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HD-XA2 Upgrade

post #1 of 30
8/8/07 at 10:44am
Thread Starter 
Have I missed something, or are we still waiting for instructions on how to place orders for the XA2?
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post #2 of 30
8/8/07 at 1:26pm

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Richard,

We are still waiting. We hope to have some information for
all of you by the end of the week.

....and don't throw out your Blu-Ray coupons just yet. If you
have, don't worry about it.

I'm waiting for a few pieces of information to come our way and
plan to address all of you via email shortly.
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post #3 of 30
8/8/07 at 5:05pm
Thread Starter 

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Thanks, Ron. I figured that was probably the case, but I wanted to be sure I hadn't missed an e-mail.
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post #4 of 30
8/8/07 at 8:47pm

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Cool, maybe if we wait long enough we could push for the upgraded but cheaper A-35s =p /jk

Sam
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post #5 of 30
8/9/07 at 2:21pm

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Any word on the HD DVD titles other than Heroes?
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post #6 of 30
8/10/07 at 9:04am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Listen....

I promise all of you the second I hear news from the HD-DVD
and Blu-Ray camps I will contact all of you via email. Promise!

There are quite a few things going on right now that we need
verification on. This includes those free titles and the fact that
Panasonic will be requiring people to return the certificates. We
need to find out if we can collect them ourselves or if Panasonic
wants them back directly (so don't do anything yet).

All this takes time and really, I don't want to spam people with
email until I have most all the answers together at the same time.

Give this time, guys. We are working on this diligently.
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post #7 of 30
8/10/07 at 9:30am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Absolutely Ron! Standing by to stand by! =)
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post #8 of 30
8/11/07 at 12:12pm

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam Posten
maybe if we wait long enough we could push for the upgraded but cheaper A-35s

Howdy!

Following my bit is a bit of interesting HD-XA2 related news that was posted at DVDTown.com in the last couple of days. Also, newer and cheaper doesn't necessarily equate to better, though it may. For one thing, the XA2 could possibly be sturdier and have better quality components in it. The A-35 definitely has a more rounded, plastic look. Is one noticeably heavier than the other? I've got an older, stiffer, heavier metal-chassis VHS HiFi machine that's definitely better than most of the cheaper garbage that came after it, though it is lacking in a few not-particularly-necessary bells and whistles. Can the A35 do anything that the XA2 can't? Is it better in any way at all, aside from having a cooler, rounded look and a lower price?

Don't get me wrong! If the A-35 is as good as (or better than) the XA2, I wouldn't complain at all about getting it, instead, especially if we got it for a new, improved lower price! :-)

Anyway, here comes that news I promised.

Kento
__

DVD Town

What's New
By Henning Molbaek
FIRST PUBLISHED Aug 9, 2007

With the announcement of third generation HD DVD players Toshiba introduced 1080 24P playback and HD audio bitstream to the HD DVD format.

What about the 2nd generation top model the Toshiba HD-XA2? Will it get these features in a firmware upgrade?

I talked with Toshiba about the issue and they could confirm that they don't plan to let down loyal costumers. On September 4th they will issue a firmware upgrade to the XA2 enabling it to support 1080 24P playback. They are also working HD audio bitstream over HDMI support but could not give a specific date on this upgrade.

© 1997-2007 DVDTOWN.com
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post #9 of 30
8/16/07 at 3:41pm

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

IMHO the XA2 is the way to go. It will have a 24F upgrade by the time the gen three players come out. I think you will find it has better overall build quality than the new model (the front top and sides of the XA2 are thick brushed aluminum, as opposed to the plastic of the A35). The third gen also loses the RS232 port. Load times on gen three appear to be the same as the current gen 2 players. I am sticking with the XA2 upgrade.

From CNET:
Quote:
Another notable point about these new features: the (heretofore useless) Deep Color feature is already present in the Toshiba XA2 . Furthermore, 24-frame compatibility will be added to that model and the HD-A20 via a promised firmware upgrade due next month. In other words, owners of those models have little incentive to upgrade.
The other unanswered question on the new Toshibas is their video processing. The previous high-end HD-XA2 model delivered a magnificent DVD upscaler, courtesy of HQV's Reon chipset, but retailed for a hefty $800--at least initially. But with the HQV name not touted in Toshiba's press release--and the fact that it still commands a premium price tag--we're wondering if there will be an HQV-powered HD-XA3 announced at CEDIA this year, or if the line tops out at the A35. Of course, the initial press release for the HD-XA2 didn't mention HQV, so it may be included in the HD-A35 after all.
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post #10 of 30
8/16/07 at 9:57pm

