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Brand: Toshiba
Category: CE

Buy New: Do you have money?
 

Buy New/Used/Refurbished

Avg. Customer Rating: (208 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1Color: BLACK
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Special Features: nv:Device Type^DVD Player|Compatible Format^CD-R|Compatible Format^CD-RW|Compatible Format^DVD+R|Compatible Format^DVD-RW|Compatible Format^DVD-R|Compatible Format^CD|Compatible Format^HD DVD|Disc Capacity^1|Remote Control^Yes|Video Output^S-Video|Video Output^Component Video|Video Output^RCA Video|Audio Output^Yes
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
Warranty: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 14
Dimensions (in): 16.9 x 14 x 3MPN: HD-A2
Model: HD-A2
UPC: 022265000151
EAN: 0022265000151
ASIN: B000IJV4BC Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Features:

 Editorial Reviews:Product Description
Plays HD DVD and Standard DVD Discs / Also plays CD – CDRW / HDMI / Upconverts DVD to 720p or 1080i through HDMI

Terrific product!!   August 28, 2007

Good Value for High Definition Video   August 27, 2007

The Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Player, now that prices have been further reduced, is a good value for those of us who want to view our movies in high definition but do not either have, nor plan to upgrade immediately to the new and more expensive 1080p models. For a large population of 720p or 1080i high definition TV owners, this model is sized right. For those with a 1080p TV, look at this units big brother, the A20.The unit is essentially a “no bells or whistles” version of the product. It plays HD DVDs (but not Blu Ray), DVDs, and CDs, plus computer burned versions of video and audio content (but again not MP3 or WMA files.) Out of the box, one plugs in the HDMI cable to the television or audio/video receiver, the digital audio plugs and/or the two channel analog RCA audio plugs, and an ethernet cable to a router. After a somewhat lengthy wait, the unit asks you to execute a “set up” set of questions, and, if the ethernet cable can gain access to the internet, will download and install any changes to the firmware and system software. In my case there were 38 of these which did take about a half hour. Once set up, it worked without a hitch. (If you do not have the ethernet access required, Toshiba will send you an update DVD which will update your system just by “playing” it.)My set is a native 720p Sharp Aquos, so I set the Toshiba to output a 720p signal. Comparing the high definition picture from an HD DVD disk purchased separately to the same movie on a DVD, the high definition clearly superior. Reseting the output to 480p and playing the DVD and comparing it with the upscaled 720p version also improves the picture enough to notice, but no where near the high definition quality. For example, the posted notices in the initial scene of “Hot Fuzz” is fuzzy in DVD, to include the up-scaled DVD signal, but is sharp in the High Definition version. Seeing, though, is believing. The up-conversion (up-scaling) is as good as my Panasonic up-converter but this should be expected as the Panasonic is also about 3 years old.

The unit, of course, will not play Blu Ray disks, the “other competing high definition format” sponsored and led by Sony

Suprisingly, however, it does not play DVD-Audio disks sponsored by the DVD forum which also developed the HD DVD format! However, these high definition audio disks will play if they are also encoded with a DTS or a Dolby Digital track. And, of course, it will not play Sony’s SACD format.

Video content I have burned on my computer onto DVD disks play well on the system. So far, the only problem I’ve seen either with commercial DVDs or home grown ones is a slight pause at the layer break.

Commercial or home burned CDs also play without problems on the system.

So, essentially it is a fairly basic DVD player that will also play HD DVDs according the specification.

Under the hood, however, understand that unlike most DVD players, there is a fairly sofisticated computer that is required to decode all the various formats. Hence there are serious issues of updating the firmware and system. If you set up HD DVD, I would recommend that you also put it on a router and have a broadband “always on” connection to the internet such as those provided by cable companies and DSL among others.

The weakest link in the system is its inability to play rather standard format media. It would be not only good, but rather easy for the system to be reprogrammed to play MP3 and WMA CDs and DVDs, as well as DVD-Audios. It would also be fairly easy to allow multichannel analog output that is required for the best definition audio available on the market today. These would be rather simple and inexpensive upgrades to the system and would increase its overall value.

