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Ron's HD DVD Review - Page 4

post #91 of 126
7/12/06 at 12:45pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by John H Ross
I thought it was an area for asking HD-DVD owners practical questions about hardware functionality and performance, etc (as per the forum description)? And that's precisely what I'm doing, specifically in response to Ron's review. Okay, forget the "no sale" bit, I don't want that to cloud the important questions I was trying to ask with regards to menu screens and audio switching.

John
John,
If you don't own a HD DVD player and don't have any further questions about the format then you shouldn't be posting any more comments in this particular area of the forum. It's one thing for HD DVD player owners to gripe about the format shortcomings and suggest improvements, but we don't want this area's discussion being muddy with comments from people that don't have a player and don't intend to buy one any time soon.





Crawdaddy
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post #92 of 126
7/12/06 at 12:45pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Calvert
John, I'm with you. I haven't figured out a way to set up these WB discs before the main feature actually starts. It's not just audio, but if you want to watch any special features you have to choose them while the main feature is playing. Really dumb authoring decision, and it pisses me off too. Not enough to throw in the towel on HD-DVD, though...pic quality is just too great to ignore

Thanks for a definitive reply, Scott. Not good news. It'll be interesting to see how the other studios deal with it. I suspect most will favour Universal's approach of using a menu. And we can only hope that Warner finally comes to its senses (do people at these studios actually watch and try to navigate the stuff they put out there?)

John
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post #93 of 126
7/12/06 at 12:46pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Crawford
John,
If you don't own a HD DVD player and don't have any further questions about the format then you shouldn't be posting any more comments in this particular area of the forum. It's one thing for HD DVD player owners to gripe about the format shortcomings and suggest improvements, but we don't want this area's discussion being muddy with comments from people that don't have a player and don't intend to buy one any time soon.
Crawdaddy

Ok Robert. Thanks.
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post #94 of 126
7/12/06 at 7:32pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

John,
Only the Warner discs start this way. Warner movies always start with that panning shot of an overhead view of the old studio lot. At this time one can press pause, bring up the menu, make one's selections, and then continue.
The actual movie or it's opening credits have not started at this point, just that studio logo.

I fail to understand what the big deal is--you don't have to miss a damn thing except a second or two of an aerial shot of the old Warner studios, the same shot that is in the beginning of every Warner film released on dvd in the last couple of years that you've seen a hundred times.

If seeing that shot in it's entirety is vital, you can always hit the chapter back button after making your menu selections and enjoy it in all it's glory.
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post #95 of 126
7/12/06 at 7:43pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Schaffer
John,
Only the Warner discs start this way. Warner movies always start with that panning shot of an overhead view of the old studio lot. At this time one can press pause, bring up the menu, make one's selections, and then continue.
The actual movie or it's opening credits have not started at this point, just that studio logo.

I fail to understand what the big deal is--you don't have to miss a damn thing except a second or two of an aerial shot of the old Warner studios, the same shot that is in the beginning of every Warner film released on dvd in the last couple of years that you've seen a hundred times.

If seeing that shot in it's entirety is vital, you can always hit the chapter back button after making your menu selections and enjoy it in all it's glory.
Steve,
I already answered John's questions in this thread so we can get back on topic in this thread.





Crawdaddy
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post #96 of 126
7/12/06 at 7:56pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Schaffer
John,
Only the Warner discs start this way. Warner movies always start with that panning shot of an overhead view of the old studio lot. At this time one can press pause, bring up the menu, make one's selections, and then continue.
The actual movie or it's opening credits have not started at this point, just that studio logo.

I fail to understand what the big deal is--you don't have to miss a damn thing except a second or two of an aerial shot of the old Warner studios, the same shot that is in the beginning of every Warner film released on dvd in the last couple of years that you've seen a hundred times.

If seeing that shot in it's entirety is vital, you can always hit the chapter back button after making your menu selections and enjoy it in all it's glory.
glad it just wasn't me
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post #97 of 126
7/13/06 at 6:38pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

My sincerest apologies.
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post #98 of 126
7/14/06 at 8:00am

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Well, I had the good fortune to come into some money unexpectedly, and, as a result, I will be joining the HD DVD party a lot sooner than I originally intended. My Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD player isn't expected to ship until early August though.

