>>Why would anyone buy a $1000 dvd player when this thing performs similarly for $120?
I think the quick answer is that the $1000 players sound even better. I'm just starting to understand the issues but it sounds as if the less expensive universal players cut some corners (related to the fact that different audio standards have different sampling rates) which results in loosing a bit of detail and sometimes adding a bit of "harshness" to the sound.
Having said all that, the Toshiba and Pioneer universals sound like real bargains. I think the Toshiba is pretty new so not much press yet but not 100% sure about that.
http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=5823&goto=nextnewest
