I have the 701...don't know what the "2" dnotes over the "1"...It has been a great player for 4+ years. Great progressive picture over my previous Philips 30" CRT... and quite nice on my new Samsung DLP. (I have noted some macroblocking issues, that I have almost eliminated through calibration...but what DLP doesn't?) The optical out sends a fantasic clear signal to my DTS decoder and my receiver. (I previously had no clue that the digital signal was such a marked improvement over rca's.) There is very good separation over all channels including LFE. The remote is kinda crowded and small with tiny buttons...no lights, but it is a small matter. Operation is smooth, the carousel is quiet and you can change all 5 other discs while the sixth is playing. I have not tried mp3 playback, not sure if mine even will... I have done a couple slideshows from my folks trip to Alaska... That was kinda slow, due, I think to the size of the files. Video playback settings have separate color tone settings for interlaced and progressive...3 each, I think...for precise calibration.