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Should I get a HD-DVD player or wait ?

post #1 of 27
1/25/08 at 8:14am
Thread Starter 
Hello Guys (and Gals?)

Sorry... screwed up the title. Should say "OR wait.

I currently own a PS3 and XBox 360 HD add-on. While I am currently quite pleased with the PS3, the XBox is getting on my nerves big time, particularly while watching movies. The problem is twofold. My Xbox does not have the HDMI and thus, with my current set up, can only deliver 720P (I won't use 1080i). Although minor, still an annoyance as I would like to see 1080P. It would look much nicer on my 60" screen. The second problem is by far the most annoying and driving me nuts. The XBox is so bloody noisy. The fan noise is just way too much. By comparison, the PS3 is absolutely quiet. Thus, I wish to get a HD-DVD player to eliminate both of those problems. The question of HD-DVD obsolescence is no issue here as the A35 can be gotten for under 300 bucks. Since I've heard nothing about the 4th gen players to come out, I was hoping any of you would chime in with knowledge as to what may be coming and should I wait till Fall or go ahead and purchase now? Will 4th gen players offer a substantial improvement worth waiting for? Any insight from the knowledgable would be most appreciated.
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post #2 of 27
1/25/08 at 9:33am

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player now wait ?

I jumped on at Christmas and since the Warner anouncement I have been picking up HD discs right and left for less than a new DVD. Considering the price drop of the Toshiba players this is a no brainer to me, buy one.
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post #3 of 27
1/25/08 at 11:03am

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player now wait ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug_H
I jumped on at Christmas and since the Warner anouncement I have been picking up HD discs right and left for less than a new DVD. Considering the price drop of the Toshiba players this is a no brainer to me, buy one.
Depends on if you want to wait and see what happens, or you want to get one to enjoy right now. I'm kind of a live for the moment kind of guy...
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post #4 of 27
1/25/08 at 11:16am

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player now wait ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug_H
I jumped on at Christmas and since the Warner anouncement I have been picking up HD discs right and left for less than a new DVD. Considering the price drop of the Toshiba players this is a no brainer to me, buy one.
Where have you been getting discs like that? I've been unable to find much of anything under 25$ (and much of that doesn't interest me). Prices on HD DVDs in Canada, annoyingly, appear to be based on the 2002 exchange rate of 1.56 to 1 rather than the current 1 to 1 (roughly) rate. Amazon in the US offers some good deals, but not that many. I don't mind paying some extra for HDM, but not 40$ per movie (the price for many of the films I want).
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post #5 of 27
1/25/08 at 12:46pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player now wait ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by JeremyR
Depends on if you want to wait and see what happens, or you want to get one to enjoy right now. I'm kind of a live for the moment kind of guy...

I am too, which is sort of the problem in regards to my wallet. I'm just trying to ensure I'll have no regrets 8 months from now. But I guess at 300, it's a low cost risk in comparison to my previous experiences.

I was hoping to get insight as to what's coming as it may be a substantial improvement.
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post #6 of 27
1/25/08 at 5:23pm

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player now wait ?

OK, I have to ask: why buy into HD DVD now?

I *have* an HD DVD player, and I've started unloading discs because it looks very likely it won't survive as a format. It's not a format war thing, but I'm just curious why anyone would buy into a dying format?
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post #7 of 27
1/25/08 at 5:54pm

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player now wait ?

Why not? At the prices Toshiba is charging, you can get a player basically for free once you figure in the price of the movies included and mailed away for, and it's got a bunch of nice titles that may not appear on BD soon. It's not like the things will turn into pumpkins as soon as Toshiba stops manufacturing them, after all.
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post #8 of 27
1/25/08 at 10:21pm

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player now wait ?

I totally agree! I just picked up the Toshiba A30 from circuit city for $99! It comes with two free HD DVDs and 5 free with mail-in. THAT's at least a great upconverting dvd player with 7 free HD DVDs!!! Practically free player if you asked me! Plus this one will do 1080p/24 - Awesome!

BTW: Amazon has 33% off all drama HD DVDs right now.

One more thing... BBC's distribution is owned by Warner, but they will still market their Planet Earth for the foreseeable future since it's the HOTTEST HD DVD being sold right now!
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post #9 of 27
1/26/08 at 12:51am

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player now wait ?

Ok, so if I'm right, in a few months you'll have a player with no more new discs coming out. So there will be a fixed catalog. Eventually, all those same discs will come out on BD, with I'm hoping, possibly better audio and video due to the greater capacity of BD discs. And now you'll have 2 players when you only need 1. And then what happens when the player breaks? I wonder how long Toshiba will support fixing them? And for any current problems with them, I also doubt Toshiba will come out with any new f/w revs. I could possibly understand if there were "to die for" titles on HD DVD and not on BD (or DVD for that matter), but the only one I can actually think of is The Matrix. And while that's one of my favorite movies, I can live with the DVD box until the BD version comes out. I *did* once consider buying an LD player for the Star Wars movies, but I see that as a really special case.

