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

Any upsampling of standard 16/44 is equivalent of upscaling 480p dvd's to 1080p...not the same.
But that's OK! You all keep thinking that old cd and dvd is capable of transending higher rez and better digital. Again, after all, someone's gotta buy up all that old gear. Might as well be ya'll...
Seriously, if I didn't need to consider better audio/video through SACD, DVDA, HD-DVD and Blue Ray's, I wouldn't! I'd be using upsampling players and high quality CD players and transports instead

01-11-09: Tom92602
To all: If you have no experience with these 4 players
do us both a favor and post elsewhere. If you have a/b'd
these I'd love to hear of your experiences.

We're not alone in our assessments. Check out www.ultimateavmag.com for their rankings of video disc players.

Their Ultimate Choice category is entirely populated by HD disc players, from $1500 Pioneer Blu-ray all the way down to an entry-level Toshiba HD DVD player.

The next level down, "Premier Choice," is populated by expensive battleship-build-quality boutique std-def DVD players ranging from a thousand to $11K:

Ayre DX-7e $5,999
Lexicon RT-20 $4,495
Linn Unidisk $11k
Marantz DV-9600 $2,099
Meridian G98DH $6,000
Pioneer Elite DV-79AVi $999
Simaudio Moon Orbiter $6,500
Sony DVP-NS9100ES $1,300

Most of us have moved on and consider the purchase of high zoot std-def DVD players as throwing good money after bad. Read the reviews for the better Blu-ray playes, such as the $2K Marantz.

Most of the better Blu-ray players do great upconversion of std def DVD, so they'll take good care of your 500 std-def DVD collection. If your TV doesn't accept HDMI, you'd get better picture for the money by getting a modern 1080p display and feeding it a 1080p upconverted or native mode Blu-ray signal--even if it's from a (gasp!) $500 player.

Your assessment of the Oppo DV 983H based on component video output is missing the point. Even my 720p display looks significantly better when it's fed an upsampled signal via HDMI. I have compared component vs. upconverted HDMI video from four different DVD players in my house and the HDMI trumps component every time.

Not that long ago, state of the art home theater was anchored by a 480p Pioneer Laserdisc with AP3 1st-gen Dolby Digital 5.1 with the video signal fed to an outboard $20,000 Faroudja video processor. These were superseded by the disc players of which you speak--high end std-def DVD players with the Faroudja circuit built in. These have since been superseded by the Blu-ray players of which *we* speak.

Quit shooting the messenger.

No Johnnyb53, Tom and the other hi-end DVD/CD player Devotees are right! I've come to my senses. Dunno what I was thinking.
Yep, they're correct. I've missed it. The players you've mentioned Johnnyb53 are all superior. We've just been deluding ourselves, really - just to save money. Let's be honest here.
Tom? Others? Please do all us delusional budget shoppers the supreme favor of buying up all those old hi-end pieces we shun so much, so we don't have to sort through them on the list of "last two days" of listed classified items on audiogon!
I just hate sorting through all that extraneous product I have no need for, really...

Anyone know where I can get a used mini van for around 75K?

Krelldog, you're in luck my brother has a 1996 Caravan I'm sure he'd let it go for $75k. ;)

BTW if anyone has a top of the line 8-track they'd be willing to let me pry from their hands let me know. There's $20k in it for you.

What a ridiculous thread...