I am trying to decide to buy one from the other. I have a Vizio 50" 720p plasma so naturally I would buy the Oppo DV-920HD to take advantage of the upconversion. But I also want to future proof myself when I will buy a 1080p set by buying the DV-981HD. My question is if I get the DV-981HD, should it be able to upconvert to 1080i still?

According to the OppoDigital website, the 981 does output to 1080i, so it sounds like that should be your choice, especially if you plan for the DVD player to do 1080p scaling/deinterlacing in the future. The main reason for going with the 970 is for the 480i HDMI output to an external video processor. Well, there are other reasons for the choosing the 970 (lower cost, component output, memory card reader), but the 480i output probably is the main distinguishing feature between the 970 and the 971/981.

I own a 981 player, and I currently output it via 1080i to my TV. The picture is AMAZING!

Hey V-ball, how do you like that Vizio 50" plasma?

Whatever you get, Oppo was GREAT to work with-probably the best on-line purchase I've ever made. I ordered on Tuesday, it was delivered on Friday, with email confirmation of both ship and receive and who signed for it.

Scott