-
"Fundelmentals picture quality and sound good; operationally very poor." on by multimedes
Pros: Sound quality of the DTS track good, picture quality acceptable but slightly below expectations
Cons: Every interaction with the player is very slow, this is a first generation firmware issue.
Summary: I was viewing the picture on a 12 foot screen using a Digital Projection 3 chip Projector with 2048x1080 resolutions up converted to 1080p. I compared the picture quality of The Last Samurai HD disc, from the XA1, with the same SD DVD output from a Kaleidescape server up converted to 1080i by the server and then to 1080p by the projector.
I was surprised that the differences were not as marked as I would have expected. Yes the standard DVD output from the Kaleidescape was softer with less detail and not as film like but I have seen pictures with more punch from my Satellite provider when transmitting content filmed in HD.
While setting up for this comparison the operational weakness of the player became very apparent;
1. Start up and stop times, minutes not seconds.
2. Response to any key on remote controller very slow, one initially thinks the controller is not responding.
3. When changing resolution of the player using the resolution key on the remote, the player stops, you then push the play button and the player starts up with the new resolution, but not from where the movie was when the resolution key was pressed but from the start of the movie. The problem is compounded if you need to go from 480p to 1080i the process needs to be completed twice, 408p-720p-1080i which takes several minutes to get back to were you started from in the movie.
4. The above process is similar when you switch from HDMI output to an analogue output, the player stops and returns to the beginning of the movie before setting the new output.
5. Trying to get the remotes back lighting to stay on for more than 1 second requires shaking the life out of it.
6. The menu structure for the player was quite basic.
My conclusion is that this product has been released with firmware in a very primitive state and/or the internal processors are too slow to achieve acceptable load and response times. -
"Awesome quality, but with a couple setbacks" on by samshady
Pros: Style/Finish is nothing short of superb; picture quality is excellent
Cons: Very slow (opening) tray and menu load time
Summary: I was really excited to pull this heavy piece of hardware out of the box...and it is beautiful! I bought this product, without even seeing a demo setup...I figured that the specs alone would stand up to its claim. I wasn't disappointed in sound and picture quality of next-gen home video. If I could describe the detail in clarity, it would be like watching 5-6 megapixel still picture, but in MOTION! The sound was a lot clearer also, with the 6.1 custom Bose/Klipsch setup that I'm running. Although this player only outputs 1080i, it was hard to tell with the 60" Sony SXRD (which has a native resolution of 1080p). Bottom line for quality of the hardware and audio/video output: 10 all the way!!
...However, gotta note the drawbacks. It seemed like my remote wasn't working, or the button inputs were delayed or something (I might have to play around with it more). Everytime I went to press the open/close button (or door button) on the remote, it wouldn't seem to respond - only to find out that it just took that long! Also, the motion sensor on the remote to activate the backlight seemed like a cool feature, but when I grabbed the remote to perform a function, it only stayed illuminated for a short amount of time (often not being able to finish pressing the buttons that you were looking for). You would then have to either set the remote down (then pick it up again), or shake the crap out of it! There is a button on the remote to turn the backlight on, but what good is it if you can't see it
If it wasn't for the slow load time and remote (shortcomings), I would easily give this player a 10, but gotta go with an overall 8/8.5. -
"Excellent 1st Gen Player that is upgradeable via firmware (internet/disc)" on by PAntiGravity
Pros: Astounding picture quality; great sound; upgradeable
Cons: Slow "power-up"; quirky SD DVD menu navigation; quirky remote; only "core" audio decoding of DD TrueHD and DTS HD
Summary: This is a great showing for HD-DVD's 1st generation player. Very few bugs for a totally new player/format. Picture quality is better than anything presently available...better than what you will get in 99.99% of theaters. This thing is priced to sell.
Outstanding job on upconversion of SD DVDs; better than the Denon 3910 and Oppo 971H...worth the price for that reason alone!
