Toshiba offering $100 instant rebates on HD DVD players (1 Viewer)

[Robert_Zohn]

Yes, but I am not permitted to announce the deal till the evening of 6/9.

-Robert

 

[Robert_Zohn]

Gabe, No we ship every item that in stock and only back-order the out of stock item(s), which are released when they come in.

The promotion was so successful that we are sold out of A2s at the moment. Our factory fresh inventory is in-route to us and is scheduled to arrive by the end of this week.

-Robert

 

[Tim Glover]

FYI:

The Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player is #4 on Amazon's overall electronics sales. It has been as high as #1. Currently sold out but a new shipment is due in....Pretty impressive.

 

[Jason Roer]

So for those who purchased at Costco - is it $250 instore plus a $100 rebate bringing the total to $150? That would be silly ridiculous. And does that include the 5 free movies?

Cheers,

Jason

 

[Adam Gregorich]

No. The in store price of $250 takes into account the rebate. You are $250+tax out the door. You are eligible for the 5 free by mail with this player.

 

[Jason Roer]

Thanks Adam. Still a great price. Is it the same machine though? I noticed a different model number. I realize Costco does this from time to time. And is it a good player? For reference - I have the pioneer elite 43" plasma display.

Cheers,

Jason

 

[Adam Gregorich]

The Costco D2 is the same as the A2 that everyone else sells. You should also look at Value Electonics. If you don't live in NY you will save the tax. They are selling it for $299, but in addition to the 5 free movies from Toshiba, they will send you a specific 5 titles, or you can pick three that you want (with over 150 to choose from!) Check out their deal here: http://www.valueelectronics.com/HTF.htm Keep in mind that if you aren't sure you are going to keep it Costco has a more liberal return policy, but considering the extra titles and no tax (out of NY) the VE deal is a little better....

 

[Jason Roer]

I just looked at the Value deal. Of course I happen to live right in the heart of NYC, so I'm gonna have to pay the tax. That being said - with the HDMI cable and the 3 extra films, it seems like that's the way to go for me. My wife and I will make our decision tomorrow. Is the form for the 5 movies from Toshiba the same around the board - you choose 1 movie from 5 different sections? If so - that's great that it isn't just 5 prepackaged films. I noticed Casablanca on that list. Very cool.

Cheers,

Jason

 

[Tim Glover]

Good luck Jason. Here's hoping you enter into a new world with HD DVD. It's really rather awesome...

 

[Jason Roer]

Thanks Tim. Now if only we could get Star Wars on HD-DVD!

I have a few more questions before I can make my decision. If anyone can help - that would be great.

1. I've read there have been some audio problems with A2 regarding 5.1 analog decoding. I have a Yamaha receiver with 6.1 DTS-ES and 6.1 matrix Dolby Digital, but it was one of the earlier models that didn’t have HDMI. Model number RX-V1200. Will I have trouble if I use the optical cable for audio? Will there still be Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 decoding available to me? Will the 6.1 feature be available? I don't have it in my budget to upgrade the receiver at this time.

2. Is there a "resume playback" feature on this player? I love that I can keep my place in the film and watch it a day, week, month later without having to find my place again. One of my current DVD players has it and the other does not.

3. What is the "fast forward" capability of this player? My ancient Sony only goes 2X and it drives me batty.

Thanks in advance for any help. I'm really excited about the possiblity of upgrading to HD. It will either be this player or the Oppo upconverting player.

Cheers,

Jason

 

[Steve Schaffer]

I'm not Tim but can answer a few of your questions.

The A2 will pass DD and DTS unaltered via optical digital when playing SD dvds. For HD DVD it will downconvert Dolby Digital+ to full bitrate DTS and pass it via optical digital. It can also decode Dolby Tru-HD but it converts that format to linear multichannel PCM which can only be passed via HDMI.
It has no analog 5.1 outputs. The XA2 model has these outputs but up until the last firmware update had a problem with bass management, I think that may have been the problem you read about.

The player can resume from stop with SD DVD. It cannot when playing HD DVD due to flagging on the disc, not a limitation of the player.

It has several FF speeds.

 

[MarkHarrison]

I agree with everything Steve said, but want to elaborate on the resume function. You can resume with SD discs, but not if you turn the player off or open the tray. My old player was similar to yours. Mine would remember your spot on the last 30 discs put in the player and it's very hard to give that up. Especially on something like TV discs where you might find yourself reloading the same disc over and over and over. It was nice to put a disc in, hit play and be at the main menu.

Still, it's a burden I can live with.

 

[Jason Roer]

Thanks guys. Sounds like it could be a go for me. Definitely going to miss the resume feature. I really loved that. But if all my DVDs look that much better - not to mention the HD-DVDs, then hell - I can live with trying to find my spot again.

Cheers,

Jason

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Most HD DVDs have a bookmark feature, but that wouldn't apply to standard DVDs.

 

[Jason Roer]

Thank you all so much for your help. I was on the phone with Robert from Value today and I'll be dropping by tomorrow to pick up my first HD-DVD player! Very excited. I can't wait to hook it up. Probably get a chance to get it all up and running on Friday. Thanks again for the help. It's always such a pleasure on this forum. Very cordial and speedy responses. Great discussion as well. Been lurking for years - since I got my first DVD player (for $700!) way back in '97 and only recently began posting. Been a rewarding experience.

Cheers,

Jason

 

[Tim Glover]

Steve is correct.

Congrats Jason!!! Well done. If you're like most HD DVD owners here, you'll get a renewed interest in watching movies at home and discovering some films you might have missed on.

Start selling off that dvd collection as this HD DVD collecting can be quite addicting! Early last year I needed to start my own support group, HD DVD anonymous.

 

[Chris S]

Congratulations Jason! To reiterate Tim's comments, this really will get you excited again about home theater and all that encompasses. In the last few years my SD DVD collection had started to wain waiting for the new HD formats. Now I'm totally hooked and can't get enough! It's like 1997-1999 all over again. My advice: start your HD rehab before opening the box.

 

[Jason Roer]

I think my wife will be all the rehab I need. I already imagine her standing guard at the door and locking down the internet so I can't make those impulse purchases. Ah - she knows me all too well!

But honey - if I sell off 3 more dvds, I can get that HD title, right, right, RIGHT???!!! Pass the crack pipe...

Yep - it already reminds me of '97-'99 and I haven't even made the purchase yet. I can feel it swelling within though...

Cheers,

Jason

 

[Cees Alons]

Congratulations, Jason.
I have to agree with you that there's something about those prices...

Like you, I bought my first DVD-player back in 1997 for around $600 (import from the US), a Toshiba (it's still operating, although not as my main player). Now I bought the Toshiba HD-A1 (import again) at ... around $570 (total: including shipment, customs, VAT, etc.). Yet people complain about the prices of HD...

Most HD DVDs I double-dip with are less expensive than the SDVD I purchased first. Yet the quality and entertainment value is so much better...


Cees

 

[Tim Glover]

Very true!