Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Player

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 16.9 x 14 x 3 inches ; 13 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 13 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000IJV4BC
• Item model number: HD-A2
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (347 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,118 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: February 16, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

High definition playback delivers 720p/1080i resolution at a transfer rate higher than DVD or even HDTV, resulting in a more detailed, realistic picture. Advanced audio, including Dolby® TrueHD, Dolby® Digital Plus and DTS® HD (core only), along with legacy formats including Dolby® Digital and DTS® bring an increased sonic realism to movie soundtracks. Backwards compatibility means you can enjoy your existing library of DVDs and CDs, and through the process of upconversion using HDMI, your movies are scaled to match the resolution of your HD display. An interface suite includes an abundance of audio/video connections as well as an ethernet connection for firmware updates and future internet delivered features.

Key Video Features HD DVD playback (including Combo. Format Discs), DVD and DVD-R/-RW: High Definition video requires a tremendous amount of space on a disc, so a new Blue laser (versus a Red Laser for DVD) is utilized for HD DVD. The blue laser, with it’s shorter wave length, allows for information to be stored more densely on the disc, improving storage capacity by over 3 times that of a red laser technology. Additionally, more accurate and efficient video compression like MPEG-4 AVC and VC-1 (based on Microsoft’s Window Media) compress information to achieve file sizes that are less than half of the current standard DVD’s MPEG2. DVD upconversion via HDMI™ Video Upconversion - 720p/1080i: HDMI™ can support uncompressed digital video up to HDTV resolution. The HD-A2 player makes use of this conduit by up-converting the standard DVD picture resolution of 720p or 1080i. This makes a DVD player with an HDMI™ connection the perfect match for today's digital televisions. And because this conversion is performed in the player, the signal remains free frome excessive digital to analog artifacts. Video Output: 1080i/720p/480p/480i

Key Audio Features Built-in Dolby® Digital, Dolby® TrueHD, Dolby® Digital Plus, DTS®, and DTS® HD (core only): The HD-A2 has built-in processors to handle the multi-channel decoders for Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD , DTS and DTSHD. It employs the use of four DSPs to decode the multi-channel streams of the wide array of audio formats. These 32-bit floating-point DSPs are world renown for their high accuracy and are employed in many high quality audio solutions in the home theater market. Advanced high-performance 32-bit SHARC® Digital Signal Processing: Realize the benefits of new generation high-definition audio to complement high-definition video with 32-bit floating point SHARC DSP. Designed to perform audio conversion while executing extensive on-board multi-channel signal management, SHARC DSP in HD DVD delivers the stunning audio to complete your total high-definition experience. CD Audio Playback (CD, CD-R/-RW)

Conveniece Features:

• Slim design cabinetry
• New improved remote design with glow keys and TV operation
• Ethernet connection
• HDMI 1.2a interface, component video, S-Video, composite video

Connections:

• ColorStream Pro® Component Video Output: ColorStream Pro® progressive scan provides a non-interlaced component video DVD/TV connection that allows DVD-Video to reach its maximum picture quality potential. Every DVD-Video disc is mastered in MPEG-2 progressive scan (480P). By preserving DVD's progressive scan image, the ColorStream PRO connection provides a new dimension in total picture quality, delivering a more film-like, three-dimensional image. The progressive scan image is flicker-free, with virtually no visible NTSC line structure or motion artifacts, and offers better resolution than standard interlaced images. These outputs allow the video signal to be sent from the DVD player to a component video equipped interlaced or progressive scan TV. When this connection is utilized with today's HD-compatible sets, typical NTSC artifacts-like video noise, dot crawl, and flicker-are virtually eliminated, resulting in a low-noise, highly detailed picture with unequaled color purity.
• Composite Outputs -- 1
• S-Video Outputs -- 1
• Component Outputs -- 1
• HDMI Output Version 1.2 -- 1

Product Description

Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD Player with HDMI output.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

275 of 289 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just spectacular., June 2, 2007

By	M. Edgar "linksman5" (KCMO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Many reviews on this wonderful DVD player already, so let me just bullet a few points I feel worthy.

1. Ease of installation. HDMI cable (not supplied) and the digital audio (not included) I had the audio and bought the HDMI for this player. The installation took about 10 minutes from start to set up to playing dvds. Awesome. On HDMI.. don't waste money (unless you are money bags) on expensive cables. A nice 20 dollar HDMI cable will do fine. Digital is Digital. Only the quality of the connector is in question and if you get a reliable cable, no need for the big money scams.

2. Upgrades. Easily done by lan connection or by ordering the disk from Toshiba for free. Nice.

3. Startup time is about 30 seconds. It has to load up the operating system. After that, it's just the same as any other DVD player. Don't let the nay sayers bug you on this topic. The start up time is just when you first turn it on. Not for each DVD insertion.

4. The upscaling on this is very good. I have a Sony Grand Wega and the normal DVDs now look better to my experienced eye than they did previously on my very nice Sony DVD player.

5. HD-DVD. Get the BBS HD version of the BBS series Planet Earth. Let this be your first HD you watch and let your mind be washed over in beauty. On movies.. I would research before you buy. From what I have seen.. I have a big DVD collection (over 1000) and I double dipped to get a couple HD versions right away. (meaning HD copies of dvds I already had) and there was not much if any difference. What I have found is that the greedy companies are just porting/copying movies from regular dvd over to the HD format. Like any other scanning.. it just depends on how it was done. HD doesn't mean it's really going to be better. Check out DVD reviews first before spending the extra money. I actually have one HD dvd that doesn't look as good as the regular DVD version. I was pretty stunned at having payed 25 bucks for the HD version and if I remember correctly.. 9 bucks for the DVD version. Oh well.

