I've done no comparisons of the brands you mention, but do have an Oppo 983H, which offers superb up-sampled DVD images and a pretty good analog output (though I would not rely on the audio out as a reference by any means). You can find them used for under $300. The 980 and 981 can be had for even cheaper still, but I don't think has the same video processor. It will also play SACD, DVD-A and HDCD via the audio out. It's been serving me well as a transport as well as a great DVD player.
DVD as transport
I am sure this question has been posted before, but I could not find an answer. Any recommendations for a dvd player as a transport for audio. The quality of the video is a non factor. I want my 6 year old to be able to watch dvds and I occasionally might throw an Iron Maiden concert dvd on but my primary concern is getting a very good transport to feed my bidat dac for realitively cheap. Has anyone compared Arcam, Cambridge, Marantz, Oppo for sound quality as a transport? Thanks!