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

Yes, we are all avoiding your question Tom. We are simply stunned by your purchasing proposition. You'll have to forgive us. But it's no fun to delve into your question. We'd rather ridicule and chastise your for your viewpoints - lol.
Yep, as Skippy said, we are all contemplating the merits of $300 Blue Ray players now-a-days!
Actually I didn't even know you could still pay more than $300 for a standard DVD player at this point! Maybe $8k is a typo from Tom...he probably meant $8. Yes I'm sure it was a typo

"Remember when everyone went from LPs to CD, tubes to SS, mono to stereo to multi-channel. Now they are all back to the tried and true technologies/topologies."

Yeah, that's not exactly the same situation here. Analogy is bad here, I think. You're talking apples n oranges. The progression from Analog movie sources - namely Beta/VHS (ok, Beta stomped VHS) and Laser to DVD, then from DVD to HD/Blue-ray has been nothing but a progressive improvement in every area, video-wise. It's also been a steady improvement, for the most, in the video sound quality as well.
Your point is better made with a down swing in sound quality from old analog source to poorly processed digital for some time, until the advent of SACD. Now, we're back to MP3's and poor sound from the masses, on the ipod front.
I don't think you can say anything accept we've been making better and better video strides since the beginning.
That's all I'm tryin to say...