Here's a question for gonk or someone else who knows the Oppo DVD players well: If I upgraded to the 981HD, would I notice any improvement in video quality over the 971H?

As background, my TV's native resolution is 1080i. Per Oppo's suggestion, I am currently using my 971H at 720p output. I am unsure if the benefits of the 981's 1080p output would be realized based on the limitations of my display.

The 981 is based on the 971 platform and provides the exact same video performance unless you have a 1080p display. Your hitachi accepts a 1080p input so you could see some benefit (probably not drastic) - assuming the panel displays at 1080p, which I believe it does based on what little I could find online about it. It won't be a drastic change, but there certainly could be benefits there.

Thanks Gonk!