Customer Reviews

Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD Player

5 star:		(107)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

When I first hooked this up, I thought I was going to have the same problem I had with my HD-A2 player-it wouldn't boot up. However, this player booted up just fine and I am very impressed with the picture. The sound on Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby True HD soundtracks is terrific when played through my Onkyo 805 receiver. I do have a quibble with the Dolby True HD on some discs, though. I put in one and every time I went to a different track or tracked forward, there was about a minute that the picture was silent. I found that the set up on the machine was very easy and the instruction manual is well written and informative. The remote is the same as the one for my HD-A2, so if I lose this one, I can use the other one. The machine is smaller than the HD-A2 and is very easy to move around. It's quite light, but feels sturdy when you pick it up. All in all this is an attractive unit, performs very well, and will blow your ears off when it kicks in full tilt on a good sound track. Can't wait to watch 300 on it. 300 and The Bourne Identity both are included in the package.

Audio/video quality is top of the line - I cannot tell the difference between this and the quality of Blu-Ray and standard DVD on my PS3 (running to a 70" 1080P Sony XBR2). The difference between standard DVDs and the quality of HD DVDs on this player is astounding. I would say that you should only get this if you have the set-up to take advantage of the A35 specs - bitstream HD audio, 1080P/24, HDMI 1.3. Otherwise, look for a cheaper model or wait for the next generation of players. If you are looking to make the jump to HD DVD, this is the top of the line player and is highly recommended. You get your money's worth, particularly with the 10 free HD-DVDs Amazon is offering.

BUT, if you are on the fence about making the jump, be aware of the following - (1) You need a firmware update right out of the box which is annoying (use this link for the best description of how to perform the update - http://www.highdefforum.com/showthread.php?t=56607 - believe me you'll thank me for finding this link, the author of that thread should be highly commended...) It is amazing to me that the current generation of HD DVD players/Blu Ray players do not have built in WiFi to make the update process easier and for easier viewing of extras that require an internet hook-up. This is a big reason the Xbox 360/PS3 players are nice. WiFi should be coming in future generations of players. (2) This player is deeper and wider than future players will be - I had to rearrange my setup to make room for it. It is slightly wider and deeper than my HD DVR Directv box. (3) Even with the 1.3 firmware update, the player is sensitive to scratched HD DVDs. The player would not play a nexflix HD DVD that had some scratches. HD DVDs without scratches work perfectly. This should be fixed in future generations of players. (4) The player has a delay when you fast-forward or rewind. It is a slight annoyance that will be fixed in future generations of players. (5) You don't just turn it on and pop in the movie, it takes about a minute to get the DVD menu up. Again, a minor annoyance that will be fixed in future generations of players.

All together, if you want to be on the cutting edge of technology, you have to put up with the growing pains described above. This is the top of the line HD DVD player, and if you want to make the leap I recommend this player. If you are on the fence and are fine watching standard DVDs, you might want to wait. If you don't have a top of the line receiver/tv setup, I would do some research and perhaps go with a cheaper model.

I am very happy with my purchase, and recommend this player to people like me who spent a good amount of money on their audio/video set-up and watch 3+ movies a week (if this is you and you don't have an HD DVD player yet, what are you waiting for!?!). In the end, the best recommendation is to say that I would buy it again if this player were somehow lost.

The main advantage of this player is the ability to pass audio directly to the receiver. If you have a HDMI receiver capable of processing TrueHD or DTS-Master audio, then the A35 is right for you. I have my A35 hooked up to an ONKYO 605 receiver and the sound is phenomenal. If you don't have or plan to get an HDMI receiver, you're probably better off going with the A30 and saving a few bucks.

However, when you talk about value, I have to think back to a year ago when you could only get a 1080i player for $500. Now, for under $500, you can get this A35 with 1080p processing and HDMI 1.3 support. On top of that, the movies `300' and `The Bourne Identity" are in the box (a $60 value) and you get 5 more free movies by mail ($150 value). Plus: Universal, Paramount and DreamWorks support HD DVD exclusively, so some of the hottest hit will only be available in HD DVD.

It is a shame all the major retailers (Wal Mart, Target...) decided not to support HD DVD giving Toshiba no choice but to stop supporting it.