In the meantime, I look forward to continuing to learn more about this format via this forum and Ron's thread, and I am excited to share my feedback with you all once I receive mine.
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post #99 of 126
7/14/06 at 8:22am

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

A strange thing happens when you open that box... You start to get excited about your home theater all over again... like it is a wondrous, new experience. Last night I popped in the Superbit Edition of Spiderman 2. I used to think that disc looked awesome. Well, it's still good but it appears very flat in comparison to all 10, yes 10, HD-DVD discs I have purchased. Thankfully I am not married or I would surely be sleeping on the sofa. Wait a minute... I DID sleep on the sofa watching movies all night. I was not even a fence sitter a couple of months ago. I was sure that the differences would NEVER motivate me to switch from DVD to another format. I even argued the point on other fan sites. Boy, was I dead wrong. I think the HD-DVD camp needs to get reps out on the ground to educate the sales force at places like Best Buy, Fry's Electronics and Circuit City. They just don't know their ass from their elbows in those places. It is obvious that Blu-Ray has a superior ground war going on. Shelf display and positioning has been superior in every store I visit. C'mon Toshiba, hire me I'll make 'em believers.
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post #100 of 126
7/20/06 at 4:49pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Hey There, first post, be gentle with me.

I'm not a classic early adopter so any review of those who go before me is well appreciated.

One thing I haven't found an answer for is which format will the PS3 go for?

The PS2 was my first DVD player and flawed as it is, could see potentially, if formats allow, that a PS3 could be my first foray into HD.
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post #101 of 126
7/20/06 at 5:09pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

PS3 will be Blu-Ray due to the fact it is a Sony product. Even if Blu-Ray dies as a movie format Sony will have to keep it going because all games for PS3 will be on Blu-Ray discs. XBOX360 will have an add on HD-DVD player coming out around the same time as the PS3 for a rumored $150-$200.
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post #102 of 126
7/20/06 at 5:20pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by EricCr
PS3 will be Blu-Ray due to the fact it is a Sony product. Even if Blu-Ray dies as a movie format Sony will have to keep it going because all games for PS3 will be on Blu-Ray discs. XBOX360 will have an add on HD-DVD player coming out around the same time as the PS3 for a rumored $150-$200.
Thanks Eric, I've gotta say that helps.
I'm almost a sure thing to get a PS3 so I'll be backing the Blu-ray camp.
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post #103 of 126
7/21/06 at 12:17pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Ron,

Thanks for the review. You pushed me off the fence. I have an A1 sitting in the van while I "try" to finish my work day I was going to boycott this stupid greed format war but decided to support the format I think is being done right.

Have a great weekend in your home theater.
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post #104 of 126
7/21/06 at 7:16pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

I jumped off the fence today also. I was off today and went into BB to have a look around. Asked a sales guy when they would be getting some HD-A1's in and he said we have two or three in the back. Want One?? Of course having very little will power and a BB 12% off rewards coupon burning a hole in my pocket I said "Yes Please".

So got the player for $439.99 and picked up Serenity,Apollo 13 and Blazing Saddles with another coupon. Will raid Amazon for more later.

Hooked it up today to my Pioneer Elite 630HD via a HDMI/DVI cable. Went into the setup menus and will tweak the picture tonight after sunset. Mine has a June 2006 build date and has firmware V1.3.

Anyway wanted to thank Ron the the review and everybody else for their comments that helped push me off that fence. It's great to join the club.

Later,

Jim
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post #105 of 126
7/21/06 at 7:31pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Great review, Ron. It answered a lot of questions I had about the format.

I'm a little disapponted that you went out and bought a new, HDMI TV set so soon, however. Now who's going to represent us poor blokes who are still stuck with analog, component-inputs-only TV sets?

But seriouly, congrats on the new purchases and I hope you enjoy them immensely!
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post #106 of 126
7/22/06 at 11:32am

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Douglas
I jumped off the fence today also. I was off today and went into BB to have a look around. Asked a sales guy when they would be getting some HD-A1's in and he said we have two or three in the back. Want One?? Of course having very little will power and a BB 12% off rewards coupon burning a hole in my pocket I said "Yes Please".

So got the player for $439.99 and picked up Serenity,Apollo 13 and Blazing Saddles with another coupon. Will raid Amazon for more later.

Hooked it up today to my Pioneer Elite 630HD via a HDMI/DVI cable. Went into the setup menus and will tweak the picture tonight after sunset. Mine has a June 2006 build date and has firmware V1.3.

Anyway wanted to thank Ron the the review and everybody else for their comments that helped push me off that fence. It's great to join the club.

Later,

Jim

Congratulations Jim, I was able to use the 12% off coupon on the player also but the "10% off movies, music and software" coupon says "no new releases". The BB St. Petersburg computer wouldn't give me the discount on any HD-DVDs.

