[GnuB]

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-DVD-H1080R-Upconverting-DVD-Player/dp/B001TK3D3G

Riddle me this, Batman....
 
Some DVD players are respected for their internal DAC (i.e. Oppo 980) but if the DVD player is connected to an external DAC then the only thing that should matter is the stability and reliability of the transport.  Correct?
 
What qualities should I look for if the role of the player is only to play CD's through an external DAC?
 
The above DVD player is small and has some visual appeal.  What would be the downside of using it as a CD player?
 

 

[GnuB]

Tried a cheap (not inexpensive - cheap) dvd player last night with optical out into Aune dac/amp.  The SQ was pretty good - better than analog in from the same player - so I think I answered my own question here.  The player had considerable mechanical noise - kind of like a coffee grinder.  So I expect a quality dvd player with a good transport would be sufficient.  
 
One thing I did note was that a dvd player doesn't have the same controls exposed as a cd player (i.e. next track, previous track) and I had to use the remote for those features.  Minor inconvenience but not a deal-breaker.