I was reading, they were on par in terms of quality / performance..or at least very very close. The Pio just came down in price by $100 which I did get re-imbursed, so I am not feeling bad about getting it vs the panny, which is a very good player as well.. just whished they made it beefier ..
