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 enlarge | Brand: Toshiba
Category: CE
List Price: $499.99
Buy Used: $109.00
You Save: $390.99 (78%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  140 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 8
Dimensions (in): 13.9 x 16.9 x 4.1
Warranty: 1 Year Parts, 90 Day Labor Limited Warranty
MPN: HD-A1
Model: HD-A1
UPC: 022265412107
EAN: 0022265412107
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: LIKE NEW!-Comes with 2 FREE MOVIES!,25 FOOT HDMI CORD, REMOTE, POWER CORD.This play is basically a mini computer.Like Blu-rays's, it needs about 90 seconds to boot up.This is not a rinky dink machine.We paid over $1000 and at that time,a bargain for what it was.Has a sophisticated network of audio and video processors.Your movies are Flags of our fathers,The Bourne Identity.Just a great mix of movies.This player has the latest Firmware of 4.0 from August 2008.
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| Customer Reviews:
Worth it if you have HDMI and the latest firmware June 6, 2006
20 out of 23 found this review helpful
I got the HD-A1 last week as a business investment--I write multimedia books and do a lot with video. (To be honest, I probably would have waited to get for a second generation HD DVD player if I wasn't employed to research multimedia.) But if you're a die-hard High Definition (HD) video fan, then I would get this unit *if*:
1) You have an HDTV unit with an HDMI input. Last year, I bought a Sony BRAVIA 40" LCD, and it features an HDMI input. HDMI is the one of the latest input technologies that is digitally uncompressed (no analog signal) straight into the HDTV unit. Many devices now feature HDMI outputs, such as my Comcast HD DVR (made by Motorola). If you don't have a TV with an HDMI input, then I'd probably not get this model because the standard definition DVD signal can not be "upconverted" to an HD signal unless you have HDMI.
2) You get the latest firmware. Several home theater online forums have posted links to the first firmware update for the Toshiba HD-A1, and it solved a lot of issues for a lot of people. For me, it fixed an audio signal problem with DTS on my Sony AV receiver. Prior to that firmware update, I noticed an audio glitch on the center channel while watching HD DVD's such as Jarhead or The Chronicles of Riddick.
3) You don't mind being a bit of a guinea pig, and you are patient. This unit is very slow compared to regular DVD players. When you first turn it on from standby, it can take about 1 minute to go through the boot cycle (the unit is essentially a computer--it has a Pentium 4 processor with 1GB of RAM!), and an additional wait time (around 30 seconds) to load an HD DVD disc. Once the disc has loaded, though, it's smooth sailing.
I'm a little unnerved that the audio CD player functionality isn't more comprehensive. This unit has an ethernet port to connect to your home network and the Internet--why can't album information display when I pop in a new audio CD? It just displays a generic "CD PLAYER" title at the top of your TV screen (if it's turn on) when you insert an audio CD. Seems to be a huge waste of processing power to just display that title.
The unit's look also harkens back to the days of the first VHS VCR's that hit the market in the early 80's. I mean, seriously, this thing is huge compared to today's technology like an Xbox 360 or a slim DVD player. I have a feeling that Toshiba is making this unit much bigger than it needs to be so that Americans think they're getting something for their money. Maybe that's just the wannabe Canadian in me talking. But, I honestly don't think the internal hardware needs all of that room to function properly.
At the end of the day, though, it's currently the most affordable way to get the _best_ HD picture on your brand new HDTV. The picture is way better than the HD picture quality I get from Comcast with HBO HD. I have yet to see any compression artifacts show up when watching fast paced action scenes. If you love watching movies at home and have the budget to buy this piece of equipment, I think you'll be happy with the results.
 An Important Milestone in the TV Revolution August 27, 2006
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
I've only had this thing for a couple of days, and have been absolutely blown away by the video and audio quality of the two HD-DVD movies I've watched thus far: Sahara and Goodfellas. Both the picture and the sound (when the player is properly connected and properly set up) are far superior to that of DVD when viewed on a high-definition TV.
For video, I set the output to HDMI and the resolution to 1080i (even though my TV is an older 720p model). A supplemental sheet that comes with the manual recommends that, for HD-DVD discs, the resolution be set to the native format of the disc rather than that of the TV. Every HD-DVD I've read about thus far is encoded at 1080-line resolution, so I set the player at 1080i. I haven't yet noticed anything in the manual regarding what to do for regular DVDs, so I experimented a bit and concluded that 1080i is the best setting for DVDs as well. Thus, I set the thing at a resolution of 1080i and plan to leave it there.
I connected the player to my TV's DVI input using an HDMI-to-DVI adapter, then connected the six analog 5.1 audio outputs on the back of the player to the analog 5.1 inputs on my stereo receiver, then calibrated the audio for speaker size and distance using the "Setup" feature. Note: The owner's manual doesn't mention that the "Setup" button is hidden under a sliding panel on the lower end of the remote control.
My only complaint is that the remote control is an un-backlit version of the backlit remote that comes with the more expensive HD-XA1 player offered by Toshiba. The only way I can read it is with a flashlight. Fortunately, once I got things figured out, I found that I really only need to use a few key buttons, the positions of which are easily memorized. Also, there ought to be a label on the sliding panel that hides the setup button.
The menu of an HD-DVD disc can be accessed and operated while the movie is playing. This is much cooler than it sounds. The features that can be operated from the menu are much more sophisticated than those on a regular DVD.
Picture quality is phenomenal, even on my 42" 720p LCD rear-projection TV (a 3-year-old model that's already antiquated). It's obvious that HD-DVD is designed to be optimatlly viewed on a high-quality big-screen 1080-line TV (at least 60") in order to achieve a true home-cinema experience. I calculated that the ideal TV for my living room (viewing distance = 12 feet) would be a 65" screen with 1080-line resolution.
