Hi Mike,
how's the 600 performance when compared to the 696?
No big difference, right? Now you just need 01 remote, but everytime you press the power button, both players will turn on.
As I told you before, the Oppo 981 & the 696 are quite similars in terms of image (much to my surprise, my TV accepts a maximum resolution of 1080i), but soundwise I feel the 696 a bit better, though.
Don't know why, but it seems these new models are not intended for the US market (although I've bought my 696 last year in Chicago though).
Would you mind telling us how much did you pay for the new 600?
Oh, BTW, I might be going to Manila just to drive some new fancy cars and to audition to some nice speakers and so on...
Cheers!