I don't think there are any mods that are <US$1K player + mods, are there? Actually, I think RAM mods the Oppo for <US$1K, so yeah, I'll include that. I'm looking for total outlay being <US$1K player + mods, in answer to your question. If that includes mods, that's fine.
Nate -- yeah, let's leave Blu-Ray and HD-DVD out of this for now, as that's mostly video. I'm looking for a high-res audio player.