I purchased this player a few days ago. I decided to purchase this player instead of the Samsung combo player. Both players have issues but the Samsung appeared to have the bulk of them.

I tried the Ratatoiulle BD and it worked great. I didn't have the annoying camera icon everyone was talking about. There have been no audio or video drop outs, at least that have been noticeable. Hd-dvd menus are a bit sluggish,about the same speed as my hd-a2, but slower than my hd-xa2 (which I returned after the WB announcement). I have the first Pirates movie on BD and it looks AMAZING on this player, much better than on my PS3. While it still looked good, t whe PS3 bd image was always a little grainy (though not as noticeable to my wife!. Hd-dvd's such as Bourne Ultimatum look incredible.

As far as upconversion, this player is just as good, if not better than my old hd-xa2. It uses QDEO processing, which is very similar to HQV processing. You have all the same settings plus a little more! I tried various dvds, everything from Frasier to Finding Nemo. This player is great at upconverting.

If you have at least $225 worth of hd-dvd's or just want the best of both worlds, this player is for you. So far it plays all my discs without hesitation.