Toshiba HD-A20 HD-DVD Player

what a great machine

Strengths: beautiful picture, excellent detail...flawless

Weaknesses: the remote is not backlit and will take some time to memorize button location in the dark

Summary: i didn't believe anything could look better than the upconverted (1080i) picture from my panasonic DVD player, then i decided to take the leap into 'real' High Definition...it was a difficult decision, but after reading tons of reviews and looking at price tags...i decided to go with HD-DVD as opposed to Blu-Ray (hopefully i made the right decision)...the picture is beautiful, sharp, ultra-clear and at times i feel as though i am watching a three dimensional film (only without the blue/red glasses)...this player even makes my standard DVDs' look amazing with the 1080p upconversion...i am happy with my decision and only hope that i have made the right choice in the HD format war, or a player that plays both formats equally will become more affordable...i understand that LG makes a player that plays both formats but it is basically a Blu-Ray player that can also play HD-DVD discs but only by sacrificing access to the HD-DVDs' menu and to some of the 'extras'.

in closing, this is a great player and with it's great price (do some web searching) i highly recommend this unit for anyone ready to take the HD leap...you won't be disappointed!!!

F.Y.I.-the player was connected to a Mitsubishi 65813 DLP set

NOTE:the only reason i gave the unit 4 out of five stars is because of the remotes' odd layout and lack of backlighting.

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Excellent player overall

Strengths: Fantastic picture Great sound looks great

Weaknesses: sluggish starting/shutting down a little hot

Summary: 2007-05-31 13:38:26 First I want to say that I really love this player. It looks great even turned off (though the bright red led surrounding the power button can be a little disconcerting at first). The upscaling on standard def DVDs is great and, of course, HD-DVDs look great. If your TV supports 1080p, I strongly suggest this player over the HD-A2, as the 1080p output makes a big difference (I tried both). I have mine hooked up using the optical digital output, though the sound will be even more spectacular with an HDMI connection. I really like that, by hooking up the ethernet cable in the back that I can down load firmware updates directly (Toshiba will also let you download CDs or will send them to you).

Down sides:

- System takes 30 seconds to start up or shut down.

- Runs kind of warm. Power seems to be around 100w when on.

- Doesn't play DVD-Audio or SACD

- Can't be made region free

- De-interlacer only so-so

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Toshiba HD-A20

Strengths: HD DVDs play at 1080p

Weaknesses: Slow start up

Summary: We had purchased a Toshiba HD-A2 to use with a Sony 50" HDTV that was 720p/1080i capable. When we replaced that TV with a Sony KDS60SXRD, we decided to purchase the Toshiba HD-A20 for its 1080p capability. Between the SXRD and the A20, HD-DVD's are stunning. The A2 will go to my son and daughter in law for use with their HDTV. The one negative both units share is a very slow start up. I have had several different DVD players and the start up on these Toshibas is by far the slowest I've experienced.

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Terrible Quality

Strengths: None

Weaknesses: - I have to unplug the unit after I finish watch a movie before I can watch another movie. - Do not cut box for UPC Code - Sluggish power up - Sluggish power down - Sluggish load of movies

Summary: 2007-08-27 10:46:42 08-27-2007 - Update - No change in the multitude of problems; firmware upgrades abound from Toshiba; just about every new movie I have tried to watch on this unit requires a firmware upgrade ... and that's the truth; latest new movie that requires an upgrade is 'Hot Fuzz'; granted not a great movie, but if you want to watch HD DVD don't waste money or this unit, or be prepared for frustrations and poor quality.

05-30-2007 - Update - Place of purchase send me a new unit on the 29th with 2 day shipping; received the unit today. Still the same problems with "The Ultimate Matrix Collection"; I plan to request a replacement of the HD DVD from the same place of purchase. Maybe it's the HD DVD; I don't want to give Toshiba a bum rap on their HD-A20 unit, but I really don't believe it is the HD DVD because I had problems with "Apollo 13" and "King Kong"; will update again after I get a replacement for "The Ultimate Matrix Collection".

05-29-2007 - Update - Item returned to place of purchase and will receive a replacement unit within the week. Hope I just received a defective unit; I will update my review once I have received the replacement.

05-27-2007 - Update - "Batman Begins" works without a problem.

05-26-2007 - Update - Problems with King Kong HD DVD; picture plays, but audio garbled. Current list of movies this unit is fails to play without a problem: "The Ultimate Matrix Collection (The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Evolution)" and "King Kong".

05-25-2007 - Update - Finished watching my second movie "The Matrix Reloaded" and thought I would finish the trilogy by watching the final Matrix movie. NO GO; the unit is once again dead. I have to unplug the power cord; wait 5 minutes; plug the power cord and then I can watch another movie. This is really bad.

05-24-2007 - Update - I have to unplug the unit and wait 5 minutes, and the hope it works. So far today the unit has completed stopped playing any HD DVD. Called Toshiba and all they will offer is for me to mail the unit (at my own expense) for repairs.

05-23-2007 - Picture and audio are nothing to get excited about; definitely download the 1.6 firmware update before you use the unit. Instructions state the download and update with take approx 20 minutes; not true for me. Download took over 1 hour with about a 30 minute install, so be patient. The unit will turn itself off when it is done; might as well go out for dinner while you wait.

