"Despair all yea that hope for a true high-def movie format before late 2006."I read that in the background of one of the opening scenes in HBO's Rome, which looks utterly fabulous in high-def, by the way. Many videophiles, even the well-heeled ones, find it difficult to justify spending high dollars for a DVD player whose useful lifespan can be measured in months rather than years. With the new HD formats on the horizon (yes, I realize it's a receding one) the appeal of an inexpensive DVD player that can tide them over until the next technological storm is undeniably seductive.

Ultimate AV doesn't regularly review budget priced DVD players. In hard-boiled journalistic jargon, "It ain't our beat."But sometimes a product comes along that generates such divergent opinions that we can't help but get curious. Although its official release was only a few weeks ago, the Oppo OPDV971H has been available on the web for well over a year. Web chatter concerning the $250 Oppo OPDV971H ranges from favorable comparisons to $3500 units, to others calling it, "Just another cheap Chinese DVD player."

Read a DVD player review for the Oppo OPDV971H DVD Player at http://www.guidetohometheater.com/dvdplayers/1105oppo.