I'm feeding my Pro-510HD that has only component video inputs. I wish Pioneer made a module that would plug into the tuner slot that could give me HDMI inputs. The 510HD is overdue for a serious convergence session.
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post #107 of 126
7/22/06 at 12:31pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dana Rodakis
Congratulations Jim, I was able to use the 12% off coupon on the player also but the "10% off movies, music and software" coupon says "no new releases". The BB St. Petersburg computer wouldn't give me the discount on any HD-DVDs.

Dana,

My store said the same thing and I told the sales guy these were not new release titles. He said sorry but the computer would not take the code and give the discount. I said that's ok just leave those off and I'll pick them up at Fry's or Amazon. Those were the magic words and he called the manager who over rode the codes to give the discount.

Jim
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post #108 of 126
7/22/06 at 1:24pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

For all of you that just bought players....

First off, welcome aboard!

Please do me a favor. Post a review of your experience with HD-DVD?

We have an entire area devoted to the format and your honest
comments will help others decide whether it is worth their hard-earned
moolah to invest.

Look very forward to reading your comments.
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post #109 of 126
7/26/06 at 8:58am

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Ron,

great review and congrads on getting into HD!

To everyone new to purchasing the Toshiba player, be sure to get the latest firmware upgrades from Toshiba (discussed earlier in the thread)... that will improve things quite a bit. Also, don't use the 720P output of the player even if you have a 720P projector/TV... always use 1080I output setting with the Tosh for the best image.
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post #110 of 126
7/26/06 at 12:33pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Ron,

Do you want us to post a review of our experience here in this thread or in a separate one?

Incidently, after about a week of messing with bad analog audio cables, byzantian receiver settings, and low sub test tones on the HD-A1, I think I'm about ready to start actually watching the four HD DVDs I have. Once I do that, hopefully by week's end, I'll share my thoughts.
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post #111 of 126
7/26/06 at 1:55pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Paul,

Tell you what. I'll start a thread in the HD-DVD OWNERS area
to talk up their experiences with the Toshiba and RCA models.

You'll see it as a sticky thread at the top of the forum
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post #112 of 126
7/26/06 at 2:05pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Click Here To Post Your Review
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post #113 of 126
7/27/06 at 10:06am

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet
Also, don't use the 720P output of the player even if you have a 720P projector/TV... always use 1080I output setting with the Tosh for the best image.

This is certainly true with HD-DVD titles, but not so of SD-DVD upconverted discs. I notice no difference in upconverted quality with either 720p or 1080i on my Samsung HLP-5085. Calibrations with Avia are the same at either output. I have been trying to get people to do a little A/B comparison over at AVS forum and most are agreeing, even the people who claim 720p is "broken" on this machine. Here is an early review of the unit which explains why 720p has a worse picture, but he also says upconverted quality is good either way: http://www.ultimateavmag.com/hddiscp...ahd/index.html
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post #114 of 126
7/27/06 at 10:38am

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Quote:
This is certainly true with HD-DVD titles, but not so of SD-DVD upconverted discs.

Correct. The Toshiba has a bug that causes it to down-scale HD DVDs to 480 then *back up* to 720 when you select 720P output instead of 1080I. Obviously that's bad.



But since DVDs start out at 480 to begin with, if you have a 720P display the quality for upconverted SD material might be just fine at 720. But if upconverted material looks good at 1080I also than I'd leave it at that setting all the time so you don't forget and then pop in an HD DVD title forgetting that the 720P setting reduces your absolute resolution to 480!

-dave
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post #115 of 126
7/27/06 at 12:42pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet
But if upconverted material looks good at 1080I also than I'd leave it at that setting all the time so you don't forget and then pop in an HD DVD title forgetting that the 720P setting reduces your absolute resolution to 480!

-dave

Agreed! However, if I send my Samsung a 720p signal, I can choose the 'Expand' setting which gives what I believe is called 1:1 pixel mapping (might have the term wrong). For me, it means overscan is reduced almost to zero. Also, it's so obviously poo-poo when you're watching HD-DVD at 720p that you'll remember to switch
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post #116 of 126
7/27/06 at 12:51pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

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post #117 of 126
8/1/06 at 4:27pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Great review Ron!. I'm looking forward to get one of those machines!... (Need to start saving)
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post #118 of 126
8/2/06 at 11:46am

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

Off hand. What studios support which format?

Thanks!
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post #119 of 126
8/2/06 at 2:01pm

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

www.thedigitalbits.com Pull up the HD/Blu Ray release schedule.
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post #120 of 126
8/3/06 at 1:05am

Re: Ron's HD DVD Review

We have a release schedule of our own at the top of this forum area
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