Oppo DV-980H or Panasonic DMP-BD30 for SD-DVD’s?

Although I am interested in acquiring a Blu-Ray player at some point now that the Hi-Def video format war is over, I don’t have a single BD-DVD at the moment… and I do have several hundred standard def DVD’s. Therefore, I want a machine that will up-convert my SD-DVD’s to HD with the highest possible video quality. I need a player that will output both 720p and 1080p in top quality. My current projector – a Panasonic AE700U – tops out at 720p, but I’ll be picking up a newer projector later this year.

Additionally, I don’t have a need for DVD-A or SACD, so I’m not worried about that capability. I have around a thousand Redbood CD’s, and an incredible sounding transport/DAC combination I’m very happy with, so I’ve just never purchased any of the “higher definition” audio disks.

So, the question is this… Does the Oppo 980 play up-converted standard DVD’s with a better PQ than the Panny BD30? Or the other way around?

I could save a few dollars overall if I was able to just buy the BD30 and be done with it. But if the PQ of the Oppo would be significantly better when up-converting SD-DVD’s, then I’ll get an Oppo now, and pick up a Blu-Ray player down the road when BD-DVD’s prices become more realistic.

Feedback from anyone that has direct experience with both the Oppo and Panasonic players would be greatly appreciated.