Need educated opinions on which new gen. models to buy this year..

[EmemberBuhWeet]

Lemme give you my setup and criteria first before anyone gives me their opinions.

-I have an Olevia something something HDtv that can only output to 1080i
-I have no plans on buying/upgrading to a new tv for some time (5-8 years hopefully)
-I have no sound system and I only use the stereo out speakers on my television for listening purposes
-I have an Oppo 981 player that I use for my standard dvd collection
-I plan on using the HD-Dvd player to watch HDDvds only.

I want to buy a newer A3/A30/A35 player for myself (and eventually my parents), but Im reading that the A3 doesnt offer 1080p let alone none of the players having the Reon chip (does the Reon chip affect HDDvd playback or is it only used for upconverting standard dvds?). Since I wont be using these players with any type of audio setup and since I have an Oppo player that upconverts standard dvds anyways, what player would you suggest I go with? Also keep in mind Im a person who likes to buy what will be the standard in 5 years so I wont have to buy all new equipment then. Eventually Ill have a 1080p tv (Im sure) and maybe some sort of audio setup, but is it worth it now to invest in a higher end player or will they be so much cheaper in a few years that I shouldnt even bother with paying $200+ from the lowest end model?

Thanks

[Arkadin]

ok this is my quick take:
1. the A35 is for people with an hdmi 1.3 receiver to take advantage of the ability of this player to output bitstream lossless audio formats. If you don't have one of these receivers, why would you want this model?
2. The A30 is for those people who have sets that accept and display full 1080p. If you don't have such a set, why would you want this player?
3. The A3 is for you. case closed.

[Liqwid]

HD-A3, definitely.

[pchin]

If you're on a tight budget or to be more practical go for HD-A2. The price in Amazon is around $240 only. It should meet all your current requirement. So far my A2 plays flawless in all my HD DVDs.

But if you don't mind spending a little bit more then I totally agree with the above members...go for the newer HD-A3

[rmoody]

A2 or A3 is great. I have the A2 and have a receiver capable of HDMI 1.3 but basically you are quibbling over which component decodes the sound, the player or the receiver. I highly doubt I could tell the difference. In the future when prices drop more and there are HD changers, I plan to upgrade my player for 7.1 sound and bitstream. However, if you are planning on doing something for your parents, I say go for the A2 or A3, and then consider the A35 later. Just my $.02.

[EmemberBuhWeet]

Right on, thanks for the feedback. But before I make a concrete decision in buying an A3, can someone answer if the Reon chip affects HDDvd playback or is it only used for upconverting standard dvds? If itll give me better visual quality on HDDvds, I might consider just buying an X2 now.

Thanks