<font color='#000000'>I feel your pain! I bought the DVD-2200, and it's fantastic, much better than the Pioneer DV-45A it replaced in my system. Still, I could return it and pay the difference and get the 2900, so the debate still rages for me too.
However, I'm leaning towards keeping the 2200, for this reason: I don't think either the 2200 or 2900 will be my "last" universal player. I really want DVI ouput & a Firewire port, neither of which is included in the 22/2900 (only the 5900 has these features). But I think in a year or two/a generation or two, the sub $1k models will all have this feature. So for me it comes down to whether I want to sink a lot of money into a "stopgap" player, however nice a unit it may be. I'm not positive yet, but I'm leaning towards enjoying the very good performance of my 2200 now and buying a new model in a couple/few years once the digital output issues are sorted out.
Likewise, I have an AVR-3802 right now and I'm looking to replace it with a 3803, but I'm leery of doing so since the new models should be out in less than 6 months. And they'll likely all have PLIIx, and god knows what else. While the '03 would probably serve my needs well, I'm thinking of waiting to see what a 3804 (or whatever they name it) will add.</font>