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I've been meaning to PM Ajax to get his impressions since everyone knows him and respects his opinions.
Flattering, but inaccurate, I fear. There are any number of members here who would disagree with you, I'm sure.
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So Jack what say you with the Oppo...first impressions, differences, raves or skip it?
OY! If for no other reason, I would recommend the Oppo on price alone. It's a heck of a good player for 200 bucks, and the company has been amazingly responsive to complaints and suggestions from owners, issuing firmware updates as quickly as possible. They have been Axiom-like with their customer service as well, responding to email questions promptly, replacing DVI cords when the wrong one was mistakenly ordered, etc.
I think the picture is at least as good as, maybe even a little better than, my Denon 2910. But, the 2910 costs 3 times a much (2 times as much, if you get a refurbed 2910). That means the Oppo is running in pretty fast company.
If you do not have a display with a DVI or HDMI input, do NOT get an Oppo. It's stellar video performance is found only on the DVI output. If you can only utilize the component, S-Video, or composite outputs, you'll do better with another player
I'm not crazy about the looks, and the display,of the Oppo. From my seat, I find it difficult to read the display, while I can easily make out the display on my Denon 2910.
The Oppo's tray takes a little getting used to. It is very flexible and your first impression is that it's junky. But, once used to it, you realize it's pretty strong, and would recover from a sharp blow, where a standard tray might, very well, break or crack. Some have complained that when the tray is fully extended, it doesn't completely reveal the round bed for the disc. You have to tuck the disc into the slot about an inch and then drop it into the bed. Personally, I have absolutely no problem with that at all. Once mastered, doing this is, to me, a breeze.
If you have a DVD player with which you are content, I wouldn't feel the need to run out and get an Oppo. But, If you're in the market, for whatever reason, for a good player, you could do a lot worse than the Oppo, while spending a lot more money.