Toshiba HD-XA1 HD-DVD Player

Other products by Toshiba

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 13.9 x 17.2 x 4.5 inches ; 19.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 29 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000E21TY0
• Item model number: HD-AX1
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #55,113 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)

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  Electronics > Televisions & Video > Disc Players & Recorders > HD DVD Players

• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 9, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

HD-XA1 Up-Converting HD DVD Player

The HD-XA1 up-converting HD-DVD player delivers outstanding resolution, bright, vivid colors, and stunning sound using the next-generation high-definition DVD technology. The HD-XA1 connects via HDMI to provide 720p/1080i resolution in the native format of HD-DVD disc content. Learn about HD DVD.

HD That Rivals HDTV The HD-XA1 disc drive has an astounding 36.55 Mbps transfer rate. By comparison, standard DVD has an average transfer rate of less than 10 Mbps, and HDTV has a rate of 24 Mbps. The more bits that can be allocated to video, the more detailed the resulting picture can be.

Pure Digital Connection The HD-XA1 connects to your HDTV with the latest advancement in audio/video equipment interfaces, namely the high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI). HDMI is the first industry-supported all digital audio/video connection providing the transmission of uncompressed digital video and multichannel audio on a single cable. The HD-XA1 will output HD content through the HDMI interface in the native format of the HD DVD disc content of 720p or 1080i.

Standard DVDs Taken to an HD Level Enjoy backward-compatibility and play your collection of standard DVDs on the HD-XA1. In addition, the standard-definition DVD picture resolution can be up-converted via the HDMI interface to near-HD quality, with output resolution of 720p or 1080i to match your HDTV's performance. Because the conversion takes place in the player, the signal remains free from excessive digital-to-analog conversion artifacts.

Processing Prowess The HD-XA1 has far-from-ordinary built-in multichannel decoders for Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD (2 ch.) and DTS. The HD-XA1 employs four high-performance DSP engines to decode the multichannel streams of the wide array of audio formats. These 32-bit floating-point DSPs are world renowned for their high accuracy and are used in many high-quality audio solutions in the home theater market. The DSPs handle many of the required conversion processes, as well as the extensive on-board multichannel signal management for the HD-XA1, including user-selectable crossovers, delay management, and channel level management. After decoding and signal management, the digital audio is converted to analog by way of 24 bit/192kHz audio DAC and output as 5.1 analog audio.

Digital Audio Output Options The HD-XA1 can pass digital information to a surround-sound processor/receiver with S/PDIF or HDMI. For Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks, the bitstream will be passed through both connections, just as in a standard DVD player with the same interfaces. Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD soundtracks will be converted to a standard bitstream Dolby Digital) output through S/PDIF or HDMI. Additionally, all of the HD-XA1's supported audio formats can be decoded to PCM and output via HDMI in stereo or 5.1 multichannel, depending on the original soundtrack.

Product Description

The HD-XA1 up-converting HD DVD player delivers outstanding resolution, bright, vivid colors, and stunning sound using the next-generation high-definition DVD technology. The HD-XA1 connects via HDMI to provide 720p/1080i resolution in the native format of HD DVD disc content. Enjoy backward-compatibility and play your collection of standard DVDs on the HD-XA1. In addition, the standard-definition DVD picture resolution can be up-converted via the HDMI interface to near-HD quality, with output resolution of 720p or 1080i to match your HDTV's performance. Because the conversion takes place in the player, the signal remains free from excessive digital-to-analog conversion artifacts. Built-in multichannel decoders for Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD (2ch), DTS, and DTS-HD bring improved fidelity and sonic realism to DVD soundtracks. Four 32-bit floating-point DSPs decode multichannel streams in a wide array of audio formats. These DSPs are world renowned for their high accuracy and are used in many high-quality audio solutions in the home theater market. The HD-XA1 uses a high-performance processor to create stunning graphics. Three user-selectable choices allow you to customize the look and feel of your HD-DVD interactivity.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great DVD Player - Not The Bargain That The HD-A1 Is, July 12, 2006

By	brez (texas) - See all my reviews

First off, read all the reviews for the HD-A1. They all apply to the HD-XA1. It is simply a great DVD Player.

Is it worth $300.00 more than the HD-A1? From a performance standpoint probably not. While the dual layer chasis and vibration isolation feet are supposed to improve performance,I don't see any improvement in performance over the HD-A1. If you want to integrate with the rest of your theater with RS232 then you need the HD-XA1, the HD-A1 does not have the RS232 port. The remote that comes with the HD-XA1 is back lit, the remote with the HD-A1 is not, so if you need to see the remote in the dark, the HD-XA1 remote is what you need. Also, the HD-XA1 has a motorized door on the front that covers the DVD tray and control buttons.

If you need the back lit remote, or RS232, or just want the best, then get the HD-XA1, otherwise get the HD-A1

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 1st round knockout or knock down?, July 26, 2006

By	HDnut (Houston, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

I had the opportunity to extensively test both the Toshiba XA1 and the new Samsung Blu-Ray and the Toshiba machine has better image, better sound, more movies available and lower price. Blu-ray may be dead before being born. I know is too early to call but the first round goes to HD-DVD. The Samsung player is killing Blu-ray with its buggy machine, neither is helping the very inconsistent quality of the few titles available.
Other that a dorky remote, the Toshiba machine is near perfect (after the firmware update). If you are tired to wait for HD recorded material, wait no more.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars really crisp image. fantastic is the word., May 24, 2006

By	Epsilon Delta (CA USA) - See all my reviews

I just got this HD DVD player. The image it produces is very crisp. I tried the Last Samurai, Phantom of the Opera, and Good Fellas HD DVD on the Samsung 32 inch 1366 x 768 LCD HDTV. The image is amazing.

Comparing the quality of other upconverting DVD players and HD DVD player. The upconverting players are "not bad". The HD DVD picture is fantastic. Even with a 1366 x 768 LCD HDTV, the picture is already so amazing. I wonder what it would be like when it is on a 40 or 50 inch 1920 x 1080 plasma HDTV in the future.

As compared to HD Cable or Directv, HD DVD is a little better. I checked the Warner Brothers HD DVD using the Toshiba notebook that has a HD DVD drive. And it shows that the HD DVD disc is a dual layer disc, and the content is 27GB. So the Last Samurai movie is probably at about 25Mbps. I heard that cable or directv HD channels are usually at 15Mbps. With HD DVD, i feel that it is superb, while HD channels are "excellent".

If money is not an issue, get this player. Otherwise, wait a little while to see how the battle between HD DVD and Blu Ray goes, or wait for a dual-format player. It will be sweet in the future when the player is $200 or even $120, and the HD DVD or the Blu Ray disc are $9.99 to $14.99 each.