I need opinion from Toshiba HD-A1 users

DB07 · 06-23-2006, 08:40 AM

Hi

I'm considering to buy this product from toshiba.
So maybe some of you would be so nice and answer my question.
First of all i want to know how this player works with standard dvds?
Is it true that a picture quality is much better than on standard dvd player?

Second thing. Has anyone tried to watch Dvix movie on this player? Is it possible at all?

Thank you for any comments and helping me to make a final decision

**PFC5** · 06-23-2006, 11:46 AM

Let me tell you this about the Toshiba as a SD DVD 480p player OR upscaler. It is better than ANY player I have tried yet!

I have a 5 year old JVC (higher end then) 480p player that has great PQ, but is getting tired. The optical audio output started having dropouts, so I changed over to digital audio COAX, to hold me over until I could find a replacement.

I tried 5 under $200.00 upscalers and NONE of them looked as good or sounded as good as my 5 year old player so they went back.

I bought the HD-A1 because I realized I would have to pay at least $250.00+ for an upscaler to even get equal PQ/SQ as my 5 year old player provided, and with the 3 free HD-DVD movies I got with my HD-A1 that brought the cost down to $360.00 for the HD-A1. That meant I got the HD playing ability for only $110.00. This to me was a no brainer.

Well the HD-A1 smokes my JVC with regular SD DVDs! I am not talking about a little improvement either. It is sharper, has better color, and fast motion is just crisper. I put in the SD King Kong movie and it now looks like HD that is almost comparable to the best HD channels over cable.

I threw in my standby test DVD movie that I use for testing because it is very hard to play well for both DVD players AND HDTVs. The movie is called Pacific Heights which is a great movie BTW. Every scene in this movie that most DVD players have problems with, played great with the HD-A1.

People have said the HD-A1 plays SD DVDs better than their $1,200.00 Denon 3910 player and that they are selling the Denon now. Very few people have said the HD-A1 didn't play SD DVDs better than their former player, and if they didn't think it was better, they thought it was real close.

Those few who thought their former player did a better job with SD DVDs also already had an excellent player that cost more than the HD-A1. No one has said it isn't a great upscaler that I have read yet.

I do not know about the Dvix movie playback ability.

Hope this helps!

DB07 · 06-26-2006, 08:27 AM

Thanks PFC5 for your answer.
Can you tell me if toshiba HD-A1 has an option that you can check how SDvd looks without upconvertion and than check how it looks like when you upconvert it to 1080. Or you can only do that on using two separete Dvd players (standard dvd/toshiba HD-A1 )
I'm just wondering how you can realy see the diffrence.

Thnaks in advance for your respond.

PS. BTW where is the cheapest price for this model. I saw in BB,ABT,CC for $499.
Did you find a cheaper one somwhere???

hdtv4me2 · 06-26-2006, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DB07

Thanks PFC5 for your answer.
Can you tell me if toshiba HD-A1 has an option that you can check how SDvd looks without upconvertion and than check how it looks like when you upconvert it to 1080. Or you can only do that on using two separete Dvd players (standard dvd/toshiba HD-A1 )
I'm just wondering how you can realy see the diffrence.

Thnaks in advance for your respond.

PS. BTW where is the cheapest price for this model. I saw in BB,ABT,CC for $499.
Did you find a cheaper one somwhere???

FYI, I bought the XA1 through Value Electronics (www.valuelectronics.com), the owner, Robert, is a regular here. He knocked off $100 and I got two free movies. So for about $150 more than the A1,considering the movies are ~$25 each, I thought it was a pretty good deal.

**PFC5** · 06-26-2006, 10:30 AM

I bought mine at www.valuelectronics.com also. Robert is a great guy and I would suggest you buy it from him since you get 2 free HD-DVD movies with EITHER player you buy. I also got (still waiting for it from Toshiba) a $25.00 coupon for a HD-DVD movie, which is how I am getting those 3 free HD-DVDs.

I got the Universal titles which are currently $30.00 each, but Universal has announced the prices will drop $5.00 to $25.00 about 8/1/06.

