Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player by Toshiba
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List Price: Our Price: $78.00 You Save: $71.99 (48%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home Theater See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player
Digital camera Review: An Inexpensive HD Upgrade
Summary: 4 Stars
A well mastered standard DVD is so good that I thought there was little reason to upgrade to HD-DVD. A generous family member, however, felt otherwise and gave me a Toshiba HD-A3 as a holiday gift along with about a dozen movies. Damn! Now I'm hooked. ;-)~
My monitor, a Pioneer Elite 65' HD rear-projector, is very high quality, but not totally 'up-to-date' in that it's highest grade inputs are componant. Plugged in that way the images from wide-screen regular DVDs and especially HD-DVDs look superb. Very film like. But non-widescreen presentations - whether they be old movies or pre-HD TV - cannot be format corrected when viewed via a componant input. Ideally these would go through an S-video cable, but alas the A3 does not have such an output. The only other available option is VCR vintage "composite" - obviously not the connection of choice for regular DVD much less HD.
I've gotten around this system limitation by using my older Denon DVD player thru S-video to play non widescreen DVD program material.
So, set up this way, how do the images look? It took me some time to answer this for myself because used 'plug and play'I was at first, frankly, rather disappointed. The reason? In one word: Settings. I had spent considerable time calibrating my system's black level, brightness, color, tint and sharpness for my regular DVD player using the Avia disc. The Toshiba HD-A3, I found, required very different settings.
Not yet having an HD version of the Avia disc I used the regular DVD version and then 'tweeked' the settings with my rather experienced (I spent many years as a professional imager) eye. Set up correctly the image of a well mastered regular DVD is almost as good as on my Denon (The one comparitive limitation is that the Toshiba HD-A3 lacks gamma control -something that likely would mean little to the average enthusiast), and a well mastered HD-DVD looks absolutely FANTASTIC. Almost three-dimentional.
As other reviewers have mentioned the HD-A3 player is slow to accept commands. Start-up is excruciatingly slow. One learns to power up the player first, and then choose the disc and turn on the rest of the system afterward. Also one learns to use only the Power button. Other commands such as "Open Draw" and "Play" have no effect until the start sequence is completed.
Annoying? A bit. But once the image comes on the screen the above complaint becomes meaningless.
I highly recommend the HD-DVD system. And the Toshiba HD-A3 is a good and relatively inexpensive way to make the changeover. But be warned: Once you've seen HD-DVD you'll be put you off the regular DVD bargain bin and all those lovely savings.
Yes, it really looks that good.)
Digital camera Review: An exceptional value for the price...
Summary: 4 Stars
While I won't go as in-depth as many others here, I can say this: I was in desperate need of a new DVD player, and was looking for a quiet machine that would upscale standard DVDs as well. Regardless of whatever happens in the HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray war, I now own a quiet quality player that plays CDs, upscales regular DVDs, and also plays HD-DVDs. The quick start-up time and excellent picture quality are of course a given as well. Considering the player + 7 free movies is available for $130, no tax, and free shipping, I got more than my money's worth, and will enjoy the player for (hopefully) years to come.Digital camera Review: As Promised
Summary: 5 Stars
Everything was by the numbers. They said what they were going to do and they did it.Digital camera Review: At under $125 - Highly Recommended
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought an A3 before Christmas for $200, got a refund ($68)from Amazon in late January when the price dropped . Amazon is amazing. So HD DVD is dying. So what! At less than $125 for an HD & SD player I'll never complain. I have bought the 5 or 6 movies I ever want to own in HD and the price for new HD disks is plummetting and used HD disks are an even better bargain (Matrix Series - $48). I play this through an analog RPTV and the picture is stunning. Blade Runner is to die for. Looks better than any theatrical viewing I ever saw. I can always use it as just an SD dvd player as well. Can't complain for $125. I expect I can wait for Blu-Ray machines when they drop to $100 in a year or two. I'll let the early Blu-Ray adopters finance the creation of future $100 Blu-Ray players for me now by buying this overpriced format and disks. Thanks Blu-Rayers, keep pumping those dollars into Sony's coffers.Digital camera Review: Awesome HD DVD player
Summary: 5 Stars
This is really an awesome DVD player! Great output, easy setup, works well with both my DVI & HDMI connections! I love the network connection allowing for easy upgrades over the internet.