I took your advice and called the folks at OPPO. They confirmed what you said "the Faroudja chip (used by the 971 but not the 970) is prone to exhibiting macroblocking on large digital displays, whereas the 970's Mediatek chip is not susceptible to the condition"

He further explained that the issue is with DLP! LCD and Plasma displays are not susceptible. With careful calibration the effect can be minimized but not eliminated. I have been reading through a number of threads on other forums and it appears to be an issue with a number of people with DLP's.

Given that I am more of an audiophile then videophile it wasn't difficult to choose the 970. The list of audio features is outstanding for the price range. I would concede the “DCDi by Faroudja" technology and video chipset by Genesis/Faroudja will provide for better video (except issues noted with DLP). However I think the difference is subtle at best and not worth taking a chance with the macroblocking issue.

I pulled the trigger and ordered the 970.