The fact that it looked pretty cool and was brand new kinda swung me. The remote is also an improvement. The picture like most DVD's is great, but I'd guess even better than most. Chasis, drawer, and display are all solid. The highs are transluscent and velvety, lows are tight and punchy.
Atmosphere is smooth.
I recommend it to all, especially those that may be considering buying a cheap DVD and don't have the money to buy a really good cd player. Check it out, there are a lot of little convenience features too detailed to explain here that aren't noted on the Marantz site.