Oppo DV-981HD Universal DVD Player with HDMI, 1080p Up-Converting, DivX & SACD Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Unbelievalbe picture quality like all other reviewers are saying. Changing the player to Region 0 (all region) is easy: 1. Press Setup on remote control to access the setup page, 2.Enter 9210 on the remote 3.A service menu will pop up, 4. Select a region: 0- 6 in region code. 0 is all-region. Press Setup on remote again to exit. It should play all region and PAL discs. Hope that helps.
(added 12/18/07)
I've been using this player for a year now and I still LOVE it. My friend gave me a DVD with several movies in AVI and an XVid formats. Typically, I would have to watch these movies on my PC. I was pretty psyched to find that Oppo will play the files. When I popped in the disc, I see a blue menu with all the files. The player decodes each selected file and it had no problem playing 3 out of the 4 AVI files. For some reason, one of the AVI files won't play. The XVid file played fine. The quality of these compressed AVI files, as you can imagine, isn't great. But depending on the source of the AVI file, the output quality to a 46" HDTV is almost as good as a DVD and much better than VCD or VCR quality.

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The DV-981HD is the latest incarnation in Oppo's highly aclaimed line of upconverting DVD players. It offers an HDMI interface (HDMI Specification 1.1), with HD upconversion ouput resolutions of 720p, 1080i, and full 1080p. This is Oppo's most full-featured player yet, and as such, it's not a DVD player for people with regular analogue sets. While the DV-981HD doesn't offer component output, and doesn't output standard or native resolution, it does represent one of the best (if not the best) upconverting DVD players out there, and it's perfect for people with HDTVs up to full 1080p who aren't ready to jump on the HD DVD or Blu-ray bandwagen. In addition to excellent upconversion, the DV-981HD offers playback of a whole host of formats including DVD-Audio, Super Audio CS (SACD), Audio CDs, HDCD, WMA, Kodak Picture CDs, all version of DivX including DivX6, as well as Xvid, .SRT, .SMI, .IDX, and .SUB file formats.
Audio Features The DV-981HD outputs audio in stereo or in 5.1 channel surround, either via HDMI, or through the included 5.1 analogue outputs. Other connections include S-Video out, and digital coaxial and optical audio outs. It features 24-bit, 192 kHz high resolution audio D/A converters, supportsvirtual surround in six settings, and has built-in equalizer, channel trim, and channel delay functions.
Farudgja DCDi Technology Rather than trying to build their own upconversion technology for this machine, the Oppo DV-981HD the DCDi Faruja technology from Genesis Microchips. In addition to upscaling a DVD's native 720x480 interlaced video to 480p, 720p, 1080i, or 1080p, Farudja technology also detects content that has gone through 3:2 pull down to convert film content to NTSC for video, and recreates the original frames by blending the fields back together. It then processes for any edit mistakes and reconstrucs an accurate signal, producing an image free of motion artifacts. The unique DCDi algorithm can also identify moving edges within an image and adjust interpolation at a pixel level to create smooth edges for on-screen objects, eliminating the jaggy edges that commonly result from other upconversion techniques. Farudja processing also uses a proprietary "TruLife Enhancement" technology to identify transitions in the image considered to be details such as skin texture, freckles or hair, and enhance those to bring more detail in an image to life on the screen. This approach avoids image artefacts common with the peaking filter approach used by other systems for detail enhancement. The Farudja system uses temporal filtering for noise reduction, and can achieve 6 to 10 dB of Noise reduction without introducing artefacts or losing sharpness in the image.
Connections:
HDMI - High Definition Multimedia Interface: 1
Analog Stereo Audio (Mixed 2-Channel Left/Right): 1 group (2 connectors)
Analog 5.1 Channel Audio: 1 group (6 connectors)
S/PDIF (IEC-958) Coaxial Digital Audio: 1
S/PDIF (IEC-958) Optical Digital Audio: 1
Composite Video: 1
S-Video: 1
No Component Video (YPbPr/YCbCr) on the DV-981HD model. This model is designed for use with a display device with HDMI or DVI digital video input.

