Toshiba HDA1 HD-DVD Player

Some fine eye candy at a reasonable price

Discussion of Toshiba HDA1 HD-DVD Player

Posted Jul 22, 2006 - Having a TV without an HDMI interface made my decision easier. My 3 year old 55" Mitsubishi projection HDTV only has component inputs. From what I have read of the Blu-Ray deck tech specs it ONLY has HDMI (this may or may not be true, since none were in to stock to look at in my area, this comment is based on reviews I HAVE READ), while the Toshiba HD-DVD has both type of inputs. So I sprang $499 at my local Sears (Best Buy was out of stock).~~~ Weakness: SLOW load times. Maybe a minute before the system finishes powering/booting up. Ocassional slow response to remote input as well. If you happen to press a couple of diffrent buttons out of frustration waiting for a response, all the button presses are qued up and you end up waiting even longer for the events to execute. ~~~ Difficult Remote control to use; it sure is pretty with it's black face and two rows of chrome buttons, but poorly marked with very tiny print. ~~~ Max video output is 1080i, even though the HD-DVDs are capable of 1080p. ~~~ Strengths: GREAT PICTURE, GREAT PICTURE, GREAT PICTURE! This is pure eye candy. I picked up Serenity, Swordfish, and Constintine all in HD-DVD format. The vibrant colors just blaze on the screen. The finest details and textures are clear as day in 1080i format. ~~~ The setup menus are easy to use. Similar to windows menus. EZ and intuitive to use. ~~~ While I have not invested in a digital dolby system yet, the unit certainly have MANY audio jacks to select from. ~~~ As I mentioned above, there is a wide variety of video outputs to select from. ~~~ The new HD-DVD features are innovative. Being able to pop up a transparent user menu while the movie is running is useful. Having an Ethernet jack that allows HD-DVDs to poll the internet for streaming video of coming attractions is nice, and the same internet connection can be used to update firmware as new options become available. ~~~ All in all, at near half the price of Blu-Ray, a great value for the investment. I'd give it 4 stars, taking away one for the slow response times. ~~~

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