Toshiba/RCA HD-DVD owners very satisfied (1 Viewer)

[Pete T C]

Over at AVSFORUM:

Did you decide to keep your HD-DVD player? (240 responses)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=696555
3% - No, I returned it
97% - I am very satisfied with the HD-A1/XA-1/HDV5000 and keeping it

 

[Cees Alons]

240 Respondents is a lot. I didn't know there were so many HD DVD owners on the AVS.

That's very interesting, given the very high score (97%) and also, I'm beginning to wonder what statements like "cobbled-together" etc. really mean. I suppose they are mainly FUD, and not originating from real owners of the machine.

Very good for Toshiba!
(My very first DVD-player, back in 1997, was a Toshiba. I still have a weak spot for that manufacturer and brand.)


Cees

 

[TedD]

If you check the id's of the 3% (it's a public poll) you'll find that most of them have very low post counts and recent forum enrollment dates. So I suspect that the returned category consists largely of non-owners (possibly a result of attempted damage control by the opposition).

Ted

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Not only have there been an overwhelming amount of positive
remarks by owners of the Toshiba HD-DVD units, but the major
magazines are giving these models a big thumbs up as well.

I am very impressed with how well Toshiba launched this format.

 

[BruZZi]

Haven't tried a HD-DVD Movie yet but I'm so surprised on how well SD DVDs (Which is 75% of my Viewing) look on the Toshiba HD-A1.

 

[Harminder]

Bravo for Toshiba and HD-DVD. They really got this one right. Sure there were a few hicups at first, but having free downloadable firmware upgrades or free firmware CD's in the mail which fixed most the problems, really made alot of us owners happy.

Cheers Toshiba and HD-DVD!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

BruZZi,

Are you upconverting those DVDs or are you talking about the
quality at standard definition?

 

[Ron-P]

More and more positive reports are coming in about Toshibas player, they most certainly hit a home run with their player, out of the park. PC World rated it #14 out of the top 100 products of the year. HT Mag rates the player very high, gave the PQ a 98! Add to that their CS has been nothing but top notch. On the other hand, seems Sammy / Sony hit a foul ball.

Here's a couple of much earlier polls that went on over at AVS.

Toshibas:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...ight=thumbs+up


Blu-rays:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/poll....ts&pollid=3657

 

[Travis Hedger]

Yeah I dont understand this "cobbled" together comment either. I have seen it quite a few times, along with hack/rush job, gloried PC upgrade, when by all accounts, it is a well built, sturdy unit, made in Japan, and gets the job done and delivers excellent HD picture. You really cant ask for much more than this.

 

[BruZZi]

upconverted to 1080i.

I bought the player last night and didn't try other resolutions yet. I'm comparing the PQ against my Oppo 971H upconverted to 1080i and 720p.

I can't get a stable picture when I set the Oppo to output 480p (using the DVI input) with my Panasonic Commercial TH-50PHD8UK Plasma Display (This is a known issue and Oppo is working on a firmware fix).

 

[SherardP]

Im in Japan and plan on keeping mine, I just ordered my A1 from etronics for 424.00. Cant wait to get it. www.etronics.com if anyone is interested in that price.

 

[Hartwig Hanser]

How did you manage to get it sent to Japan? I am in Germany, but they seem to be unable to sent it there.

 

[Edwin-S]

I suspect that he is in the military or connected in some way. They will ship to American Armed Forces personnel who are oversea. If you knew someone in the US military it is possible that you could order one.

 

[Jerome Grate]

This is good news for HD-DVD. In a thread that was closed that I started, this is the thing I was talking about. HD-DVD is now 4 months old and still just as cheap as premium SD-DVD player and can upscale SD-DVD to 1080i, it's not a universal player but certainly the best out there for the buck. I hope BD manufacturers are reading this stuff especially Sony. I can see this growing even larger between now and October when Sony and Pioneer will release their players forcing them to really reconsider a dual format player. Heck Ricoh has got the hardware to read both formats and will be available at the end of the year, by then HD-DVD satisfaction rating may be well up there and to hard for BD to catch. Please note I'm not a BD player hater, I'm for what ever gives me HD content for the least amount of money. My temptation for HD-DVD is getting stronger and stronger.

 

[SherardP]

That just sounds funny Jerome. Not a Player Hater, just too comedy. Guess I watch to many movies huh. As for getting a player shipped to Germany it may require some research but Im sure theres a company out there that will ship to Germany. I think etronics will, you may want to shoot them an email and see. Or you can try a freight forwarding company. I had to do this when getting my Polk Rti12s shipped out here, I went through Bax Global and the shipping prices are outstanding, its simple, you call the number arrange pickup from the vendor, prepay shipping and wait for delivery, I had my Rti12s in 4 days and paid 290 for shipping for the pair. A deal compared to UPS which wanted 1000 bucks and DHL wanted 700. Give Bax Global a shot.

 

[AaronSCH]

As I stated early this morning under the thread of Ron's Review, I happened to stumble into a Best Buy yesterday that had just received two HD-A1 units. After getting my feet wet in the wee hours of the morning I woke up and proceeded to give my new player a thorough workout. This afternoon I closed all the blinds and sat in my darkened living room to watch "Constantine." What happened during that viewing has me very worried. My wallet is about to experience deja-vu. I have this extreme need to go pick up a couple of additional HD-DVD titles to feed to my new Toshiba. What I thought were subtle differences as I compared the SD and HD versions are actually even more apparent after viewing the standard version on my Pioneer Elite DV-C36. Last night I was switching the discs in the HD-A1. So, all the comments I have been reading from the current owners of this unit regarding its capabilities in enhancing PQ are right on. I am downright giddy at this point. Again, my player has demonstrated absolutely no glitches during its first run. I called Toshiba customer service to order the firmware update disc this morning. I had a short wait time before a very pleasant person took my information and said the disc would be on its way. In addition, she asked me to fill out and mail the UPDATE REQUEST FORM that is packaged with the HD-A1. I guess they will automatically mail any future updates! This is my second purchase of a Toshiba product and my experience in the last 24 hours has been stellar. If you are lucky enough to locate a player before the holidays I suggest you buy it. This player will not be on shelves as the holidays approach. By the way, you may want to take the next day off since you will surely be up all night playing with your unit! (Get your minds out of the gutter!)

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Yes, they do automatically mail all update discs, and will even notify you via e-mail when to expect new ones. Just received my 1.4 update disc yesterday for my player purchased back in April. This is the 2nd update disc released in less than 3 months--Toshiba is really on the ball with this thing.

As far as pq goes this thing is phenomenal. I've had HD since fall of '01 and was getting a little jaded, but HD-DVD has really brought back the wow factor, for the same price I paid for a 480i only basic player back in spring of
'98 (quite a bit less adjusting for inflation).

 

[Jerome Grate]

SherardP, glad you enjoyed the pun.

 

[SherardP]

AaronSCH is right, get it while it's good guys. I just got an email from etronics and my player is on back order. If it wasnt for such a good price (424.00) is the cheapest I seen on the A1, I would order from elsewhere but I want this thing now. Geesh now I have to twirl my thumbs for a few more days.

 

[AaronSCH]

A buddy of mine who recently purchased the Samsung Blu-Ray unit is coming over tonight to check out the quality of my HD-A1. He thinks my exhuberance is suspect since he is less than ecstatic about his purchase. I think I will pop in the "The Perfect Storm" tonight. It was jaw dropping to watch. No, I don't work for Toshiba. I am just in love.