The picture quality is even better than what I get from HD satellite and broadcast channels. I could detect no video-compression artifacts in either of the HD-DVDs that I've watched thus far, even in scenes with lots of complex high-speed motion. In addition to extreme picture clarity, HD-DVD offers a very noticeable improvement in color gamut over DVD. Watch an HD movie, and you'll see real-world colors you've never seen on TV before. Once I switched back to watching a regular DVD, the color seemed a bit phony-looking.
What really caught me by surprise was the quality of the sound when using the Dolby Digital Plus soundtrack. Right now, the only way to listen to the DD+ soundtrack in its pure form is to connect to the analog 5.1 outputs on the back of the player, which involves a bit of extra cabling. It's well worth the trouble, however. DD+ apparently allows the use of a much lower compression ratio than ordinary DD or DTS. The surround effects are much more like those you'll hear in a good theater, and the realism and clarity of the sounds is absolutely electrifying. You can, alternatively, connect to your receiver via digital optical cable, in which case the DD+ track gets converted to ordinary DTS (possibly losing some of its quality in the process).
We're in the midst of the TV Revloution, with a combination of new display technologies, new audio/video formats, and new audio/video media. The biggest problem has been the scarcity of HD material to watch on your HD television, and the lack of pre-recorded HD media (the obscure D-VHS format having been the only option until now). It will probably be quite some time before a sizeable portion of the cable/satellite/broadcast universe converts to HD. Even the local ATSC digital terrestrial broadcasts in my area are still standard definition much of the time, and my HD satellite programming package only provides me with 3 full-time HD channels and 3 channels that are mixed HD/SD.
HD-DVD and BluRay discs could enable people to gain access to a lot of high-quality HD material while we wait for the cable/satellite/broadcast industry to catch up. After that, HD discs will be able to fulfill the same function that DVDs and VHS tapes currently provide, enabling you to own or rent a wide variety of programming for viewing at your convenience. Now that I've watched a couple of HD-DVDs on my HDTV, I may never want to buy or rent a regular DVD again (even though, admittedly, the HD-A1 does a very nice job of playing regular DVDs). Sales of HD players and discs could also drive sales of big-screen 1080-line TVs as well, as this is the only type of TV that would enable the home-theater enthusiast to really take full advantage of what HD-DVD and (theoretically) BluRay have to offer.
Sour Grapes for Sony May 5, 2006
19 out of 26 found this review helpful
Toshiba was a major player is the development of DVD. Sony wanted it all and lost out, having to work it out with Toshiba and join their DVD parade.
Now, years later, Sony wants it all again. They want control over the next generation high def DVD format, so we now have a format war.
Toshiba's first HD-DVD player is great! It's up-conversion of standard DVD is the best I've seen and the actual HD-DVD image is fantastic. The best HD picture quality I've ever seen.
I'm sure Blu-Ray will be great as well. It's just too bad that this format war is on. But I'll tell'ya, at half the price of the cheapest Blu-Ray player, buying HD-DVD is a no brainer.
Would you want to spend $1000.00 on the Sony or Samsung Blu-ray player and get no movies, or the Toshiba HD-DVD player and get 25 HD-DVD movies for the same price?
Blu-ray might have Sony's Columbia Pictures locked up but HD-DVD has Universal Picture's and Dreamworks saying they are going HD-DVD only.
Yes, it's a war.
What's with the fake $699 list price, Amazon?! List is $499...! June 30, 2006
19 out of 25 found this review helpful
Amazon manipulating the number again...
Very Impressive May 28, 2006
16 out of 20 found this review helpful
This machine is absolutely fantastic. I have my HD-A1 hooked up to a Toshiba 42HDX82 TV and a Denon AVR-2800, and the results are stunning! I have watched several HD disks since I purchased the product, and I have had NO trouble with the unit whatsoever. The sound reproduction is crystal clear through the Denon receiver set on 6 Channel External utilizing the Toshiba built in decoder. The video display through a very long 3 meter [and very expensive] HDMI cabel is virtually flawless.
The HD-A1 also breaths new life into old DVDs. The upconversion seems to vary from disk to disk, but, by and large, it works very well for both video and audio.
The unit is a bit large, but certainly not unattractive, by any means. Its innards are essentially those of a Pentium 4 computer, thus the need for the fan, which makes NO noise whatsoever, as opposed to some other reviews I have read. Yes, it does takes a while to boot up. So what. Given the strengths of the unit, I can well live with the wait. It gives me time to make popcorn!
Shelling out 500 bucks for a new technology may seem foolhardy to some people, but for those of us who really enjoy high quality audio and video, it's worth every penny. If you think about it, early high quality new format machines [CD,DVD and VHS] were just as, if not more, expensive given the value of the dollar at their time of introduction. HD-DVD disks are only marginally more expensive then standard dvd and that certainly will go down in time.
I strongly doubt that Sony's Blue-Ray format will win out over HD-DVD, simply because of the cost of the player and the disks, not to overlook the compatibility issues. Adopting a new disk format after CDs and DVDs have been on the market for so long, and have become a familiar standard, will not seem logical to most consumers. And keep in mind, that in the past, Sony has come out with a few bombs. Remember Beta?
I recommend this machine without reservation. Just keep in mind that it is a first generation machine. Certainly there will be improvements and more features added in the future. But if you have an early adoption mentality as I do, grab one. You won't regret it.
Next month: "Constantine" in HD-DVD. I can't wait!
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