Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Player by Toshiba
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Our Price: $499.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $64.99 (click here) Category: Home Theater See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Player
Digital camera Review: A no-brainer
Summary: 5 Stars
We have a full review at our website, but I bought it from Amazon so I decided to put some of the review here also. Bottom line, for the price it's an excellent up-converting DVD player, and you get HD-DVD as an added bonus. Don't think twice about pulling the trigger. If you've got an HDTV, the HD-A2 is what you need to really show it off.
From the official review at htguys.com:
It probably goes without saying that the pure audio visual experience with the HD-A2 is awesome. We tested it on a JVC HD-61FH97 for video and ran it through a Denon AVR-3806 with Klipsch speakers for audio. The player provides absolutely the best home theater experience we've had to date. It was even better than Discovery HD Theater - which is hard to say, but completely true. The picture quality is stunning and the audio is unbelievable. We tried King Kong, Aeon Flux, Batman Begins, The Phantom of the Opera, The Entire Matrix Trilogy, you get the picture. We just couldn't stop watching the thing.
The audio is nothing short of amazing. Perhaps it was just wishful listening, but we were blown away with how good the multi channel audio from the HDMI connection sounded. Surround sound tracks have never been that immersive or detailed. The player lacks multi channel analog outputs, so if you don't have an HDMI capable receiver you won't get the full listening experience. That's another feature only available on the HD-XA2. But if you love good audio, like we do, and you like to hear it loud, the HD-A2 doesn't disappoint.
So we've established that HD-DVD viewing is spectacular. We aren't making any judgments about it versus Blu-ray or anything else, we're simply evaluating this player. The next thing to check was up-conversion. In that aspect it did very, very well. It didn't get a perfect score on the HQV benchmark, but that should be fine. It seemed to do a very solid job with the movies we watched. In a very unscientific test, the OPPO 981 probably did a little better with the up-conversion, but they were very close. All of the usual HT Guys test movies and test scenes came out very good, and they looked better using the up-conversion on the HD-A2 than not using it. As an up-converting DVD player it scores near the top of the players we've seen.
Digital camera Review: A real deal at this price point... (tough consumer)
Summary: 5 Stars
When I was evaluating HD-DVD players I looked at both the price point and the feautures being offered. I read many reviews and I dug deeply into a lot of them. After much consideration I picked this unit and the two spotlight reviews above put me over the top.
This is an excellent DVD for a 1080i set up. As the spotlight reviewer pointed out, many people don't need 1080p, so why pay for it? Also, the higher resolution you gain from conventional CDs, makes this upgrade a smart move. The difference in video quality is more than a shade of difference... it's a huge step up.
I read a few reviews where people had difficulty with sound, I can't speak to that because I don't have their specific set up. However, with my equipment I haven't had a problem. While it's true it takes a bit of time to load a CD, I think this is a small price to pay in terms of waiting for what you save in overall cost.
The unit is very attractive overall and sleek in design. The remote is also nicely designed. My SONY HD TV looks very modern and quite attractive together on my cherry media stand. The silver accents on the case and the soft blue perimeter glow on the on button also is a nice visual accent that does not distract.
I am very confident I will get my money's worth out of this unit. I can't speak to customer service issues with Toshiba because I haven't had any and the bulk of the reviews for this unit are glowing in comparison to other ones I've read at the same price.
Digital camera Review: A2 is warm welcome to high definition!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was one of the lucky people to get in on the Walmart Secret Sale on November 2, 2007. This player cost me $98 + tax. What a deal!! This player is just as good as the newer A3 model with the only difference being the internal design. They both play HD DVDs at 1080i or 720p. That's what matters most.
I brought this player home a week ago, and it has been a joy ever since. I waited 3 years to get in on the HD world because of the "format war". The HD DVDs are gorgeous, and their players are cheaper.
Go get an HD DVD player because you can afford one now. Prices are fair. Try to get an A2 for the cheapest price. If you can't find an A2 anymore, get the A3. It has two free HD DVDs inside to get you started. You will get to enjoy quality HD movies without feeling bad about your bank account.
Also, no matter what happens with the format war, you have a great upconverter for standard DVDs to HD.
Digital camera Review: AMAZING!
Summary: 5 Stars
At this point in the game I could care less which is better...BD or HD. All I can tell you is the Toshiba A2 is amazing for the price. The picture quality is ridiculous...I just watched 300 nad am blown away. I watched The Matrix in HD and the upscaled version and although the HD version is better, the unit does a great job on upscaling the SD version. The only reason I bought an HD DVD player is because it was $300 less than the cheapest BD unit. Money is Money.Digital camera Review: Absolutely Amazing HD-DVD Player
Summary: 5 Stars
I am still amazed by this HD-DVD player even after owning it now for more than a month (I picked this up as soon as it was available at my favorite e-tailer). I previously owned the Toshiba HD-A1 which was also a good player but suffered from slow load time. The Toshiba HD-A2 is much improved, loads a lot faster and the picture quality of both HD-DVD and Standard Definition DVDs it plays is amazing, you will not be able to take your eyes of your big screen TV. This player upscales standard definition DVD very well that sometimes I have to check the back of my movie rental case to make sure my local video store did not rent me a HD-DVD movie which they do not currently stock.
Regarding the Blu-Ray hype, don't fall for it, I have seen Blu Ray movies demo'ed on Blu-Ray players at some well know electronic superstores and I am not impressed, for about half the price of what they would like me to pay for a Blu-Ray player I have my Toshiba HD-A2 player that gives me a better picture quality and well upscaled movies, I don't have that kind of money to burn and I believe 'am a smarter consumer than that.