And personally, I can't see using any of the Toshiba HD DVD players for SD DVD simply due to the long start up delay. I have a separate DVD player for that, that also plays SACD and DVD-A, which no HD DVD or BD player can.

Personally, I simply can't see buying into HD DVD right now. But also to be really honest, I am really pissed at Toshiba right now, because I *did* dump a few hundred bucks into my player and discs, and now poof, format (soon to be) gone. In my case, good freaking riddance Toshiba. The sooner I dump my player and discs, the better. Better to get something, anything for them now, than nothing later on.

Just curious.
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post #10 of 27
1/26/08 at 2:30am

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player now wait ?

The selling point right now for an HD DVD player is the upconversion. That alone makes these worth the investment. Your current sd dvd library will look stunning. Regardless whether or not HD DVD is here for 3 more months or 3 more years. No current Bluray player can touch the HD DVDs upconversion capability. Not even the mighty PS3. As a bonus you also get the option to play HD DVD movies. Not a bad deal, with a minimal investment at that.
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post #11 of 27
1/26/08 at 2:33am

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player now wait ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin C Brown
Ok, so if I'm right, in a few months you'll have a player with no more new discs coming out. So there will be a fixed catalog. Eventually, all those same discs will come out on BD, with I'm hoping, possibly better audio and video due to the greater capacity of BD discs. And now you'll have 2 players when you only need 1. And then what happens when the player breaks? I wonder how long Toshiba will support fixing them? And for any current problems with them, I also doubt Toshiba will come out with any new f/w revs. I could possibly understand if there were "to die for" titles on HD DVD and not on BD (or DVD for that matter), but the only one I can actually think of is The Matrix. And while that's one of my favorite movies, I can live with the DVD box until the BD version comes out. I *did* once consider buying an LD player for the Star Wars movies, but I see that as a really special case.

And personally, I can't see using any of the Toshiba HD DVD players for SD DVD simply due to the long start up delay. I have a separate DVD player for that, that also plays SACD and DVD-A, which no HD DVD or BD player can.

Personally, I simply can't see buying into HD DVD right now. But also to be really honest, I am really pissed at Toshiba right now, because I *did* dump a few hundred bucks into my player and discs, and now poof, format (soon to be) gone. In my case, good freaking riddance Toshiba. The sooner I dump my player and discs, the better. Better to get something, anything for them now, than nothing later on.

Just curious.
Hey since the OP hasn't bought one yet and you don't want yours, why not work out a deal. You both could benifit. Just a thought.
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post #12 of 27
1/26/08 at 7:25pm

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player now wait ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulDA
Where have you been getting discs like that? I've been unable to find much of anything under 25$ (and much of that doesn't interest me). Prices on HD DVDs in Canada, annoyingly, appear to be based on the 2002 exchange rate of 1.56 to 1 rather than the current 1 to 1 (roughly) rate. Amazon in the US offers some good deals, but not that many. I don't mind paying some extra for HDM, but not 40$ per movie (the price for many of the films I want).
It's not just HD titles. I ordered Bones Season 2 for my wife from amazon.com because it was $15 cheaper, even with shipping and handling. Annoying.
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post #13 of 27
1/28/08 at 5:47am

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player now wait ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulDA
Where have you been getting discs like that? I've been unable to find much of anything under 25$ (and much of that doesn't interest me). Prices on HD DVDs in Canada, annoyingly, appear to be based on the 2002 exchange rate of 1.56 to 1 rather than the current 1 to 1 (roughly) rate. Amazon in the US offers some good deals, but not that many. I don't mind paying some extra for HDM, but not 40$ per movie (the price for many of the films I want).

Paul

Amazon and a few othe retailers have had some great bargains but I have been getting most of my discs right here in the software for sale area
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post #14 of 27
1/28/08 at 7:42am
Thread Starter 

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player now wait ?

Why would be buying into a dying format? One... I am tired or watching my discs with such a noisy machine (360 add-on). Two, I was able to get an A35 for $240 that came with two discs. Three, I get a nice phaser remote control for free. Four, I had a $300 BB gift card. Five, I can now sell that 360 add-on which and get a little money for it. Six, I can now watch my discs in 1080P. Seven, it's not dead yet as they are still releasing titles.

As I stated in the original post, obsolescence was not a concern. I went ahead and got it over the weekend and am quite pleased with it.
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post #15 of 27
1/29/08 at 9:45pm

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player now wait ?

I just bought an A30 tonight. I'm still only running a 16:9 480i display (thru component), but even on that display the difference is noticeable. I'm waiting 'til @ least tax return time before I get a 1080p display, and I may go purple @ that point.

I bought the A30 because my DVD player was dying, and I'm not ready to plunk down the cash for a BD player. The upscaling capabilities had me sold.
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post #16 of 27
1/30/08 at 8:36am

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player or wait ?

