Yamaha DVD-S2500 seems ok
A Qtip and isopropyl alcohol removed some marks on my DVDs. Now the DVD-S2500 doesn't skip. I don't know why the same dvd didn't skip on my other dvd player. Anyhow, I am now happy with the entire setup. Except for the minor irritation at buying an expensive HDMI cable and the RX-V2600 not being able to direct the audio from the HDMI input to the speakers. That was easily fixed by adding a coax digital audio cable.
The surround sound is awesome (L/R old Vandersteen model 2, center/back surrounds/bipolar surrounds Mordaunt-Short Avant 905C, 902, 903, subwoofer Velodyne F).
The Panasonic PT-AE900U projector is totally wonderful, even on a white wall without a screen (so far). Brilliant colors, good resolution, 108" diagonal.
happy camper
M