I have tried playing back SD DVD movies at 480p, 720p, and 1080i. My 720p DLP converts everything internally to 720p very well so it almost does not matter which setting I use. Unless you have a CRT based HDTV, your HDTV will convert everything to it's native resolution also. If you DO have a CRT based HDTV, you should try it at each resolution to see which looks best with your tv.

I may have noticed about 1% better PQ using either 720p or 1080i over the 480p setting, so with my HDTV it really does not matter which setting is used. That 1% improvement over 480p is nothing that I could easily see but only more of an overall fluidness in the PQ and film like presentation. The Toshiba is an amazing SD DVD player (worth every bit of the cost just for that), but it is also an amazing CD player (worth may times it's cost for that), AND also provides the BEST PQ available for any consumer device ANYWHERE. All this for only $500.00 minus 2 free HD-DVD movies (if bought at VE) for a net cost of $450.00. Simply amazing!!!!!!!

DB07:

What brand/model/type of HDTV do you have?

DB07 · 06-26-2006, 03:51 PM

I have LCD Samsung 40' LNS4051D.

Cygnus · 06-26-2006, 04:04 PM

Have the boot and start times greatly improve with the updates? What are they like now?

stchman · 06-26-2006, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PFC5

Let me tell you this about the Toshiba as a SD DVD 480p player OR upscaler. It is better than ANY player I have tried yet!

I have a 5 year old JVC (higher end then) 480p player that has great PQ, but is getting tired. The optical audio output started having dropouts, so I changed over to digital audio COAX, to hold me over until I could find a replacement.

I tried 5 under $200.00 upscalers and NONE of them looked as good or sounded as good as my 5 year old player so they went back.

I bought the HD-A1 because I realized I would have to pay at least $250.00+ for an upscaler to even get equal PQ/SQ as my 5 year old player provided, and with the 3 free HD-DVD movies I got with my HD-A1 that brought the cost down to $360.00 for the HD-A1. That meant I got the HD playing ability for only $110.00. This to me was a no brainer.

Well the HD-A1 smokes my JVC with regular SD DVDs! I am not talking about a little improvement either. It is sharper, has better color, and fast motion is just crisper. I put in the SD King Kong movie and it now looks like HD that is almost comparable to the best HD channels over cable.

I threw in my standby test DVD movie that I use for testing because it is very hard to play well for both DVD players AND HDTVs. The movie is called Pacific Heights which is a great movie BTW. Every scene in this movie that most DVD players have problems with, played great with the HD-A1.

People have said the HD-A1 plays SD DVDs better than their $1,200.00 Denon 3910 player and that they are selling the Denon now. Very few people have said the HD-A1 didn't play SD DVDs better than their former player, and if they didn't think it was better, they thought it was real close.

Those few who thought their former player did a better job with SD DVDs also already had an excellent player that cost more than the HD-A1. No one has said it isn't a great upscaler that I have read yet.

I do not know about the Dvix movie playback ability.

Hope this helps!

Upconversion is all smoke an mirrors. I have found that the Sony DVD players with the 12bit 108MHz DAC have the best 480p PQ. The unit I have is an upconversion unit and I cannot se an PQ difference between 480p and 720p from the player. Remember, a lot of HDTVs will convert the inputted video to either 720p or 1080p. So you must decide if the upconversion process is better in a $3000 TV or a $200 DVD player. The Denon DVD players are absolutely ridiculous at >$1500 for a standard DVD player.

**PFC5** · 06-26-2006, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DB07

I have LCD Samsung 40' LNS4051D.

I believe that is a 1080p native resolution LCD panel so you would not need the upconverting from 480p on SD DVDs UNLESS, the HD-A1 does a better job upconverting than the HDTV does. There is no way to know until you try it both ways. This can vary from HDTV brand/model so unfortunately I cannot answer which would be better.

I can say you will get excellent PQ with the Toshiba HD-A1/XA1/D1 or RCA HD-DVD players with SD DVDs just using the 480p output. As the previous poster mentioned, for the most part, upscaling/converting is mostly smoke and mirrors so the CE companies could get more money for the SD DVD players than those cheapo $30-100.00 progressive scan 480p only players.