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Thanks, Xa2 still sounds like a winner!
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post #11 of 30
9/7/07 at 6:15am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

I just wanted to come back to this thread and put some info about the XA2. THe XA2 will continue to be a current model player as it has stronger chassis, better vider decoding and RS232 than the gen 3 players. It will be getting a 1080P24 update this month and rumor has it that a future FW update will give it the ability to pass through bitsream to a newer receiver.
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post #12 of 30
9/7/07 at 10:51am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Now if only we knew when it would ship =)
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post #13 of 30
9/7/07 at 4:52pm

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Sorry, been putting shipping updates in another thread. Assuming they have your check they were due to start shipping late this week.
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post #14 of 30
9/15/07 at 8:07am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Howdy!

Recently saw something about new 3-layer discs being developed for HD-DVD that would bring their capacity up to just a bit higher than current Blu-Ray. Anybody know whether that would require future hardware in order to be compatible?

Speaking of compatibility, here's the main reason for this post. Saw this over at Toshiba's site:
--

Toshiba

Firmware Update Information for Owners of Toshiba HD DVD Players

Firmware Update Version: 2.5

Applicable Models: HD-XA2, HD-A20, HD-A2, HD-A2W, and HD-D2.

Overview: As part of our commitment to provide world-class service to our customers, Toshiba is supplying this firmware update for use by purchasers of Toshiba HD DVD Player models HD-XA2 and HD-A20. This firmware update includes support for 1080p/24Hz OUTPUT, additional OSD languages, improved network connectivity supporting the download of web-enabled network content associated with certain HD DVD discs, and also addresses certain disc playback and HDMI/DVI related issues identified by Toshiba.
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post #15 of 30
9/15/07 at 9:17am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Sweet!
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post #16 of 30
9/15/07 at 9:28am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

There will be an additional firmware update coming for the XA2 that allows Dolby/DTS bitstream to be output. Not sure when it will hit, but it's coming.
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post #17 of 30
10/22/07 at 6:15am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Question...

Does the AX2 output 1080p by default and without firmware upgrade?

I just watched my first 1080p film on Blu-Ray and I could tell
that it looked better than anything I had seen 1080i on HD-DVD.
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post #18 of 30
10/22/07 at 8:02am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Ron,

Did you go into the Setup Menu, Picture and set the resolution to 1080P?
If it is not an option then you will need to do the firmware update.
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post #19 of 30
10/22/07 at 8:52am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Patrick,

No, I did not go into setup at all. I figured the AX2 would
automatically output 1080p. I know the Panasonic Blu-ray
player does.

I'm also concerned about doing the firmware upgrade as
there have been reported lip-synch issues.
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post #20 of 30
10/22/07 at 8:55am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

It supports 1080P w/o a firmware update. The firmware update allows it to do 1080P/24. Make sure the sliding switch under the front panel is set to 2.
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post #21 of 30
10/22/07 at 8:56am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Ron-
Your display doesn't do 1080P/24. Go ahead and do the FW update as it has other fixes too. You won't have any lipsink issues if you don't put it on 1080P/24 (which your display won't support anyway).
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post #22 of 30
10/22/07 at 8:56am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Ron,

I can only tell you what mine does. When I first connected via HDMI the XA2 detected that my display was capable of a maximum of 1080i and that's what it chose as a default output. But you can go into setup and either see what is chosen or choose something else.
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post #23 of 30
10/22/07 at 11:30am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Quote:
I just watched my first 1080p film on Blu-Ray and I could tell
that it looked better than anything I had seen 1080i on HD-DVD.
And just to (further) clarify)/correct/(re-)state: both formats are capable of 1080p. The issue is whether your display is capable of displaying that rez (and whether the player is capable of outputting 24fps and thereby eliminating the need for pulldown).
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post #24 of 30
10/22/07 at 8:32pm

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Ron's display accepts 1080p native input (I know because I own the same monitor) and source material from his Blu-ray player and his X-A2 should look identical (I know this too because I own the same two players). If it doesn't then something is set up wrong as has been suggested by several others here.

People can argue about the merits of both formats and which one will ultimately prevail until the cows come home but at this point in time I have yet to see one format looking better than the other when the same title is compared. 1080p looks spectacular from both. Sound and additional features is a different matter and subject to what's available on each format's discs. But that not germane to the current discussion here.
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post #25 of 30
10/22/07 at 8:40pm

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein
Patrick,

No, I did not go into setup at all. I figured the AX2 would
automatically output 1080p. I know the Panasonic Blu-ray
player does.

