Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD Player
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HD DVD, DVD, CD PLAYER W/HDMI
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Technical Details
- Plays high-def HD DVD discs for sharper, more detailed picture performance than standard DVD discs ; measures 17.7 x 4.3 x 13.4 inches (WxHxD)- Backwards compatible with current DVD and CD formats; upconverts DVD movie discs to near high-definition
- Ethernet port for upgrades; USB port on front; compatible with MP3, WMA, and JPEG files
- Connections: composite (1 out), S-Video (1 out), component (1 out), HDMI (1 out), USB, Ethernet
- DVD offer Dolby True HD/Dolby Digital/DTS decoding; coaxial and optical digital audio outputs
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By A. Ray Sr. (chicago, IL)
This is a very good machine. It will upconvert regular discs to their highest resolution. It works great with a HDTV and a HDMI cable. I bought mine when it first hit the market, so the prices are fabulous. So why not buy this model?
1. Only plays at 1080i. 1080p is the highest resolution. You can get the A20/A30 for a similar price.
2. a LOT of freezing, especially rentals. I don't have many problems with DVDs I own, but rentals freeze 95% of the time.
3. VERY SLOW. You can go to the bathroom and come back by the time the system is ready. When you push a button, WAIT. It recogninzed the command, but it needs a few minutes to think.
If you don't have a HD player (blu-ray or HD-DVD) then I would by the better model or a PS3.
By T. Hendrix
HD DVD is a dead format! Warner Brothers is going to stop producing HD DVD discs soon. Do a search and you will see many articles about this. The only studios that will be making HD DVD's are Paramount/Dreamworks and Universal. Disney, Buena Vista, Sony, Warner Brothers, New Line, MGM, and Lionsgate all release movies exclusively on Blu-ray.
Do yourself a favor and avoid HD DVD players. The reason the prices are so cheap is that Toshiba knows it is dead and is probably clearing out remaining inventory. You've been warned!
By J. Berger (NC)
I got this product for christmas and have been very satisfied with it since then. I have a 720p Optoma HD70 projector (100") that I use with the hddvd player, so I know I am not seeing the entire capacity of the HDDVD player, but let me tell you... going from a regular phillips dvd player with an "upconvert" to this... wow.
I am a college student and have movie nights every sunday night with my friends and they have all noticed a significant difference. The upconvert is slightly better, I would say probably at 15% at best, and seeing the few HDDVDs that I have bought since I got this have shown me how great it is. Transformers looks incredible and Planet Earth is just something else. I am sure that it looks even better on a real 1080p and will probably give it a look whenever I go back home, since my dad has a 57" 1080p TV at the house.
Pros:
-Price
-Fantastic Quality
-Better upconvert (you will never get HDDVD quality with regular DVD, but it does a good job of making it the best it can be)
Cons:
-Size (kinda big)
-When I first tried using this product, I got sound with no video and was very confused. It still does this but I have figured out what to do. Even tho it is technically "playing" I have to push the play button to get it to play on the video. Minor inconvenience but whatever... I bought it refurbished and thats probably the reason.
Conclusion:
I want to give this 4.5 stars not 4, it is a great product, especially with the price. I just didnt like how big it was and that I had to make adjustments to get it to play, but I am sure no one else has this problem so I only mention it in the event someone does and goes WTF?! I am a big movie buff and love watching them, so take it from me when I say that this is a perfect buy. I doubt you need the newer more expensive products that are out unless you really need it to be smaller.
Equipment:
Optoma HD70 Projector (720p 100") ~ am using about 85"
The wall (no projector screen)
RCA HDMI Link Cable
By S. Burden (Minnnesota)
I have to say - I have been awaiting my first HD-DVD player for some time with great expectation, and this past Xmas my girlfriend bought this player for me.
The first experiences I have had have been really disapointing.
The unit constantly locks up for seemingly no reason requiring hard power downs (yank the plug). It gets very confused as to what resolution it really should run in when playing regular dvd's. The HDMI function is not really usable as it is (I ended up running component through my Denon to upscale because I could not get the player to work correctly with HDMI).
It will not play any of the new HD-DVD's like The Bourne Ultimatum, or Transofrmers without a firmware upgrade, which seems to be impossible to install. Why on earth Toshiba didn't include a firmware upgrade CD with a currently shipping unit is beyond comprehension. I can only assume that they expect the internet upgrade to actually works, however it does not.
On the bright side Toshiba makes the firmware easy to find on google. The issue, however, comes when you try to actually install the new firmware. After a frustrating weekend trying both the internet upgrade (which just flat out seems to not work at all - I suspect that Toshiba changed the name of the server it is supposed to use to download the firmware and it just can't locate the server), and trying three different computers, 3 different ISO CD Writers, and close to a dozen CD-R's - the firmware remains stubornly un-updatable.
I'd have to say that this is one of the worst hardware experiences I have ever had. Toshiba should be ashamed that they have released a product so poorly designed, supported, and un-updatable.
By Eric S. Sandler (new jersey)
the other comments listed under 1 star are correct, it is a waste of money
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