I bought the Sony BDP-S500 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player for $600 at Circuit City then later bought the Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD Player for only $228 from Amazon (now down to $196). I actually think the Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD Player is superior to the Sony BDP-S500 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player because it has the following features that the Sony does not:
1. The ability to select the distance of all surround speakers from the viewer (to compute optimum delay time)
2. The ability to select a dialog enhancing mode
3. The ability to select speaker size of all surround speakers (my Techniques sound processor can do this too)
4. The ability to set the cross over frequency of the sub woofer (both my NHT subwoofer and Pioneer amplifier can also do this).

The first two are the best features.

Other than that the two units are the same: Both are the least expensive units that have the x.v. color and 24 fps feature. But now, no doubt due to Toshiba pulling the plug on HD DVD, the Sony BDP-S500 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player has shot up to $999 at Amazon from $599 at Circuit City (and by the same token, that is probably why the Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD Player is only $196).

The HD DVDs are half the price of Blue Ray and the same quality picture (1080p) and sound.

My suggestion: Buy the Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD Player for $196 at Amazon, then buy all the HD movies you think you will want. Since Blue Ray DVD movies go for $30 and HD DVD movies are going for $15, this will save you $15 per disc. You will quickly pay for the $196 spent for the Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD Player to say nothing of the current $800 price difference between the Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD Player and Sony BPS-500! You also get 7 free HD discs with the Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD Player: 2 in the box and five you send in for.

First HD DVD set I am going to buy is the entire first season of Star Trek with the redone, 2006 special effects and remastered soundtrack on HD DVD. It comes out to only $3.36 per episode, half that if you include the fact that this set also has every episode in standard DVD as well. I'll get King Kong and Superman Returns too.

I did a lot of research before purchasing an HD DVD player. My decision to go with HD DVD over Blu-Ray was for the following:

-The HD DVD audio codec is more strict than Blu-Ray, so one could assume that HD DVD will produce higher quality TrueHD audio
-Price: The HD DVD player is ½ the price of a comparable Blu-Ray player
-At the time of purchase, Blu-Ray players didn't yet support TrueHD audio
-HD DVD players were outselling Blu-Ray 3 to 1
-Most of the titles that I wanted were on HD DVD and cheaper (avg. $20 ea)
-The DVD consortium backed HD DVD
-The dual/multi layer support for HD DVD means that it can store more data per disk side than Blu-Ray - interesting that Blu-Ray proponents claim the opposite
-The Amazon reviews on the Toshiba players were far better than the Sony/Panasonic Blu-Ray players

Overall, I'm satisfied with this HD DVD player but I suspect that the days of physical media disks for audio/video content are numbered - I fully expect to be downloading most of my 1080p content in a few years (i.e. AppleTV, Netflix, or TiVo downloads). Here are the A35 pros/cons:

Pros:
-Excellent video/audio
-Support for TrueHD direct to your receiver via HDMI
-1080p, deep color, and CEC support
-Great price $260 - expect to pay 100% more for a comparable Blu-Ray player
-Ethernet support; auto updates

Cons:
-Doesn't remember/bookmark disk location when you turn on/off player
-Startup time is slow - about 30 seconds. It takes 45 seconds to eject a disk
-Warners Bros recently announces exclusive support for Blu-Ray - not sure what this means for HD DVD but at 1/2 the price and better consumer reviews, HD DVD is the clear winner for me

My first entry into high definition dvds was precipitated by an impressive performance of a 32" Sony Bravia LCD HDTV. Its resolution was so improved over a Sharp Aquos (purchased 2+ yrs ago) that my standard definition DVDs looked less impressive. For example, an X-Men Last Stand now showed easily visible digital artifacts that made it less enjoyable.

So I plunged with a new Toshiba A35 player. I have now watched 4 HD DVDs and several standard definition DVDs and can say they are awesome. The Last Stand DVD indeed improved in appearance, definition, and, most importantly, enjoyment. While I would not necessarily get this for the SD DVD improvements, they are in fact beautiful. I do not think I would replace my SD DVDs with HD DVDs -- but I've thought about it.

Operation is pretty standard. The firmware update worked smoothly (via direct ethernet connection into an Airport Express wireless to my DSL). I did need to set dynamic IP settings to ensure no intranet difficulties. I just left it plugged in so when I try out the internet connectivity DVDs I will have easy access. Remote is satisfactory, but not as many options as my Pioneer Elite DVD player. On the other hand, that remote also controls the tv volume, power, channel, and most importantly, the input source on the tv. Are you tired of having four or five different remotes sitting around? This helps a bit.

