I'm wondering how much difference there is between these two players and which one people would recommend. I realize that the ES model is roughly 2x the price. That aside, what do you think? The ES does have a 5 year warranty whereas the 985V has a 1 year warranty.

Thanks for your thoughts
- Matt

More Warranty, Better Looks, RS-232 COntrol Port, Better sheilding, Better Unit.....

Warranty and RS-232 aside, is it worth 2x as much? Do you think the RS-232 support is the main reason Sony is asking twice as much (Sony thinking the "high end" users will pay the difference because of the 232 support?)

I'm not sure if 2x is worth it. Ask yourself this: Are you one to replace your equipment down the road to get something newer? Will you ever use the RS-232 port? Do you have lots of money and don't know what to do with it?

If you like the look of the cheaper unit check out the reviews and go that way. You can get two units for the price of the one. Keep one for spare!!

Also consider the level of the rest of the system. Do you have a nice HDTV display or plan to buy one soon? If so, get the better player. The same would go for audio performance.

I hate to see a great system with a $99 DVD player. It doesn't make any sense and is a huge weak link.

Good Luck!

Thanks for the responses... So, the pricing information I had was apparently inaccurate. The CX985V can be had for $299 and the CX777ES is $549. I found better prices on both units since my original post.

To respond to a few of the questions:
Are you one to replace your equipment down the road to get something newer? I don't find myself switching components in and out too often. I guess that would depend more on new technology coming out that makes enough of a difference to warrant replacing.

Will you ever use the RS-232 port? Not at this time but I am just getting into all of the controls now so it is a possibility at some point. However, I wouldn't buy the better model exclusively for the RS-232 port.

Do you have lots of money and don't know what to do with it? Nope, sorry :)

Do you have a nice HDTV display or plan to buy one soon? I have the Sony KV-40XBR800. Works pretty well for me...

I guess the bottom line is to figure out if 4 extra years of warranty, RS-232 Control Port, better shielding, and (((video quality ** audio quality))) is worth $250. The key is, are the video quality and the audio quality significantly better?

Thanks again,
- Matt

So far I have always purchased the most I could afford...and I even stretched this rule on my current DVD player (Camelot Roundtable) because I have a 110" Stewart and HD DLP Sharp projector and wanted to max out my picture quality. My picture is awesome. A juke box doesn't come close to quality, but it does have the advantage of convenience and management. Has anyone seen a side by side between 985 and 777ES?