RCA HDV5000

Summary: I've been sitting on the fence with these new HD formats. After owning an HDTV for 3 years, I was anxious to be able to play HD movies whenever I wanted. And now, that time has finally come.

The RCA HDV5000 is basically the same as the Toshiba HD-A1. Internally, they are pretty much identical. RCA just uses a different case and square buttons, compared to the round buttons on the Toshiba. It also has a different remote control. However, one key addition the RCA has is an RS-232 control port. This is only available on the $799 version of the Toshiba (HD-XA1). So, the RCA is really a great value considering it costs the same as the lower-priced Toshiba HD-A1. It's just not as sleek-looking as the Toshiba. But image/sound quality is what's important to me, and the RCA truly delivers.

First, let me tell you what other devices I'm using with this.

- TV: Sony 30xs955 30" widescreen HDTV
- Receiver: Harmon/Kardon AVR-335
- Speakers: JBL Northridge F/C/S/B, and 200w JBL sub, in a 7.1 setup

This is a very modest setup, but HD DVD still made a huge difference.

PICTURE QUALITY

It is difficult to put into words how blown away I was by the picture quality. My jaw dropped open at the pristine detail and artifact-free images of Serenity and The Chronicles of Riddick. There were scenes that were so detailed, they nearly jumped out of the TV. Colors were bold and vibrant, but never smeared or bloomed. It simply brought the movies to life.

Even the 11-year old Apollo 13 disc looked incredible. I have this on regular DVD as well, so I flipped between my old Pioneer DVD player and the RCA. The difference was very apparent.

However, some movies just don't seem to benefit as much from the higher resolution. Van Helsing, for example, still looked great, but that movie is just so dark that you still don't notice as much improvement. Still noticable, but not as drastic as other films.

I tested the output using component and HDMI. Both were very similar, with HDMI maybe showing an ever-so-slightly sharper image. Since no current HD DVDs use the Image Contraint Token (ICT), you can get full 1080i out of the component outputs as well, so HDMI is not required (yet) to enjoy full HD.

Overall, picture quality is even better than I was expecting. Just note that in order to get the best quality, set the player's output resolution to 1080i, even if you you have a 720p display. The player's internal scaler doesn't do a very good job of outputting 720p, but 1080i looks amazing. An addendum to the manual was included in the box noting this.

AUDIO QUALITY

I just thought that HD DVD was all about pristine images. Hah! Wait until you hear the new Dolby Digital Plus soundtracks. Connecting the RCA to my reciver using the 5.1 analog outputs, I got to enjoy the full DD+ soundtrack. Wow! The clarity and subtle effects leapt out of the speakers. The soundstage is very broad, with sound effects blending from speaker to speaker with smoothness that I've never heard before. The sound is full, rich, and alive. I think the audio impressed me even more than the visuals!

The RCA, like the Toshiba, will still allow you to hook up to your receiver via an optical or coax digital connection. However, when listening to a DD+ track, the player will downmix it to a 5.1 DTS track at more than double the bitrate of a standard DVD. You MUST have a receiver with a built-in DTS decoder in order to use this. Otherwise, you will need to either use the 5.1 analog outputs or HDMI. While the manual says you can get multi-channel surround sound from HDMI, I couldn't test this since my receiver doesn't have HDMI inputs.

I switched back and forth between the DTS downmix and the DD+ coming out of the analog outputs, and I could clearly tell that the DD+ was superior. Some subtle effects were lost in the DTS downmix. Still sounded better than regular DD or DTS, but if you have a receiver with 5.1 analog inputs, use them.

UPCONVERTING STANDARD DVDs

The RCA does an excellent job of upconverting standard DVDs to HD resolutions. I had no problems playing any of my old DVDs, including some obscure anime discs. While still not as good as an HD DVD, it does have a sharper image.

Just note that if you are using the analog outputs for HD DVDs, you probably also want to hook up the digital audio output to your receiver as well. This way, you can enjoy all the DD and DTS tracks that current DVDs support. This is particularly important if you have a 7.1 setup like I do, since 6.1 DTS-ES and DD-EX mixes are only sent out of the digital outputs.

REMOTE

I didn't spend too much time with the remote since I quickly added the RCA to my Harmony 880 universal remote (which works great). But the stock remote isn't too bad. It's not backlit, so you certainly don't want to use it in the dark. But it's actually above average compared to the remotes I typically get with regular DVD players.

COMPLAINTS

My complaints are pretty minor. Yes, the player is a little slow in starting up. It takes about 40 seconds to be ready to accept commands, and HD DVDs take an additonal 30-50 seconds to load. But honestly, it hasn't bothered me much at all. By the time I get settled into the recliner with a drink and popcorn, the movie is waiting on me anyway.

CONCLUSION

I absolutely love this player. It has met and exceeded my expectations. I had no problems buying this over the Toshiba model. At least the RCA was in stock in town!