Compared with Other Oppo DVD player models At the time of this writing, Oppo also has the DV-970HD upconverting player, and their originalOPD971H model. Of these three models, the DV-981HD is the only that upconverts to full 1080p, the other models offer upconversion to 720p or 1080i only. Both the DV-981HD and the DV-970HD offer Super Audio CD (SACD) playback, the OPDV971H does not. The other major difference to consider is that the DV-981HD and the OPDV971H both use Farudja processing for video upconversion. The DV-970HD uses a different upconversion system that may not be as full featured as the Farudja. For this reason Oppo recommends the DV-981HD, or the OPDV971H for use with larger screen HDTVs 50 inches or greater, while the DV-970HD is only recommended for HDTVs smaller than 50-inches. Oppo recommends the DV-970HD for use with external video processors or scalers, and suggests careful calibration of both the DV-981HD and the OPDV971H when used with DLP HDTVs. Both of these players are good for use with DLP HDTVs, but for the best picture, some setup time is required. For disply with a DVI input on your HDTV, an HDMI-DVI adapter is required with both the DV-981HD and the DV-970HD models.
What's in the Box Oppo DV-981HD upconveting DVD player, a High-quality certified HDMI cable with gold-plated HDMI connectors, Remote control with "glow in the dark" keypad (batteries included), Stereo audio cable, Composite video cable, and User manual and warranty information.

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Denon DVD-2500BTCI Blu-ray/DVD/CD Player Review

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(More customer reviews)Here's where I started with Blu-Ray... The pathetic Sony Blu-Ray players (several models) that have the slowest of all Blu-Ray players with Made In China quality (or lack of). The Sony Blu-Ray players were the worst of any.
I graduated to the Panasonic's next. The BD30 and later the very popular BD35. Both were 'GOOD' players. On the other hand, if I tried to plug in a cable without the Panasonic MOUNTED to the concrete, their one-pound weight per deck caused it to fly off a shelve like a pice of Post-It note. Made In China quality and a Panasonic remote (not a positive).
I tried others. Low-end brands and so-called medium brands.
I finally buy Denon's DVD-2500BTCI. It's called a TRANSPORT unit because it is a pure 100% digital-only player. If you don't have HDMI to HDMI only, move-on...
Stunning color quality! Unlike anything I've ever seen. One more time: STUNNING PICTURE & COLOR quality.
Better yet, this thing weighs something!
Turn it on and it quickly responds (a major Blu-Ray issue is LAG). Yes, once you insert the BLU-RAY disc, it does take ime to load. That's normal but everything else makes the '2500' the fastest of Blu-Ray players ever that I have used/tested/played with.
I think the REMOTE is excellent! Others do not and Denon does have a reputation for lousy remotes. This one is an exception.
Well worth the money. Really!

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DENON BLU-RAY/DVD/CD/ TRANSPORT WITH 1080P/24fps OUTPUT CAPABLE.

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Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Pros:
Fantastic picture
Great price
1080i/ 720p output great for 720p HDTV's
Fast startup time
Slim design of the unit
Adequate remote
Some reviews of other Toshiba HD players have stated that you can't pause the movie, and come back to it later but I have not found this to be the case. As long as you leave the unit on, you can pause the movie as long as you want and resume it when you want to.
Plays DVD+R discs with no problem even though this is not a stated feature.
Cons:
no 1080p output- not an issue for me since I have a 720p TV.
Haven't come across any.