- I purchased "The Ultimate Matrix Collection" and watched the first move "The Matrix". After this first use of the unit it would not play any other HD DVDs; not even a replay of "The Matrix".

- Called Toshiba Tech Support (TTS); pleasant folks. Make sure you set up an account with Toshiba Tech Support, you will be calling them a lot with problems. Also get your name on their list for the 1.6 firmware update even if you have already downloaded it from the net. The unit will not update itself and per TTS this will put you on the mailing list for future firmware updates.

- Back to my unit that is now dead; TTS said that they had not had problems with "The Ultimate Matrix Collection"; makes me thing that there are a lot of problems to come with other movies.

- The only options provided by the TTS was to try and unplug the unit for at least 5 minutes. If this does not work, TTS said that I would have to ship the unit to Toshiba for repairs.

- I've had the unit 1 day; watched 1 movie and it is already needing repairs.

- Save your money and wait until Toshiba fixes the bugs maybe comes out with version 3 of their HD DVD players (like a HD-A30). Heck they are already on version 1.6 of the firmware and the HD-a20 is one of their newest HD DVD players.

- Looks like 5 minutes are up; give me a sec and I'll let you know if TTS suggestion to unplug the unit for 5 minutes after watching a movie fixes the problem.

- It worked; I'm back in business and I get to watch a 2nd movie tonight.

- I'll update this review if this problem continues. Good luck to all who make the decision to put their good money down on this unit.

DO NOT CUT BOX FOR UPC CODE until you have used the unit for a reasonable length of time and you are sure it works and you want to keep the unit. If you cut the box for the Toshiba 5 free HD DVD offer, YOU ARE HOSED.

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Toshiba HD-A20 HD DVD (1080p) Player

Strengths: -Firmware upgradable via ethernet -1080p

Weaknesses: -is not and will not be HDMI 1.3 compliant -load times a little annoying

Summary: I have viewed 5 HD DVD movies and two episodes of Planet Earth in HD DVD since purchase (configuration: HDMI connection to Sony SXRD and optical audio to A/V receiver (Yamaha)). The HD-A20 compares favorably to Blu-ray (PS3) in terms of picture, a little weaker in sound (a function of HD DVD studio audio format choices, and not so much the unit itself). I have also viewed at least 5 standard DVD movies, and the upconverting to 1080p is very, very good. (The Blu-ray in PS3 does not upconvert at all, and Sony has not committed to fixing that deficiency.) I have had good responses from Toshiba HD DVD tech support (questions regarding Ethernet access to firmware upgrades). Overall, the HD-A20 has met my expectations, has performed reliably, and is a good value at $400.

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Good bang for the buck

Strengths: 1080P is awesome, upconversion flawless

Weaknesses: Slow load on hd dvds..loads standard dvds fast. NO disc resume..what were they thinking??????? Slow power up...

Summary: Good unit for the price, got on sale at CC for 329.00. Using with Samsung 1080P 50 inch DLP and the pic is incredible. Upconversion Ive found to be excellent. Nice watching those movies from the 80s with such a great picture.Not gonna waste your time going into every detail, so will just say you cant go wrong for the money..There are more movies out there on hd dvd and the new releases look awesome..So, dont waste your money on BlueRay until they drop the price, or get a PS3, cuz ya just might wanna play a game or 2 as well..

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Great Player, Amazing Picture

Strengths: The picture quality for hd-dvds is amazing, and the upconversion for standard dvds is good too. You can upgrade the firmware via ethernet. The player looks good.

Weaknesses: The player is slow to turn on or off, and the inital loading time for the movies is pretty long. The remote isn't particuarly well designed.

Summary: I bought this player because it looks like the format war isn't going to end any time soon and this was the most affordable 1080p HD player out there. I am very impressed with this unit. When I first got it there were a few minor errors that showed up, but they disappeared after I flashed the firmware and I haven't seen another error since. I would definitely recommend this player to anyone who is looking to get an affordable high definition player. The HD-DVD picture is absolutely amazing.

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TOSHIBA HD A20 (1080P HD-DVD player)

Strengths: - compact, full function (1080P) - clear and logical menus - great upconvert performance - active support (forums, firmware, etc)

Weaknesses: Can be pricey (best deals available online)

Summary: The A20 appears to be almost identical to Toshibas popular HD A2 player except that it provides a full 1080P output. (All HD DVDs I've seen so far are recorded at 1080P).

I had tried the A2 (1080I player) first and then ordered an A20 online so these comments are aimed at differentiating between these two very good players. I expected playback on the A20 might be faster and/or smoother on my 1080P TV since "convert/reconvert" steps are eliminated. (My understanding is that a 1080I player converts the 1080P DVD data to 1080I output and the signal is then "reconverted" back to 1080P at the TV.) I can't say that the improvement with the A20 is clearly obvious on my 46" LCD screen but the picture is quite good with less blurring/distortion in fast moving details (e.g Seabiscuit action is awesome).

The upconvert performance of both players is very good based on my amateur observation with an HQV test disk (used by CNET and others... link below)

www.hqv.com/benchmark....

I paid $70 more for the A20 than the A2 and believe it is worth the difference for the action details.

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