Denon makes very good equipment and their $1,200.00 3910 model gets you more than just very good SD DVD PQ. You get excellent SQ too, and the ability to play the hi-res music discs (SACD/DVD-Audio) too! That is one area that the Toshiba cannot play in. Currently they cannot play SACD or DVD-A discs using the MLP soundtracks, but they MIGHT be able to add DVD-Audio playback with a firmware update down the road. The Oppo added this months after it was released so I see no reason it could not be added to the Toshiba. SACD is almost surely not possible though, and wouldn't be even if it was possible, since this is a Sony format.

unotis · 06-28-2006, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdtv4me2

FYI, I bought the XA1 through Value Electronics (www.valuelectronics.com), the owner, Robert, is a regular here. He knocked off $100 and I got two free movies. So for about $150 more than the A1,considering the movies are ~$25 each, I thought it was a pretty good deal.

How could I get the same deal for the Toshiba HD-XA1 DVD player?

I will buy one right away (I could get one for $779.99 including shipping from OneCall.com) although I wouldn't get the free HD-DVDs with it.

hdtv4me2 · 06-28-2006, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unotis

How could I get the same deal for the Toshiba HD-XA1 DVD player?

I will buy one right away (I could get one for $779.99 including shipping from OneCall.com) although I wouldn't get the free HD-DVDs with it.

Contact Robert at www.valuelectronics.com.

huy30 · 06-28-2006, 06:11 PM

The link does not seem to work.

Cygnus · 06-28-2006, 06:20 PM

Um, can someone answer the question below?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cygnus

Have the boot and start times greatly improve with the updates? What are they like now?

Cornbread · 06-28-2006, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cygnus

Um, can someone answer the question below?

No, the 1.2 firmware update did not improve the boot time at all, it only improved the HDMI handshake. The load/boot time is still the same, maybe even a few seconds slower. I have ordered the firmware 1.4 and should get it in a few days, I will let you know if it improved after that upgrade.

I would not let the boot time cloud your assessment, it is still a great piece of equipment and the 35-50 second boot time is not that bad, and reportedly only a few seconds slower than the Blu ray.

**PFC5** · 06-28-2006, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huy30

The link does not seem to work.

The link was missing the extra "e". Here is the correct link:

www.valueelectronics.com

Robert is a greta guy and stands behind his products. I would recommend buying from him over anyone else on the new.

06-23-2006, 08:40 AM	#1
DB07 How can anyone watch standard def? Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago,Il Posts: 16	I need opinion from Toshiba HD-A1 users Hi I'm considering to buy this product from toshiba. So maybe some of you would be so nice and answer my question. First of all i want to know how this player works with standard dvds? Is it true that a picture quality is much better than on standard dvd player? Second thing. Has anyone tried to watch Dvix movie on this player? Is it possible at all? Thank you for any comments and helping me to make a final decision

06-23-2006, 11:46 AM	#2
PFC5 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 28,385	Let me tell you this about the Toshiba as a SD DVD 480p player OR upscaler. It is better than ANY player I have tried yet! I have a 5 year old JVC (higher end then) 480p player that has great PQ, but is getting tired. The optical audio output started having dropouts, so I changed over to digital audio COAX, to hold me over until I could find a replacement. I tried 5 under $200.00 upscalers and NONE of them looked as good or sounded as good as my 5 year old player so they went back. I bought the HD-A1 because I realized I would have to pay at least $250.00+ for an upscaler to even get equal PQ/SQ as my 5 year old player provided, and with the 3 free HD-DVD movies I got with my HD-A1 that brought the cost down to $360.00 for the HD-A1. That meant I got the HD playing ability for only $110.00. This to me was a no brainer. Well the HD-A1 smokes my JVC with regular SD DVDs! I am not talking about a little improvement either. It is sharper, has better color, and fast motion is just crisper. I put in the SD King Kong movie and it now looks like HD that is almost comparable to the best HD channels over cable. I threw in my standby test DVD movie that I use for testing because it is very hard to play well for both DVD players AND HDTVs. The movie is called Pacific Heights which is a great movie BTW. Every scene in this movie that most DVD players have problems with, played great with the HD-A1. People have said the HD-A1 plays SD DVDs better than their $1,200.00 Denon 3910 player and that they are selling the Denon now. Very few people have said the HD-A1 didn't play SD DVDs better than their former player, and if they didn't think it was better, they thought it was real close. Those few who thought their former player did a better job with SD DVDs also already had an excellent player that cost more than the HD-A1. No one has said it isn't a great upscaler that I have read yet. I do not know about the Dvix movie playback ability. Hope this helps! __________________ Denon AVR-887 Klipsch RP-5 Pwred Towers (mains) (525 watts peak each 12"Subs) All Klipsch RC-25(ctr),(2)SS1(surr),(2)SS1(rearSurr) Toshiba (2)HD-A20,PS3,BD35 For SACD/DVD-A Samsung HD-841 Panny 50pz80u plasma SETTINGS RCA HD50LPW162 50"DLP w/HD2+ SA 3250HD 47" LCD+Yamaha5790+HD-A1(bedroom) Harmony 680 + (2) 670s (amazing remote/support) Game room with Onkyo receiver & B&W Speakers The_Cable_Game Take the high ground and be happier

