Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Review - Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD Player

I might just have to take the plunge and get one of these suckers.

http://www.ultimateavmag.com/hddiscplayers/506toshibahd/index.html

Mike, I thought I'd ask if you went ahead and purchased the hd-dvd player? Any thoughts you'd like to share?

Thanks.

No, I didn’t buy one yet……

I’m thinking about it, because I do need to buy another player. The only thing holding me back is that this is a first generation new gadget. Plus, there are a couple others coming out in a few months.

One thing’s for sure, according to everything I’ve read the image this thing puts out is superior to anything else on the market.

You read the review and still want to buy one? Heck that review has made me want to stear very clear of this product. My trigger finger is back in my pocket for the foreseeable future.

I agree that the review would make me hesitate also, in a few months Blu-ray will be coming out, so I'll wait at least that long.

Everything I have read indicates the first generation Toshiba's have some serious problems. Not really a huge surprise, as most new hardware does to at least a certain extent. Unless you have money to burn, I think sitting out the first year isn't that bad of an idea.

Early adopters have expressed the opinion that how much you get out of HD-DVD (by that I mean HD-DVD specifically and not blu-ray) depends on your screen size. If you have a larger display HD-DVD will look significantly better than upscaled standard-definition DVDs. But on smaller monitors, the difference is less clear. But that is just what I have been hearing, so your YMMV.

Yeah, the 1080-720 downscaling is curious.

It isn't just an opinion about the screen size/viewing distance/resolution relationship. The BBC and other organizations have tested this thoroughly. Sound&Vision had a brief article and graphs a couple of months ago that illustrated this.

Sounds pretty promising to me. Most of the issues seem to be with software and the remote. All of which will be fixed. I would guess that the first Blu-Ray players will also be found to have problems.

Still no need to jump into the mix yet. So much to iron out with the players, new players coming from other manufacturers, Blu-Ray on the horizon, format wars, etc....

I think that we all can agree that we are anxiously awaiting a good, solid, high-def format (at a reasonable price)....

I usually cheer for HD-DVD, but that is just because I like to play devil's advocate and the Blu-Rayers (like our good friend HomeDad, who I think just wants an excuse to buy a PS3 ) seem more vocal about it. Personally I don't care who wins, as long as the competition spurs technological advancements first and the prices become more reasonable.

Which reminds me. Isn't it funny that it costs less (or at least used to a couple of years ago when I read an article about it) to release a movie on DVD than VHS (even after factoring in costs to build menus, chapters, extras) and yet we all pay more for the DVD? Now we are all going to pay a premium for high-def movies. Pretty soon, we will be paying $50 not for a box set, but just for a single flick.

Speak for yourself--I've stopped going to movie theatres because of the high prices. I can stop buying DVDs, too.

Lol, you busted me , I figure PS3 is a great way to get HD as well as some new fun games, but now that the Microsoft is going add a HD player attachment for the 360, I guess I'll wait to see the outcome of the battle.