I just read Gonk's review on the 980H. I don't have an HDTV ( don't see the point with the format war and all) but I imagine the 480i output will be fine.

Gonk, if you don't mind how was the load time for a dvd? I currently have a Panasonic DVD recorder that is SLOW in loading a regular dvd, some 15 seconds or more. I presume the OPPO is faster? I also noticed that is has a Zoom functionality, does this allow you to zoom the video while it is playing back or is it only for paused images?

Thanks!

I haven't messed with the zoom feature (use my TV's zoom when necessary), but it can be used during playback. Disc load times are good - I haven't timed it, but it would seem to be a good bit less than the 15 seconds that your DVD recorder is doing. (I've got a Panasonic DVD recorder, too, so I am loosely familiar with those long load times even though I generally only use the Panasonic to burn discs.) If I get a chance, I'll try to time it this evening.

OK, I tried it using a test disc that I made using DVD Author (so no warning messages, promos, or other stuff). Call it about 10 to 11 seconds (based on counting the second indicator on my cable box) from the tray sliding shut to the disc menu being on screen, with about seven of those seconds spent getting the disc spun up to speed and 3 or 4 spent actually reading the disc.

Thanks again, Gonk!

That is actually great as I measured the Panasonic and man is it SLOW. Scary really. Thanks again for the time you put into this!