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The Toshiba HD-A3 HD DVD Player allows everyone into the HD DVD game with a very affordable price tag. Don't let the price fool you, however; it offers many features and an excellent build quality.
A Refined, Slimmer Look The HD-A3's refined design--with rounded edges, a slim chassis, and a high-gloss black face plate, standing less than two-and-a-half inches tall--looks sleek and elegant in your home theater system without taking up too much real estate.
Outstanding PerformanceAll of Toshiba's HD DVD players support the enhanced features of the HD DVD format, including picture-in-picture video, audio commentary, and Web-enabled network capabilities. With an Ethernet port, the HD-A3 can connect to the Internet for firmware updates to keep the player up to date on new features, and to support the growing number of HD DVD titles with interactive online features and bonus content.
The HD-A3 features an HDMI interface that carries both a video and an audio signal in one cable for the highest quality and convenience. The A3 outputs video at 720p and 1080i for a detailed and sharp image. The HD-A3 has progressive scan capability, which means it eliminates the scan-lines of interlaced video and produces a clean image with no motion distortion and artifacts.
Sparkling Surround Sound The HD-A3's built-in circuitry processes the multi-channel decoding of Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, and DTS-HD (core only).
Plays a Variety of Formats The HD-A3 is backward-compatible with your DVD collection: It can play and upconvert DVDs to the HD resolution that is being output. It can also play DVD-R/W, DVD-R, DVD-VR, CD, CD-R, and CD-RW formats, so you don't need extra players taking up space.
The HD-A3 is backed by a limited 1-year warranty.
What's in the Box HD-A3 HD DVD player, remote control, and power cable.

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Toshiba HD-A30 1080p HD DVD Player Review

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(More customer reviews)I didn't buy this from Amazon, but since reviews of the player are scarce, I thought I'd share some thoughts.
A few short months ago I bought the Xbox add-on to try the HD-DVD waters, and have been nothing but impressed, so when my standard DVD player died (my 7th one in 8 years, I'm a very heavy DVD watcher), I decided to invest in a player that will (hopefully) last (I also purchased a 4 year warranty this time).
The player itself is beautiful, both in appearance and on screen (watching on 1080p Samsung LCD). Picture quality of HD-DVD is, as expected, superb, and DVD upscaling is the best I have ever seen (easily destroying my 1 year old Sony).
A very few negatives. Boot times are still a bit slow, it takes about 40 seconds before the HD-DVD logo appears on screen, with another 20 seconds to load the disc, it's around 60 seconds total from power on to actually start watching the disc. Discs also don't resume play, which is odd as it seems to be a feature. If you don't power off the unit and stop a disc, it will resume where you left off, but if you power off the player, it restarts from the beginning, very odd, but Toshiba could easily fix in a firmware update.
All in all I am very, very pleased, the unit feels sold, looks amazing on your shelf and features some of the best video quality I have ever seen. The few, "problems" don't really bother me, but I wanted to mention them as it could turn off some people. Thanks for reading!

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The Toshiba HD-A30 HD DVD Player stands less than two-and-a-half inches tall but packs a long list of cutting edge features. The HD-A30 sells at a very reasonable price but has top-end features such as support for 1080p/24-frame video and HDMI-CEC compatibility.
A Refined, Slimmer Look The HD-A30's refined design--with rounded edges, a slim chassis, and a high-gloss black face plate--looks sleek and elegant in your home theater system without taking up too much real estate.
Outstanding Performance All of Toshiba's HD DVD players support the enhanced features of the HD DVD format, including picture-in-picture video, audio commentary, and Web-enabled network capabilities. With an Ethernet port, the A30 can connect to the Internet for firmware updates to keep the player up to date on new features, and to support the growing number of HD DVD titles with interactive online features and bonus content.
The HD-A30 uses the latest HDMI 1.3 interface to connect to your HD television, providing large bandwidth to eliminate any data bottlenecks and to support new technologies for the utmost in viewing experience. The HD-A30 can output video at 1080p, the highest resolution available, and includes support for 24-frame video, which maintains the native 24-frames-per-second rate of films, thereby delivering an experience more similar to one in theaters.
If you have a large collection of standard definition DVDs, the HD-A30 will upconvert them to near-HD quality for display on your HD television. Progressive scan output means the scan-lines of interlaced video are eliminated and the result is a clean image that has no motion distortion or artifacts. In addition to 1080p, the HD-A30 also outputs at 720p and 1080i if desired.
Sparkling Surround Sound The HD-A30 supports most surround sound audio standards, with built-in decoding for Dolby TrueHD 5.1ch, Dolby Digital Plus 5.1ch, DTS 5.1, and DTS HD (core only).
One-Touch Convenience You can use the CE-Link (HDMI-CEC) to connect the HD-A30 with other CEC-capable devices for unsurpassed simplicity and convenience. For example, if the HD-A35 is connected to a compatible HDTV, you can turn on both the HD DVD player and the TV and start playing a movie with a single touch of a button on the remote.
The HD-A30 is backed by a limited 1-year warranty.
What's in the Box HD-A30 HD DVD player, remote control, and power cable.

