Toshiba HDA1 HD-DVD Player

MPN: HDA1

Description: Toshiba's HD-A1 is the world's first HD DVD player. It produces the sharpest, cleanest high-definition images yet seen, and raises home theater realism and impact to a whole level.Sure, regular DVDs look good on an HDTV, but DVDs can't deliver true high-definition video, ev... read more

Toshiba's HD-A1 is the world's first HD DVD player. It produces the sharpest, cleanest high-definition images yet seen, and raises home theater realism and impact to a whole level.Sure, regular DVDs look good on an HDTV, but DVDs can't deliver true high-definition video, even if you're using an "upconverting" DVD player. As TV screens have grown bigger and better, DVD's limitations have become more noticeable ? especially on the 1080p displays. HD DVD discs are designed to be viewed on an HDTV. Every aspect of this format has been carefully engineered to maximize your home theater experience.The HD DVD advantage starts with the discs themselves. High-definition video takes up much more disc space than standard video. An HD DVD disc can hold three times as much data as a DVD ? enough for several hours of HD-quality video. Along with much better picture quality, HD DVD's increased disc capacity allows for higher-definition sound, too. To ensure backward-compatibility with your existing DVD and CD collections, the HD-A1 actually uses a dual-laser mechanism: a blue laser for playing high-definition HD DVD discs, and a conventional red laser for playing DVDs and audio CDs. The HD-A1 can also improve the look of all your DVDs by upconverting the video signal to better match your HDTV's high-resolution screen.In addition to truly stunning picture and sound quality, the HD-A1's advanced design includes polished on-screen menus and graphics. With HD DVD, Toshiba lets you experience the look, sound, and feel of the future. minimize

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FranticInFresnofrom CA

Profile | Reviews

Some fine eye candy at a reasonable price

Started Jul 22, 2006

Strengths: GREAT PICTURE! Pure eye candy. Picked up Serenity, Swordfish, and Constantine all in HD-DVD the vibrant colors blaze on the screen. The finest details and textures are clear as day in 1080i format.

Weaknesses: SLOW load times. Maybe a minute before the system finishes powering/booting up. Ocassional SLOW response to remote control input. Remote control difficut to read. sDVD upconvert only works on HDMI

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 stock to look at in my area, this comment is based on reviews/spec I HAVE READ), while the Toshiba HD-DVD supports multiple types of Monitor input (Component, HDMI, Video and S-Video) . So I sprang $499 at my local dealer.~~~

A couple of USB ports on the front are listed for use with game controllers. Could be useful in the future.~~~

The new HD-DVD features are innovative/progressive. 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 give it 4 stars, taking away one for the slow response times.


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josephkeithfarmer

Replied Aug 1, 2006

If your older HDTV has a DVI port, you can buy a $30 converter from Circuit City to adapt from HDMI to DVI.

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ironskullfrom NM

Replied Oct 9, 2006

The comment is true - you can use a HDMI to DVI cable for TVs without HDMI input. However, you will have to use an alternet audio input, i.e. co-axial, or optical.

ironskull

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lurch1706

Replied Jan 1, 2007

I also have a 55" Mitsubishi wide screen. It does not have the HDMI plug-in either. I would like more info on the DVI conversion that is mentioned. Does this plug-in conversion change the setup to the fer, green blue plugins? I am not ready to make the jump to a new tv yet.

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remmelerfrom FL

Replied Oct 7, 2007

DVI-D and HDMI can be HDCP compliant. HDCP is High Def Copy Protection. Component input is not HDCP compliant. You must have a HDCP compliant device to display HD from a movie DVD that you buy or rent. The player, the monitor, and if there is a computer in the middle, the video card must all be HDCP compliant. It will play with component input but the video will be downgraded and will not be HD. Someone asked about the red, blue, green inputs - these are component inputs.

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