The list in this poll needs to be updated. I have used most of these players and here is the long and short as I see it currently:

The TVIX top of the line is the 6500A. There is no reason except looks to buy the 7000 as it has the exact same innards. It is about 100 USD more, and is bigger and more expensive to ship. It won't fit in your stack either, if you are stacking gear in a cabinet. But if you like the look and have the money, why not?

The advantage of the TVIX is very solid HD 1080P MKV and DTS playback. The beta firmwares are getting good for Blu-ray files too. The big dissadvantage is the price. It is a lot more than other players. Also, it has fewer features if you are looking for features other than straight file plaback. The best place to buy the 6500 in the US is www.tvixbox.com . Good price and free shipping. Discounted international shipping.

The next type of player to consider, using the same chipset are the NMT players, of which there are probably 20+ brands and 100 models by now. The thing to understand here is that all of them run the same software and have the same features. The only difference is hardware and that is not even always that different. So, choose an NMT with a good manufacturer reputation, fast firmware updates, good hardware and a good price. The best NMT in the past two years or so has been the EGreat line. A few months ago they released the EG-M34A which was basically created to replace the PCH and the WDTV players. It has all the features you need in an NMT and is half the price of many of them. There is really no reason to buy any NMT but this one. It is $159 from www.egreatusa.com . Why wait for a PCH and why even think about an HDX or an ISTAR at this point? Not that there is anything wrong with those . . . just from a buyer's guide point of view.

What makes NMT a better choice for some people (not all) over other Sigma 8635 players is the wide range of features it offers (youtube on tv, internet radio, msp, bittorrent downloads, etc.) and the strong user community pushing its development. If you like tinker, it is a good player for you.

As far as other good Sigma 8635 players, there are quite a few. Simply check a site with everything like www.deflixious.com . You will see the i-box z400w wireless integrated, the itab-38hd rip'n'store with one touch retail DVD ripping . .. these are all good players. Just a choice of features set.

Then again if all you need to do play some BT downloads on your TV then why not simply a Media Station I or II from www.deflixious.com for $59? No need to get a Sigma player in that case . . . .

Hope this helps somebody