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

We are all in AWE! We can't fathom such decisions. We are all here looking to buy $299 Blue Ray players!!! Just kidding.
Actually, I don't understand what you believe you could get on any front with your search, personally? Not to avoid the question. But you won't get the video quality out of it on standard DVD's, nor will you get anything super special on compressed DVD 16/44 sound. You can only hope to get some superior audiophile grade quality on standard 16 bit, er maybe 20 bit CD playback, with a superior transport and dac combo in a DVD player. So why not look for a good standalone CD player and descent quality DVD player with superb pic and better than average sound?
Well, anyway, I thought the Krell and Meridian's were the the best DVD's. Does Ayre make one? That should be good. I also k now Theta made a good one in the David? Might look into it, reviews, mods, etc.
Um, I'm at a loss really, besides those obvious, for standard DVD anyway

"I personally think in most cases my KRELL standard def player will look better than $300 bluray. Everytime I see one at the store I think to myself that my Krell looks
better..."

Tom, I was jesting a bit about the $300 Blue Ray. Nonetheless, I've sold that Krell DVD standard, Meridian Reference, and others. Let me assure you that while absolute color balance, minute amounts of video noise, quality of scaling for standard DVD (ya know, your video collection) etc, might be better on the mega buck DVD players for your needs, your fooling yourself thinking your best DVD setup will best the overall quality of ANY Blue Ray HD offering! Sorry, but it's like old die-hard fans of Laser Disc thinking their old analog disc blew away standard DVD's! It's just not happening, sorry.
But, you keep believing my friend. After all, someone has to buy up those old extremely high priced players floatin around out there. Might as well be you brother.
Oh, and many of us have had some otherwise rediculously expensive gear over the years. I once owned the $27k Faroudja Scaler. Oh and yeah, that piece sacaling any non hi-def source to 1080p isn't anywhere as good as a high def source, on a budget player either, regardless of display system used! So please don't have any of us budget seekers over to try and convince us that your 480 source disc scaled up for the big screen is going to be a revelation, because it isn't. Hate to break it to you.
Good luck to you on your project though.

One word, Seditious3- Delusion!
It's the equivelant of thinking your Krell reference CD player sounds better than a cheap SACD player/disc, basically. Sure you're Krell might do things like dynamic contrast, noise floor, etc, better. However in terms of resolution, body, detail, etc, it's no contest. The SACD stomps the standard 16bit/44khz CD playback in the dust,for the most.
Digital processing has improved much over the years for sure. I used to own a $700 DVD player from 1998 that was reviewed as "Better than Levinson separates" from Absolute Sound, and that was indeed the case overall! Old Digital, no matter how well executed, was never perfect.
Yeah I would be simply using one of these old CD players or expensive DVD's if that's all that was needed to get the job done, but it doesn't. Those old formats leave too much on the table compared to newer, more improved technology.

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

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...