6. Overall impression of the Toshiba player is awesome for me. It's sleek looking in my rack and very easy to intall and to use.

57 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best HD player for the money, period!, February 20, 2007

By	Jeff F "Jeff" (Tucson) - See all my reviews

If you are still trying to sort out what HD or Blu-ray player to buy I think this review will assist you tremendously. I am somewhat of a tech geek and I own both the Toshiba HD-A2 and the Phillips BDP 9000 Blu-Ray Players. I am not a SONY hater as I own a 50 inch SONY TV and love it.
The Toshiba HD-A2 is simply the best HD or Blu-Ray player available today when you factor in price, picture, sound and appearance. To begin with ignore the 1 or 2 star ratings for this player. Those usually are from people who are upset because the do not have an HDMI ready TV and can't produce the proper HD picture. If you do not have a TV that accepts an HDMI connection (or DVI connection) you should not buy any HD or Blu-Ray player.
That said let's get to the review of this player. The HD picture is the best I have seen on any player. The colors are crisp and the sharpness is almost 3-D like. As far as start up time, so what if the player takes 30-40 seconds to load. Are any of us really going to be affected by this? Someone tell me what any of us would do with the extra 15 or 20 seconds if it loaded a little quicker? The menu is very easy to use and the remote control is very user friendly as well. As far as the sound, it is unreal if you have a good home theater system. The fact that it plays Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, DTS and DTS-HD gives it a bid advantage over most Blu-Ray players. When you are watching a movie in HD sound does matter. The design is very nice and will blend into you current home entertainment set-up. Have you seen some of the Blu-Ray players out there like the new SONY player. They are huge and unappealing. The SONY player won't even play music disks. My Phillips is a nice player but does not have DTS-HD or CDolby TrueHD but is a good unit however it is still more expensive than the Toshiba HD-A2.
For those of you that are not videophiles you should understand that HD DVD uses a technology called vc-1 and most bLu-Ray disks use an inferior technology. That is why HD DVD simple has a better picture. I have watched movies on several Blu-Ray players including the one in the SONY Playstation 3 and they just do not have a s good a picture as this Toshiba unit. One last thing about this player, it does upconvert regular DVDs and although they do not look as good as the HD-DVDs they do look much better than normal.
Last thing to think about is this: No one really know where this HD-Blu-Ray war is headed. People who are afraid to get either unit because they don't know where this is heading are really missing a great entertainment experience regardless of it being HD DVD or Blu-ray. This may not get sorted our for years. In the meantime to be able to get the HD-A2 for $400.00 is a great buy. In the worse case scenario Blu-Ray wins out (which is by no means guaranteed) and you then are able to buy HD DVD's for 1/3 the price because Blu-Ray is the winner. So you keep you player have a great library of movies and switch to a Blu Ray player later when they are under $300.00.
If you have an HDMI capable HDTV you will ove this player.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HD-A2 is one of the best values for DVD playback! Period!, July 6, 2007

By	N. Williams - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Toshiba HD-A2 is excellent DVD player, one of the best I've ever seen. It upconverts regular DVDs better than almost every other DVD player I've seen and I have used Toshiba's SD-5000 (too dark) and the Oppo DV-970HD (close but not quite as sharp). This DVD player makes DVDs look very close to high def DVDs. One feature this DVD player has that is not talked about a lot is a Dialog Enhancement. It makes sure that the dialog doesn't get lost in music or sound fxs and it really works. You can play movies at a lower volume and still hear what's being said.

The design of HD-A2 is spot-on and much better than the A1 series. They fit in perfectly with today's slick glossy black flat-panel TVs. It's a tad bigger than I expected but it looks fantastic so that doesn't bother me at all and you can stack on it easily unlike game consoles. The HD-A2 is extremely quiet as well. You would never know it's on. Seriously!

The unit comes with an ethernet port (broadband connection) built-in on the back that allows it to update the software running the unit. The updates are totally optional but I would recommend getting them. They already made the unit load up faster through one of the updates which is amazing for a DVD player.

Now here's some things about this player not everyone knows about. HD-DVD format is region-free, unlike both DVD and Blu-ray. This means that if a movie comes in say Europe or Japan and you want to buy it, you can buy it and play it without worrying about whether it will work on your player.

It's also a little know fact that even though this player's max resolution support is 1080i, almost all TVs that support 1080p output will upconvert the picture to 1080p anyway. Most 1080p TV only display at 1080p anyway so there's not much of a need for a 1080p player although there's suppose to be an extra 24fps update for the 1080p players.

Why did I choose to give a HD-DVD player a shot? Why not? I got mines for under $300 and with 5 HD-DVD movies to boot so it's like I paid a little over $200 for it. It's pretty cheap and is one of the best DVD players you can get. There are some things HD-DVD has going for that the other format doesn't have to going for too. I love the fact that it's region free. I'm also weary of Blu-ray because Sony is charge of it. After the DRM encryption thing they put on their music CDs (with spyware and limiting use) that resulted in them having to give customers money-back or replacing the disc with regular versions I really don't want to buy into their next format unless I have to.

The last reason why I currently like HD-DVD a little better than Blu-ray right now is because the disc seems to be getting more bonus material on the disc. If you compare the bonus features for a lot of Warner releases including 300 which is coming out very soon you'll see that they have more behind the scene material and I generally like things about the way HD-DVD interface works better than Blu-ray at this time. The ethernet port in all HD-DVD player will also allow you to get even more bonuses for the movie in the future, which is pretty cool. As far as picture and sound quality they're about dead even these days.