I'm also concerned about doing the firmware upgrade as
there have been reported lip-synch issues.

Ron,

The easiest way to determine all this is to use the tools at your fingertips. All you have to do on your HP MD6580n monitor is to press the INFO button on the remote and it will instantly tell you (in the lower right corner on the blue info bar) what the incoming resolution is. Nothing could be clearer. It will say "1080p" or "1080i" or "720p" etc. etc.

If it doesn't say "1080p" then you have something set wrong somewhere.
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post #26 of 30
10/22/07 at 9:18pm

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

RAF, I would recommend that before he does that he hooks the XA2 directly to the HP television bypassing the Denon reciever. Its possible that the player is outputting 480i and the Denon is upscaling it so it would show as 1080P when he hits display on the HP.
Ron-
Make sure the sliding switch under the front panel is set to the number 2.
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post #27 of 30
10/23/07 at 4:17am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

<b>Adam</b>,

Sliding switch under front panel has been set at 2 by default.

<b>Raf</b>,

I'm one step ahead of you. I had thought perhaps the Denon
was upconverting everything to 1080p. However, the AX-2
and Panasonic are hooked through it and the HP monitor info bar
(which I know about already) only indicates a 1080p signal when
using the Panasonic.

To be fair, the only HD-DVD titles I have checked is <i>Heroes,
Batman Returns</i> and <i>Phantom of the Opera</i>. Perhaps
those are not applicable titles to check with?

Also, I am not claiming Blu-Ray looks better than HD-DVD. It's
just that I saw <b>Cranked</b> a few days ago and noticed how
much better it looked than any other title I had seen. When I pressed
the HP info bar and noticed it being outputted at 1080p, I figured
that was the reason why it looked so spectacular.

Thanks for all the help.
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post #28 of 30
10/23/07 at 10:05am
Thread Starter 

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Ron,

I would second Adam's suggestion. For diagnostic purposes, try hooking up the XA2 directly to your monitor via an HDMI cable. If you then get a 1080p signal, the problem is with the receiver. If you still can't get a 1080p signal, there may be a setup issue with the XA2.
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post #29 of 30
10/24/07 at 8:06am

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Found the problem.

I went into the AX-2 setup -> PICTURE

By default it was set for <i>Resolution up to 1080i</i>

I simply changed it to <i>Resolution up to 1080p</i>

I am now "P-ing" all the way!

Thanks for the help, guys!
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post #30 of 30
10/24/07 at 9:13pm

Re: HD-XA2 Upgrade

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein
RAF,

To be fair, the only HD-DVD titles I have checked is Heroes,
Batman Returns and Phantom of the Opera. Perhaps
those are not applicable titles to check with?

Also, I am not claiming Blu-Ray looks better than HD-DVD. It's
just that I saw Cranked a few days ago and noticed how
much better it looked than any other title I had seen.

Well, to continue in the spirit of "fairness" if you are not claiming that Blu-ray looks better than HD-DVD then I would keep away from statements such as
Quote:
I just watched my first 1080p film on Blu-Ray and I could tell
that it looked better than anything I had seen 1080i on HD-DVD.
I fully understand what you were saying (and you would probably say the same in reverse about comparing HD-DVD titles displayed at 1080p to Blu-ray titles displayed at 1080i on your 1080p monitor) but the average person reading your comments might not catch that as it was a subtle (albeit) correct comment. As the owner of a very popular HT forum which is maintaining a neutral stance in the Format Wars we don't need to feed the flames in either direction. The only valid comparison, when comparing two formats' picture quality is to view them both at the exact same resolution on the same screen. Even then there are bound to be variables (the player, the source material, etc.) It's a tricky tightrope to walk.

Speaking of which - in a related matter I verified that both of my new players (A2 and Panasonic BR) connected via HDMI will only output the maximum resolution that the display is capable of. While my HD-DVD and BR players in my HT (XA2 and PS3) output 1080p there because both of my displays are 1080p capable, my new players are installed in my bedroom where I have "only" a 720p (1080i) Panasonic Plasma. 1080p is greyed out as a choice in both players. Just another thing to keep in mind if a person is rather new to HDMI. And in a shameless plug let me refer people to my latest position paper, discussed in this thread.

Happy viewing, all!
</IMG>
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