Firmware upgrades are promised and hopefully they can minimize "power-up" times (this is a PC after all and requires a boot-up process), hopefully they can fix the quirky SD DVD menu navigation and maybe even add other features like 1080p output (though not strictly needed for many reason at the present moment), full audio decoding of DD TrueHD and DTS HD formats and slightly quicker disc load times (but really isn't that bad; the Denon 3910 takes quite a while to load discs and has slow menu navigation...but I say you can't rush quality!).
Definitely worth the price of admission for most everyone...everyone else should probably wait to see if the minor issues are addressed simply through firmware or wait for 2nd generation players, either from Toshiba or other CE manufacturers. -
"Glitches as expected for new format" on by pasprop
Pros: Stellar Video performance
Cons: Sound glitches, startup delay, easily gets lost
Summary: Ok, if your as crazy about HD as I am you will be looking into one of the HD players for your home. Be warned these are new format player and they will have problems. But if your willing to work through the difficulties it will be worth it.
The first thing I would suggest you do is turn on the audible beep that acknowledges the player got your remote command.
Second, wait for it to respond. Its responds like a busy PC without the progress bar to tell you its busy and will be confused if you give too many commands.
Problems; I noticed an audio drop out problem with all three of the HD DVDs I tried. The sound would drop out for a fraction of a second 2 to 9 per hour during the movie. It sound just like audio drop out you get when playing a DVD on a laptop with too many task running in the background.
Another problem is the player did not play any of my CDs. I tied Telarc CD, RCA CD and a three others. None of them would play on the HD XA1. I was told by Toshiba this was a hardware problem and the new unit should be sent in for repair. I think the problem may be in the audio setup and I just have not had the time to check it out. So far the Toshiba customer service has not been must help.
Movies vary greatly in how they look and perform in the player. Phantom of the opera makes a good HD demo for now. Serenity has a very clean picture, but the special features would not work and generated a motor boot type sound that seemed about to blow my speakers out.
Generally I feel HD DVD is a good 1st product for HD DVD early adopters. The firmware update feature should allow most of the glitches to be fixed without sending the unit in to the repair shop. For the average user that wants HD to feed their HDTV, I suggest waiting for the bugs to be worked out. -
"8.5 it excells where it counts!" on by enrobriaffej
Pros: picure and sound quality, vibration sensitve backlit remote, inputs/outputs
Cons: Start up time/response time, size, not 1080p
Summary: Last piece of my home theater
Written by jeff, Dallas, Texas on July 8, 2006
After purchasing the Marantz SR8500, 1080p 42" Westinghouse(LVM-42w2) and all of the best, and necessary cables(THX-HDMI/DVI and Fiber Optic audio), verizon fios programming, infinity 7.1 surround, soon PS3,the Toshiba HD-XA1 was my last componet.
The initial set-up did take a few hours; however after finally putting in my first hd-dvd was truly a breathtaking expierence. I, unfortunately, began with Syriana instead of the matrix, or some action packed equivalent. But throughout the entire movie i found myself making pre-pubescent oogling sounds. It does make that much of a difference!
However, if you do not plan on investing in hd-dvds, the difference this player will ultimately make is probably not worth it. The upscalled picture difference on standard dvds this player achieves would be equalled by most middle to high end dvd players on the market. I would recomend Denon or Onkyo.
So, even though at this time hd-dvd players do not output 1080p resolution(as blu ray does), the picture difference still oddly favors Toshiba. Being that Sonys apparant pre-mature launch of blu ray has some kinks in picture performance. For now the best picture possible, in my area, will come from this hd-dvd player; but i will be purchasing a PS3 in November.
The fifth star would have been easily acheived if: the necessary firmware update was pre-installed, the response time of functions was better and if it wasnt nearly as big as my old amplifier. However, the overall design of the player and remote are top notch. Sound and image quality are lifelike. Oh, i wouldnt know about remote issues because i use a marantz learning universal for everything. But i must say the movement activated backlight IS VERY COOL.
Write a Review
Online Stores
| Store | Promotions | In Stock | Price | Total Cost | Initial Sort Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | No | Yes | Tax: TBD Ship: TBD | $359.00 Shop Now | |
| See all prices | |||||