06-26-2006, 08:27 AM	#3
DB07 How can anyone watch standard def? Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago,Il Posts: 16	Thanks PFC5 for your answer. Can you tell me if toshiba HD-A1 has an option that you can check how SDvd looks without upconvertion and than check how it looks like when you upconvert it to 1080. Or you can only do that on using two separete Dvd players (standard dvd/toshiba HD-A1 ) I'm just wondering how you can realy see the diffrence. Thnaks in advance for your respond. PS. BTW where is the cheapest price for this model. I saw in BB,ABT,CC for $499. Did you find a cheaper one somwhere??? Last edited by DB07; 06-26-2006 at 08:30 AM.

06-26-2006, 10:30 AM	#5
PFC5 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 28,385	I bought mine at www.valuelectronics.com also. Robert is a great guy and I would suggest you buy it from him since you get 2 free HD-DVD movies with EITHER player you buy. I also got (still waiting for it from Toshiba) a $25.00 coupon for a HD-DVD movie, which is how I am getting those 3 free HD-DVDs. I got the Universal titles which are currently $30.00 each, but Universal has announced the prices will drop $5.00 to $25.00 about 8/1/06. I have tried playing back SD DVD movies at 480p, 720p, and 1080i. My 720p DLP converts everything internally to 720p very well so it almost does not matter which setting I use. Unless you have a CRT based HDTV, your HDTV will convert everything to it's native resolution also. If you DO have a CRT based HDTV, you should try it at each resolution to see which looks best with your tv. I may have noticed about 1% better PQ using either 720p or 1080i over the 480p setting, so with my HDTV it really does not matter which setting is used. That 1% improvement over 480p is nothing that I could easily see but only more of an overall fluidness in the PQ and film like presentation. The Toshiba is an amazing SD DVD player (worth every bit of the cost just for that), but it is also an amazing CD player (worth may times it's cost for that), AND also provides the BEST PQ available for any consumer device ANYWHERE. All this for only $500.00 minus 2 free HD-DVD movies (if bought at VE) for a net cost of $450.00. Simply amazing!!!!!!! DB07: What brand/model/type of HDTV do you have? __________________ Denon AVR-887 Klipsch RP-5 Pwred Towers (mains) (525 watts peak each 12"Subs) All Klipsch RC-25(ctr),(2)SS1(surr),(2)SS1(rearSurr) Toshiba (2)HD-A20,PS3,BD35 For SACD/DVD-A Samsung HD-841 Panny 50pz80u plasma SETTINGS RCA HD50LPW162 50"DLP w/HD2+ SA 3250HD 47" LCD+Yamaha5790+HD-A1(bedroom) Harmony 680 + (2) 670s (amazing remote/support) Game room with Onkyo receiver & B&W Speakers The_Cable_Game Take the high ground and be happier

06-26-2006, 03:51 PM	#6
DB07 How can anyone watch standard def? Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago,Il Posts: 16	I have LCD Samsung 40' LNS4051D.

06-26-2006, 04:04 PM	#7
Cygnus The Bringer of Balance Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 6,834	Have the boot and start times greatly improve with the updates? What are they like now?

06-28-2006, 06:11 PM	#12
huy30 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 272	The link does not seem to work.