The size difference between these two models is a direct result of each company's choice of battery. The RD2780 has a tubular battery on the left side of the motherboard. The AV300 has a 1/4" thick square battery that is placed in between the hard drive and the motherboard. Thus, the RD2780 is wider and the AV300 is 1/4" thicker.

I have created a bunch of DivX files to demonstrate my findings during my showdown. These files do not have an audio track.

Profile Comparison Video

When selecting a movie to play back on the RD2780, you are occasionally forced to wait for quite a long time. The extremely long wait does not occur every time, but fortunately for you, when I was recording this showdown, she showed her true colors. It seems like an eternity while I was loading up a relatively small movie I encoded at 450kbps.

RD2780 Video Load Video

AV300 Video Load Video

As I mentioned earlier, the RD2780's picture quality frustrated me to no end. The AV300 almost brought a tear to my eye when I played back the extremely dark fight scene in "The Hulk" when he battled the 3 dogs at the cabin. Previously, I could barely make out which dog he was hitting when playing back this scene on the RD2780. So much for my ranting, see for yourself.

I have captured some very dark video footage of Young Frankenstein. Note the gray pixelation that occurs underneath the title... the AV300 remains pure black as it should.

RD2780 Video Quality Video

AV300 Video Quality Video

I also took a video demonstrating the video quality with the units side by side. This is an example shows that both players look good during a scene with normal lighting. Note the nasty pixelization in the man's black suit coat on the RD2780.

Video Quality - Side by Side Video