All in all, I like the system and recommend it. For those who want only the latest and greatest, however, Toshiba is planning to release their “third generation” system before Christmas.

Lastly, about the format wars. Yes there are Blu Ray sources and HD DVD sources. They are not compatible. There are a lot of people who want Blu Ray to “win” the format wars (so that they have not wasted their money on the losing format), and others that want HD DVD to “win” for exactly the same reasons. I personally like HD DVD format over Blu Ray for two reasons: the video content displayed on my 720p set from HD DVD disks is more natural than I get with Blu Ray. Since both formats have a native resolution of 1080p, I believe that the difference may be in a better “down-processing” in the units. Keep in mind that most people with high definition TVs as of now have 720p or 1080i sets and do not plan to rush out to buy an expensive 1080p set in the near future. After all, most digital broadcasts are still 480i, and those broadcasting high definition signals are using 720p or 1080i. The second is cost: for titles that are out on both Blu Ray and HD DVD formats, the HD DVD format is averaging about 8 dollars a disk less. (Not counting the silly “combo” format that some HD DVD disks are offering. These disks include both the regular DVD and the HD DVD disk for the same content, but make you pay for both!) Bottom line, HD DVD is cheaper right now so the risk is minimized. But in any case, recall that VHS and Beta co-existed in the United States for over 10 years. I doubt that either HD DVD or Blu Ray will last that long since there is bound to be a bigger and better solution just in the wings! For the format wars, pick one or the other or both, then rent your disks. Lobby Walt Disney, MGM, Sony, Universal, and so on to produce high definition disks on both formats as long as economics will allow. This may not be long, however. Paramount has abandoned the Blu Ray format and is now producing only HD DVDs citing economic reasons.

BEST PICTURE EVER!!!!   August 27, 2007
  3 out of 3 found this review helpful

All I can say is, holy cow! I purchased this after reading some of the pitfalls and problems of the Sony developed Blu-Ray technology. This player can be summed up in a word, “WOW”. Now I’ve seen HD images on HD-TV’s and broadcasts, and while they looked really sharp I didn’t jump on the HD train. When Amazon dropped the price to less than $240 I toyed with the idea of upgrading to high def. I finally bought it and was fully ready to send it back if it didn’t live up to my expectations. When I connected it to my Infocus DLP projector and saw the opening sequence of 300 in all it’s high-def glory, I audibly said “I guess I’m keeping it”. I never realized how sharp the picture could be and for that matter how muted regular DVD’s are compared to this. Granted this unit does take about 30 seconds to a minute to “boot” but I can’t really say a bad thing about it! I highly recommend this to anyone wanting a hi-def image with out the large price tag of Blu-Ray or some of the higher end HD-DVD players.

GREAT PLAYER ONLY ONE PROBLEM   August 26, 2007
  2 out of 2 found this review helpful

BOUGHT AT COSTCO FOR 249.00 IN JUNE.IT ONLY TAKES 22 SECONDS TO START UP,I DONT KNOW WHY THESE OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING START UP PROBLEMS.ONLY PROBLEM.HAPPENED ONCE. REGULAR DVD WHILE PLAYING, SCREEN WENT TO ALL SNOW BUT STILL HEARD AUDIO, JUST PRESSED STOP WAITED 20 SECONDS HIT PLAY STARTED AGAIN.IT STATES IN MANUAL THAT THERE ARE SUM ISSUES WITH REGULAR DVDS.HAVE IT CONNECTED TO MY 50″SONY GRAND WEGA PICTURE IS AMAZING.

Outstanding   August 25, 2007
  1 out of 1 found this review helpful

First off, I just received my player 3 days after I ordered with the free super saver shipping option! As soon as I opened the box, I updated the firmware as stated in the directions through my ethernet connection and it was a breeze. There is also an option to receive a disc in the mail to update the firmware whenever one is available. The first movie I played was Superman Returns on my 42″ Panasonic Plasma TV (Model TH-42PX60U) which has a 1080i output through HDMI. I did not notice any significant lag time in the loading process when I loaded the dvd as some stated here. The picture is outstanding and the sound is fantastic. I’m looking forward to receiving and viewing the Planet Earth DVD series!