I've been leaning towards that Oppo player. I've seen great reviews of it from people who are using it. Most 'broadcast' HDTV is 1080i, I have Dish Network which offers 1080i for all HD but also offers 'video on demand' movies which are 1080p...these movies must be downloaded to the hard drive in the DVR box. I don't think downloads will replace the disc for some time and to be honest, I'm not willing to wait.
Back in the day when everyone was doing VHS, I spent the money for S-VHS and was very happy I did...when everyone was doing 8mm camcorders I spent extra for HI-8. I was an early adopter of HD, my first HD tv was expensive but I've been enjoying great picture for years. Blue-Ray is an obvious choice and it's now affordable.