Toshiba HD-A20 HD-DVD player

Pros: Handles HD well. Good output signal.

Cons: VERY SLOW to start up and react to other commands NO remote control codes.

Summary: I've owned the Toshiba HDDVD for about 4 months. Once you can get it going, it handles all modes/formats of dvd disks well (except the rival High Def format of course). But from a red (standby) light to ready to play a disk is a VERY LONG WAIT after you press the power button! It's about 30 to 45 seconds. Also 10 plus seconds for other commands. Not long you say? Well, maybe, but it can get to be quite annoying after about the 50th time.

Then there is the remote codes for operating the Toshiba with your favorite universal remote controller. There aren't any! Unless your remote can learn codes, which isn't always fully satisfactory or successful, by "sniffing" the IR from the Toshiba's remote, you are out-of-luck. Local media equipment retailers can't get the codes from Toshiba. There's nothing on their web site. The excuse? The Toshiba is just too new?!!! Come on Toshiba, please get the codes on your Web site!

Bottom line is, it handles the dvd formats it says it will, very well. Puts out a great signal. But telling it to start and other commands from anything other than it's own remote is problematic, and once it does know it's supposed to start or do something else, it takes the player a LONG TIME to get to "go".