I'll try to get my beta test notes on the 980H compiled over the next week, although work seems determined to get in the way of that. The 980H is definitely the nicest looking OPPO to date, and I am quite happy with the front panel design. It also happens to match nicely with the Outlaw gear, come to think of it, although you can't tell in my equipment rack thanks to the tinted glass in the door. The 981HD does have an edge in video scaling, although on my 32" CRT HDTV it was only noticeable when viewing some pretty roughed-up content - specifically children's computer animation broadcast over cable and recorded to DVD-R (a source that my HD cable box had very similar problems with, but the 981HD handled smoothly).