I am looking for a dvd player to use on my 36" SD set and I was wondering if it even matters which player to go with. I am looking to spend about $100 or so.

I am not looking to upgrade to HD anytime soon so upconverting doesn't really matter to me. I don't need region free since I tend to rent more than I buy these days but if the player has it I won't complain. I would just use the 360 but it is too loud. I don't even have a sound system setup in the room it is going in so picture quality is really my only requirement.

I tend to over research things which is why I am asking before I start wasting my time on something that won't matter in the long run.

DVD players have varied greatly for video quality. I've been happy with Sony and Pioneer PQ on SDTVs. Although my Pioneer is dying a bit faster than I like.

Almost all dvd players up-convert and no I don't think it will matter. I would go with a budget player,think I saw a clearance one at Target yesterday for $29 or $39. I don't remember to brand though.

I disagree. Even if picture quality is equal (and I don't agree that it is), build quality and reliability aren't. You can easily have playback problems with budget players. You get what you pay for, and you can certainly get a good quality player for less than $100 without cheaping out.

I agree with Spiky: Sony and Pioneer are excellent, and I would add Panasonic to the list. Heck, you can even get Toshiba's new XD-E500 upconverting DVD player for $100, just in case you change your mind in a year or two about getting an HDTV.