I purchased a first generation hd dvd player, the hd-a1, in August 2006 for $364 shipped. If cost is an issue, I would tend to agree with Gonk that, waiting a bit for things to shake out between the two formats and combo players, might be the smartest thing to do...but I would compare the cost of any sd upscaling player you might purchase, to what you can get a hd-a1 for now. Some are finding them relatively cheap, at times under $300, and if you are paying $150-$250 for a sd upscaler, why not get an hd-a1 that will play hd dvd's on your plasma? Most people have reported it upscales sd dvd's pretty well, comparable to most sd upscalers in the price range we are talking about, and it will play 2 channel audio CD's better than sd upscalers....comes down to heavy duty design (the exterior was built like a tank), and some high end (for sub $1k players) audio components. The other advantage of a hd-a1, over even the G2 entry level hd-a2, is that it has analog outputs....5.1, not 7.1, but they are still a great advantage. If I were going to lean toward waiting, it would be to get a player that had 7.1 outs, especially important given the 990's lack of hdmi....I think I read one of the new/recent BR players was supposed to have 7.1 outs, but it is a lot more expensive. Don't get me wrong the hd-a1 does come with some widely published warts, slow loading times, occasional playback glitch, sometimes maddening hdcp quirks, possible lack of updates now that toshiba has the G2 players, but it does produce outstanding audio and video playback, and has been a particularly good match with my outlaw 990.

john