Best Standard Def DVD Player under $8,000 used?

"Remember when everyone went from LPs to CD, tubes to SS, mono to stereo to multi-channel. Now they are all back to the tried and true technologies/topologies."

Yeah, that's not exactly the same situation here. Analogy is bad here, I think. You're talking apples n oranges. The progression from Analog movie sources - namely Beta/VHS (ok, Beta stomped VHS) and Laser to DVD, then from DVD to HD/Blue-ray has been nothing but a progressive improvement in every area, video-wise. It's also been a steady improvement, for the most, in the video sound quality as well.
Your point is better made with a down swing in sound quality from old analog source to poorly processed digital for some time, until the advent of SACD. Now, we're back to MP3's and poor sound from the masses, on the ipod front.
I don't think you can say anything accept we've been making better and better video strides since the beginning.
That's all I'm tryin to say...

Hey playingnude, Chadnliz was stabbing at sarcasm.

Tom, Danmyers is taking advantage of your naivety. I own Denons 3930ci and 5900. I will sell you both for $5000. They are the perfect complement to each other -- the 3930ci which basically is the same as the 5910ci, has problems outputting video, but the sacd and dvd audio sound is luscious, and the 5900 has a sdi output and the picture is to die for, but has problems outputting sacd and dvd audio. Please use paypal and I won't charge the 3% tariff.

Otherwise, I have several non-Circuit City dvd players that I can mark up to $7500 and they are used. Such a deal!

Oh, I forgot about the standard def dvd player I bought from a guy right out of his white truck parked with the motor running in a Big Lots parking lot. There's no name on the unit, as the original was partially scraped off. However, I can make out the letters C*lby. Whatever brand that is. I will take a loss at $3999, but that's your gain. Have a Nice Day!

I recently swapped a Classe DVT-300 transport out of my system (off for some repair work), and in it's place, bought a Sony BDP S5000ES BluRay machine (thought I'd try out the format). What a disappointment! The Classe blows the Sony out of the water. Its upsampling to 1080p is easily as good as the BluRay player. And the picture is more sharp, more vibrant. The Classe is beautifully built, the Sony looks like it came from Best Buy. The audio is no slouch, either - coax out to EMM Labs DAC2. There's nothing wrong with DVD playback on a good machine.