My connection to the Sony Bravia is via HDMI. Picture is beautiful. The Chronicles of Riddick HD DVD is spectacular. The picture is detailed, crisp, fast responding with no discernible digital artifacts, and otherwise thrilling. Stardust reveals an incredibly horrid Michelle Pfeiffer as the wicked witch, but also dazling special effects. Bourne Identity (one of the box freebies) was also impressive, though with less graphical fanfare than Riddick. Some stress with the other box freebie, 300. At first the graininess was a bit distracting. Several have mentioned this at IMDB, and eventually I accepted it as an artist statement by the director. 300 is so good, that you are drawn into the story and ambience -- closest I felt to being at the movies in a long time.

The HD DVD experience is truly exciting. The choice between Blu-Ray and HD DVD was tough. Ultimately I went with this (which apparently is resonant with the last 2007 upsurge in HD DVD and Player sales). My guess is that the studios aligned with a particular format will just make their content available on both media -- how can you not? If you are skittish about the format war, wait. Or use some of those points you have accumulated... I am looking forward to the release of the Lord of the Rings in HD format. I would like Fifth Element, but that's in the Blu-Ray camp today.

I have read that the VHS-Beta formats was largely settled by the porn industry going VHS. So will that be the case here?

I am completely satisfied with the choice of the A35: it offers a wide variety of enhancements and features. It is a bit slow on start-up, but maybe a firmware update will improve that. Right now the question is which HD DVDs to get next...

PS: I just updated the software (2/17/08). Can't say what impact it has had. I had never had a software hang-up (as some have reported). It did seem snappier in start-up -- but I might have fantasized that.

I've had an A3 for a short period of time (~3-4 weeks) and since I was very impressed by the overall picture quality of HD DVD movies and subsequently bought a new 24p-capable 1080p plasma I decided to step up, get all the lossless audio codec support etc.
Originally I was eyeballing the XA2 for its (supposedly) superior upconversion of regular SD DVDs - due to my job I'm a big fan of Silicon Optix' Teranex/HQV technology - but after extensive research including countless visits to my local (NYC) stores I concluded that if there's any difference in scaling quality between XA2's HQV and A35's ABT chip then it must be very subtle or rather marginal because I couldn't really spot anything. Also A35's HD picture quality was reportedly a tad sharper though I could only see it in very few cases. The often touted "build quality" slogan never made any sense to me; I wanted a desktop optical disc player for home entertainment purposes, not a ruggedized military-grade mobile player - there's no sandstorm in our living room and it's a well-built brownstone so by the time a serious earthquake would knock my player to the floor half the city would be destroyed, taking US and world economy with it... long story short I could not justify the extra $150-200 the XA2's backlit remote control would cost - A35's remote lacks the backlight - so after I sold my barely used A3 for my friend I finally made the call and ordered this unit.
Shipping was quick and got it just in time to have everything in place for Christmas. First I upgraded the firmware - despite the network connection I burned it to a CD, better safe than sorry - then paired with my new TV and boy, we were impressed even beyond A3's level when we started watching the new Blade Runner HD DVD!
Excellent picture quality, excellent sound quality, right out of the box and despite I've never been the type of "watch all the extra including deleted scenes" guy with regular SD DVDs I think HD DVD's interactive features are really great.
We also love the region-free nature of HD DVD, the fact that imported movies - from EU and Asia - all play fine over here: studios should not be able to control what, where, how or when I watch as long as I pay for it, plain and simple.
Upconversion quality is really great and so far even those notoriously problematic Netflix discs played fine: I only recall one HD DVD playback problem but even then cleaning fingerprints off the disc fixed it.
There isn't any straight-out negative thing I can say but I have encountered few small annoyances and one bigger:
- I still think 30+ seconds for boot-up and another 10s to play is long,
- I'm a bit perplexed by this 1080p24 vs regular DVDs problem (there should be an automatic switch),
- I don't understand why this player cannot play movies from the network (it's wired, not a spotty wireless connection!) nor off the USB port, say VC1/264 first then Xvid/Divx later (PS3, anyone?).
And here's my only major annoyance: the return playback system or rather the lack thereof. What monkey-brained executive figured it will be a good idea to replace the well.-working standard DVD 'return' feature, I don't know but surely he is so clueless about this market he should be fired immediately...
Currently HD DVD doesn't offer any kind of classic DVD-style return after stopping playback - if you just hit Stop then you are screwed, period. Your movie will start from the beginning next time and there's nothing you can do about it. Instead first you have to make a bookmark by pressing button B then you can press Stop so you may return to it from the Bookmarks menu upon restart... really counter-intuitive, flies against the conventional DVD feature (which, of course, still works fine with regular DVD!) and makes no sense whatsoever: in most cases you stop a movie when someone or something unexpected interrupts you so there's very little chance you will follow this stupid procedure. I really would like to see a this return function fixed ie. stopping playback would automatically add a bookmark so at least you have a chance to return manually although wading through those non-skippable logos and intros to get to the bookmarks list would still ruin the feeling, the movie experience...
4.5 stars but there's no half star I give 5 stars because it's closer to 5 in my eyes with room to make it more perfect.

