Toshiba HD-A3
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"7 - Free-HD-DVD's--Great Value!!" on by AWF48
Pros: Easy Set-up
Cons: Updating firmware can be a challenge
Summary: The A3 was a snap to set-up and it played the HD-Dvd's without a hitch!I have a Panasonic Plasma Flat screen and a Harmon Kardon receiver the HDMI Image quality and Digital Audio is fantastic!!! 5 standard speakers 1 sub-woofer and 1 super-base--the HK receiver I have has 2 outlets for bass- so i use both. What makes the A3 a steal is the fact that you get 2 Free HD-Dvd in the box ( The 300 and the Bourne Identity )thats a good start but you can download a coupon for 5 More FREE HD-Dvd's
plus the Circuit City where i bought this product was also offering buy 1 get 1 free on their HD-DVD's!!That makes 9 Hd-DvD's for $24.99-WOW--You don't have to be a CNet Geek to know this is a great Deal. If there is a challenge its with the Firmware update
the A3 played great right out of the box but i wanted to update and this is a very precise procedure--I don't think you need this update. "If it plays right don't update".Updated
After using this HD-DVD player for wk here is some additinal information.
#1 You MUST HAVE a consistent power output to the player 120volts which is standard in the US-If you have power fluxuations at your home it will affect the playback of the player.That means if you have dishwasher, Microwave Oven, AC/Heating and Washer/Dryer going all at the same time you may not have a consistant 120volts going to the player and the TV--Plus its common that power companies ration power at high usage times nowdays.
#2 MAKE SURE your HD-DVD is FREE from dust and smudges on its surface--Hit the disk with some windex and wipe off the dust and smudges-make sure the disk is DRY! tilt the disk sideways to see that its clean--this will stop any crashes that may occur.
#3 If You make Homemade DVD you MUST record in the ISO format-Most of the new DVD burners have info on the ISO file extension.
The HD-DVD requires this format to play your Homemade DVD properly!!Updated
After using this HD-DVD player for wk here is some additinal information.
#1 You MUST HAVE a consistent power output to the player 120volts which is standard in the US-If you have power fluxuations at your home it will affect the playback of the player.That means if you have dishwasher, Microwave Oven, AC/Heating and Washer/Dryer going all at the same time you may not have a consistant 120volts going to the player and the TV--Plus its common that power companies ration power at high usage times nowdays.
#2 MAKE SURE your HD-DVD is FREE from dust and smudges on its surface--Hit the disk with some windex and wipe off the dust and smudges-make sure the disk is DRY! tilt the disk sideways to see that its clean--this will stop any crashes that may occur.
#3 If You make Homemade DVD you MUST record in the ISO format-Most of the new DVD burners have info on the ISO file extension.
The HD-DVD requires this format to play your Homemade DVD properly!! -
"Best Player out there at moment!" on by AnthonyNYC
Pros: Quality!, Price, style, values, features...Start up is much faster than first generation HD Players, Internet access for firmware and special features works perfect, 1080i picture is all anyone needs.
Cons: you can always find fault with stuff, especially if you are a negative person. But overall, nothing bad i can say about this model. It's a high quality machine, you can tell that
Summary: I wondered why this player didn't have a perfect 10 or 9 rating, then I seen someone gave it a 1, because he said it starts too slow and doesn't play all his homemade dvd's, please...buy a cheap $50 unit to do that, this is a high quality High Definition Machine, which has internet upgradability and will just continue to improve as the field matures. I had a first gen A1 and this is a major improvement!
The Free discs I got with mine was worth the low price I paid for this alone, great deals out there on this model. And 1080i is all the quality anyone actually needs anyway. Get real, It's an amazing picture! Period, end of discussion. Enjoy it, people! -
"GREAT PRODUCT!!!!!!!!!!!!" on by life_is2
Pros: EXCELLENT PICTURE AND PRICE.CAN'T GO WRONG WITH HD
Cons: NONE SO FAR. NOT ENOUGH HD DVD'S IN MY COLLECTION YET
Summary: I HAVE READ,READ,AND READ ON WHICH PLAYER TO BUY. I FOUND THIS PLAYER FOR $159.99 AT COSTCO (HD-D3) AND COULD NOT RESIST. THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST PURCHASE I HAVE EVER MADE. TOSHIBA HAS DONE A GOOD JOB WITH THIS UNIT. IT DOES NOT PLAY IN 1080P BUT MY TV IS ONLY CAPABLE OF 1080I SO IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER TO ME ANYWAY. PLUS A FRIEND OF MINE HAS THE LOWER LINE SONY BLU-RAY PLAYING THROUGH A 1080P LCD BY SONY AND NEITHER OF US CAN TELL A DIFFERENCE IN PICTURE QUALITY.BUT THERE WILL ALWAYS BE THE SONY GEEKS WHO CLAIM DIFFERENT. BUT IF YOU WANT A GREAT PICTURE AT A GREAT PRICE YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH THIS PLAYER.
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"Excellent Value." on by ger_fer
Pros: Great entry level player.
Cons: None. I'm enjoying HD from a $200 player.
Summary: The HD-A2 and HD-A3 represent the best value players on the markert period. SD dvd's look HD like.
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"Good if it works" on by doggonemess
Pros: Great picture, affordable
Cons: Poor remote, no coax digital sound port, playback errors
Summary: My wife and I decided we wanted an HD-DVD player since the prices had finally come down into a range we could afford. Since there are very few players on the market (for less than $500), it boiled down to the Toshiba and the XBOX 360 add-on drive. At first, we were sure the Toshiba stand alone player would be the best. While the player looked great, we immediately had problems with it. First, we had an error while trying to play back the new Harry Potter movie. We updated the firmware using the ethernet port. It crashed during the update, and we had to do it again. After that, it still crashed while player HP. Additionally, it would have trouble playing other HD-DVDs that we bought. Just to see if the problem was with the player, we bought the 360 drive, and everything works perfectly on it. We're returning the Toshiba today.
On a lesser note, the remote is awful. Not the worst ever, but whoever designed it should take some courses in industrial design. None of the buttons are well located, you frequently have to adjust your hand position to perform basic functions.
One more point. Being tech nuts, we have a lot hooked up to our entertainment center. It has two optical sound ports, and one coax digital sound port. Both optical ports are in use (FIOS box and XBOX), so we had the coax for our DVD. None of our systems have coax (except our old DVD), and this player didn't either. If any system designs are reading this, please include coax ports on new machines! We still use them, and the sound is the same.
