Your biggest issue(s) with HD DVD player? (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

If it's not automatically upconverting SD-DVDs from the player's HDMI output to your Toshiba then you have an issue.




Crawdaddy

 

[Paul Arnette]

My biggest gripe with the Toshiba HD-A1 is that you cannot use the zoom feature on non-anamorphic material.

 

[Reginald Trent]

Maybe I need to make myself clearer. The Toshibas did not recognize/play the dual layer verbatim DVD I tried to play. So it can't upconvert what it wont play. However, it does play most everything else. I'm giving this a lot of thought before my 30 days are up. As I said this may be a deal breaker

 

[Larry Sutliff]

Reginald, it sounds like you have a defective unit. Try exchanging it for another HD-A1 and see what happens.

 

[Vader]

It does seem to be title dependant. While none of my HD-DVDs currently support the feature, when calibrating via DVE (in 480p; not upscaled), I would run the pink noise, make note of the needed adjustments, and enter setup when the player is paused at the test tone menu. I would make the adjustments, and exit setup. The player would then restart DVE at the same menu screen I left. But then on "U-571" (in 1080i), if I hit the stop button once, I just get "Playback Stopped" on the screen, and even the resume button won't bring me back; I have to restart the disc using "Play"....?

 

[Phil Iturralde]

I noticed the same thing with DVE and other SD DVDs. The HD-A1 has built-in memory space for the SD DVD and allows you to 'Stop' (press once only) and enter the "Setup" menu without loosing your 'Stopped/Paused' spot. Once you turn-off the HD-A1, then the memorized 'Stopped/Paused' spot is erased.

HD DVDs does not have the SD DVD 'Stopped/Paused' memory space options, but certain HD DVDs has the option to ''bookmark your movie.

The only HD DVD that I own that has that option, ... basically where I can use the 'bookmark' function is "The Phantom of the Opera" - Warner Bros.

It seems that the 'bookmark' area has an unlimited number of 'bookmarks'! By the time I figured out how it worked, I had over 36 bookmarks when all I wanted was a 4th bookmark**. After I figured it out, I erased the extra 32 bookmarks and everything was back to cool, ... instead of yikes, ... what's going on?!?!?

**Those 'bookmarks' remains in memory even if you eject your HD DVD - cool!

Phil

 

[David Ely]

Two issues.

1) The player is very picky when there's the slightest bit of dust on the disk.They seem to be improving this through updates though.

2) Incorrect colorspace being passed for HDMI -> DVI connections.

 

[compson]

Biggest problem: It doesn't pillar box nonanamorphic discs through component outputs. As a result, I don't use it for old movies. I really wish this were different.

 

[Edwin-S]

The slow load time is a little annoying.
A message pops up when a DVD is put into the machine which tells you that upconversion is prohibited. I hate it. It angers me to be constantly reminded that a bunch of Hollywood studio f#$@s have decided that I cannot watch uprezzed versions of the movies I have bought. Every time I see it I want to rip the machine out and smash it against the wall. I wish I could turn it off.
A couple of small audio/visual glitches (v1.2 firmware) but nothing major yet.
Relative lack of decent content. Garbage like the "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" and "Chronicles of Riddick" isn't going to cut it for long.

 

[mfabien]

How did you create the Bookmarks and how did you removed them, if I may ask?

 

[Phil Iturralde]

The following is for "The Phantom of the Opera":

All "Selections" via HD-A1 Remote
1) To create a 'Bookmark' while your watching the movie:
.... a) Press "B"
........ 1. Located in the last group of 4 horizontal shape buttons on the bottom.
........ 2. NOTE: Press "A" to Zoom (toggles: 2X, 4X, 8X, NORMAL)

2) To VIEW or DELETE 'Bookmark':
.... a) Press "Menu"
.... b) Select "SCENE SELECTIONS"
.... c) Using the "UP" & "RIGHT" arrow keys, Select "BOOKMARKS" (top line & right side of the menu)
.... d) Press the "DOWN" arrow key, use "LEFT" or "RIGHT" arrow keys to Select the 'Bookmarked' Scene
........ 1. Bookmark Scene Icon looks like a Film Strip, each one is numbered
.... e) Once the 'Bookmarked' Scene Number is Selected, you have 2 options:
........ 1. To VIEW: Press "OK" key, then go to Step 'f'
........ 2. To DELETE: While the Film Strip is highlighted, use "DOWN" arrow key and highlight "DELETE" below the Film Strip, then Press "OK" key
.... f) To EXIT: Press "Menu".

Phil

 

[JoeBloomberg]

So far the only two would be bootup/disc read time and the remote.

The remote for me isnt really an issue since I use my Harmony, but still its a terrible remote.

Bootup is just way long, but the beauty of the picture makes up for that.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Other than the Dolby True HD track droping out while watching a movie I am very happy with my Toshiba HD-A1. It does a very good job at upconverting SD-DVD's so even if the format does not last I will keep it for the HD discs I allready own and for watching dvd's.

 

[ppltd]

I agree with the bootup time, and the 2.0 patch did little to improve it. But the backlit (shake it and it lights up) remote (Toshiba HD-XA1) is kind-of-a-cool, retro sort-of, door-stop sized remote that I really, really like. Actually I find the remote to be a pretty bad design. It is poorly layed out, hard to read (even with backlighting), and because of it's motion sensor, keeps lighting up whenever the a moderate to loud piece of soudtrack plays.

But all is forgiven when the movie starts.

The bootup time I will get used to and the remote I will soon replace.

Thomas Eisenmann

 

[MarcoAD]

Only thing for me is the remote so far. Luckily I have a Harmony 880 so even that is a minor problem. Otherwise it has worked flawlessly for me going HDMI to my Onkyo SR803 and then to the TV. Best money I've spent in a long time.