I have horrible luck with DVD players. A bought 3 of those easily hacked bargain basement players, a Philips, Panasonic, and a Magnavox. None of them lasted more than a year. Then, I bought the Samsung dual format (BD/HD-DVD) player for $650 which also crapped out in less than a year. I had always heard great things about Oppo so I went with them when the BD player came out. It has made it past a year, and appears to be the answer.
Edit: I agree with Carson, the Oppo 83 is the best money I have ever spent on an theater component. Its quality through and through, almost having a "hand built" feel.