Hell ya. At the prices they can be had for, with 7 free movies, you can't go wrong. This format war isn't over yet and I don't think it will be anytime soon. And even if it does, they'll be plenty of movies on the format to enjoy.
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post #17 of 27
1/30/08 at 11:17am

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player or wait ?

Agreed. My order for 5 free by mail went in the mail this morning.
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post #18 of 27
1/30/08 at 11:29am
Thread Starter 

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player or wait ?

I unfortunately could not take advantage of the 5 free movies as I opted for a Star Trek phaser remote control (I bought the HD set) and the offers cannot be combined.

I know... I'm such a geek sometimes.
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post #19 of 27
1/30/08 at 12:30pm

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player or wait ?

Why not? There's 2 UPC codes on the box, right?
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post #20 of 27
1/30/08 at 3:44pm

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player or wait ?

I just got my 2nd Xe-1 here in Europe . Found 2 weebsites , one charging less than 50% less than the other and eligible for 5 free discs .

I have rather a lot of Sd Dvds and the upscaling comes for free and its Region Free so go to Tibet for your holidays and bring home discs without worrying about playabililty issues

Enjoy !

~M~
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post #21 of 27
1/30/08 at 4:44pm

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player or wait ?

Definitely get one, especially with the great price drop and if you want to watch/own exclusive HD DVDs from Universal, Paramount, Dreamworks, Wienstein.
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post #22 of 27
1/31/08 at 10:39am
Thread Starter 

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player or wait ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen_J_H
Why not? There's 2 UPC codes on the box, right?

Because the offer specifically states that it cannot be combined with any other Toshiba offer. Perhpas I'll try after I receive the remote in the mail.
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post #23 of 27
1/31/08 at 11:59am

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player or wait ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary Seven
The problem is twofold. My Xbox does not have the HDMI and thus, with my current set up, can only deliver 720P (I won't use 1080i). Although minor, still an annoyance as I would like to see 1080P.
What's the problem with XBox sending 1080i? Does it not do it correctly? Correct 1080i signal to 1080p display is practically the same as 1080p signal to 1080p TV.

Sorry if that's OT but I just wanted to know if the XBox sends the 1080i differently over component from the 1080i HD-DVD players with HDMI or component. In any case it should be much better than 720p to 1080p display.
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post #24 of 27
1/31/08 at 2:19pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player or wait ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sami Kallio
What's the problem with XBox sending 1080i? Does it not do it correctly? Correct 1080i signal to 1080p display is practically the same as 1080p signal to 1080p TV.

Sorry if that's OT but I just wanted to know if the XBox sends the 1080i differently over component from the 1080i HD-DVD players with HDMI or component. In any case it should be much better than 720p to 1080p display.

My TV only accepts 1080p using HDMI only. My Xbox is one of the older ones where it only outputs component (it also outputs VGA which my TV can use but I didn't want to go that route. VGA would give me 1080p). On a 60" TV, 1080p does look better than 1080i. This really was a marginal issue with me. However, watching a movie with a Xbox was not as the fan is really noisy and takes me out of the movie during fairly quiet scenes. I just finally had it with the noise, and with the recent price drops, felt it was a low risk to buy a player now. I would have waited for fall if I knew there was something substantially better coming out but that info is apparently unknown so I just went for it.

As far as the Xbox delivering the signal any differently... no it performs as it should.
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post #25 of 27
1/31/08 at 2:31pm

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player or wait ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary Seven
On a 60" TV, 1080p does look better than 1080i.

With what have you tested this? I still don't see 1080i being worse than having to downscale to 720p. The difference between 1080i signal and 1080p signal should be very minimal, producing almost identical picture when deinterlaced. They both (1080i60 and 1080p60) contain the same amount of meaningful data when talking about 1080p24 film material.

Anyways, this is not your biggest issue so it's moot.
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post #26 of 27
1/31/08 at 5:28pm

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player or wait ?

Quote:
The difference between 1080i signal and 1080p signal should be very minimal, producing almost identical picture when deinterlaced.

I do not agree. It is certainly nontrivial to properly deinterlace SD DVD 480i to 480p. 1080i to 1080p is no different.
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post #27 of 27
1/31/08 at 6:19pm

Re: Should I get a HD-DVD player or wait ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin C Brown
I do not agree. It is certainly nontrivial to properly deinterlace SD DVD 480i to 480p. 1080i to 1080p is no different.

Someone has to do it, unless you have a player that outputs 1080p24 and a TV that accepts 1080p24. Even then the TV needs to convert it to 1080p60.

Home Theater: 1080i v. 1080p

Even if there are errors in the deinterlacing process, it certainly is better than scaling down to 720p and then scaling up to 1080p as you will lose information. Not to beat the subject, it's been discussed enough but just pointing out to the OP that downscaling to 720p is definitely not the way to go over 1080i signal.
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