Here's note for anybody who got confused or scared by the recent news about Warner's upcoming 'defection' from HD DVD's camp: how much a high quality upconverting DVD player would cost today?
Right, around $200-300 or more (ie upcoming king of the hill Oppo 983HD).
How much this unit cost right now with added HD DVD playback etc?
That's right, $269 as of today... and we're talking about the highly unlikely worst case scenario here, if Toshiba would drop HD DVD tomorrow - with over 1M unit sold it won't happen anytime soon, I think.
Best value out there as of today (mid-January 2008), period.

I am a big old skeptic. I read reviews of stuff I want to buy and always seem to be overly influenced by the few negative reviews I read on a product, and consequently, not wanting to be an unlucky consumer, I avoid that product. However, I think I got lucky with this purchase. Not only is it a good-looking machine, it works beautifully. Upconverting? Oh, please, surely that claim is just to reel people in, I bet it doesn't upconvert...wait a minute...amazing! The quality between watching the standard Spider-Man DVD on my old DVD player, and watching it on the HD-A35 'upconverted' is VERY easy to see. I'm truly impressed. As for watching HD-DVDs, it blows you away, the quality is the best I've seen on any of my friends' HD equipment. I have a 1080p Panasonic plasma, and it really does the TV justice. As for sound, I'm not really a sound man, I am easily impressed, so watching a movie with the sound coming from the TV speakers or plugged through the rather crappy Philips DVD/3 speaker system is also fine for me. But I know that if you are a sound man/woman, go for the HD-A35, not the HD-A30, because it is the latest model to cope with those really fancy audio receiver surround-sound 5.1 thingys.
In all, this was a very worthwhile purchase, and seeing as I heard that the porno industry are siding with HD DVD as opposed to Blu-Ray, I'm not too worried. Even if Blu-Ray turn out to be the winners in the end, this machine does such a good job of upconverting my current, standard DVD discs, I won't care.

This player is just awesome. The deal is even better: 7 free HD-DVD movies + free shipping. Hooked it up to my Sammy HT-S5087W 1080P DLP and my jaw dropped. Switched the output to 1080p/60 and what a picture. It is unreal. Upconvert looks almost like a true HD, very hard to see the difference (watched Riddick).

Pros: Everything. HD picture is unbeatable. Upconvert also. Lots of features. It is future-proof. Looks awesome (if that matters), etc., etc.

Cons: Remote controler doesn't have a back-lit, although it glows in the dark.

Summa Summarium, if you need to buy an HD-DVD player, buy this device and you will not be sorry.

First off,Im kind of pissed that a couple days after I got this player, amazon dropped the price from what I paid $460 to $398. For you, thats a great deal. This is one of toshiba's newest hd players. Don't waste your time with any of the other players. This player has everything you need. If you have a new generation receiver that can decode dolby true hd or dts hd then you definitely want this player. I originally had the hd-xa2. The problem with this player is that, it decodes the dolby true hd signal on the player and then passes on the sound data to the receiver. The receiver needs to have an unprocessed sound data or the audio will show up on the receiver processed and play as multichannel audio. Now what that means in English, with the hd-xa2 you wont get a red dobly digital emblem on the receiver, with the hd-a35 you will. Another plus to this player is that it costs about a $100 less than the hd-xa2. If you're thinking you don't need this player because you don't have a capable receiver, its always good to go with the most current and top of the line product so that in the future if you do decide to get a new receiver, you won't have to get another hd-player. Overall, I am pleased with the player, dolby true hd sounds awesome and it looks beautiful. If you are one of those people undecided on blue rays or hd dvds, do your homework. Hd-dvds are the way to go. You might see more blue rays out there, but thats just because hd doesnt have as many movie studios making them exclusive movies. But times are changing, dreamworks and paramount are exclusive with hd-dvd, along with all of the porn industry. You know whos going to win now.