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Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD Player Review

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(More customer reviews)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.

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The Toshiba HD-A35 HD DVD Player stands less than two-and-a-half inches tall but packs a long list of cutting edge features that will help you get the most out of your home theater system. With support for 1080p/24-frame video, Deep Color, and HDMI pass-through audio, this player makes it possible to achieve a viewing experience that's as much like being in a theater as you can get without going to one.
A Refined, Slimmer Look The HD-A35's refined design--with rounded edges, a slim chassis, and a high-gloss black face plate--looks sleek and elegant in your home theater system without taking up too much real estate.
Outstanding PerformanceAll of Toshiba's HD DVD players support the enhanced features of the HD DVD format, including picture-in-picture video, audio commentary, and Web-enabled network capabilities. With an Ethernet port, the A35 can connect to the Internet for firmware updates to keep the player up to date on new features, and to support the growing number of HD DVD titles with interactive online features and bonus content.
The HD-A35 uses the latest HDMI 1.3 interface to connect to your HD television, providing large bandwidth to eliminate any data bottlenecks and to support new technologies for the utmost in viewing experience. The HD-A35 can output video at 1080p, the highest resolution available, and includes support for 24-frame video, which maintains the native 24-frames-per-second rate of films, thereby delivering an experience more similar to one in theaters. It also supports Deep Color, a new standard that breaks through the 8-bit color depth limitation of existing HD video and allows a wider range of color than ever before.
Of course, the HD-A35 upconverts from other resolutions so all your standard-definition DVDs display in near-HD quality on your HD television. In addition to 1080p, the HD-A35 also outputs at 720p and 1080i if desired.
High-Definition Audio Audiophiles rejoice! The A35 has HDMI pass-through audio: The audio signal can bypass the HD DVD player's internal audio processor and feed directly into an A/V receiver. The HD-A35 can output 5.1 channel analog audio and, with HDMITM, High Bit Rate Audio (up to 7.1 channels).With a capable receiver, the lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio standards are then decoded externally and audiophiles will be rewarded with the highest fidelity surround sound possible, adding a new dimension of enjoyment to the home theater experience. The HD-A35 also supports other surround sound audio standards including Dolby Digital Plus, DTS 5.1, and DTS HD (core only).
One-Touch Convenience You can use the CE-Link (HDMI-CEC) to connect the HD-A35 with other CEC-capable devices for unsurpassed simplicity and convenience. For example, if the HD-A35 is connected to a compatible HDTV, you can turn on both the HD DVD player and the TV and start playing a movie with a single touch of a button on the remote.
The HD-A35 is backed by a limited 1-year warranty.
What's in the Box HD-A35 HD DVD player, remote control, and power cable.

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Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Player Review

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(More customer reviews)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.

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

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LG Electronics BH100 Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Player Review

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(More customer reviews)One tray solution to the HDDVD/Blu-Ray format war. Put in either a HDDVD or a Blu-Ray disc and it plays. Period. Makes format irrelevant. Both formats look equally good and more and more of these hybrids will be the answer. Price needs to drop a bit still.

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LG BH200 Super Blu Blu-Ray HD DVD Combo Player Review

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(More customer reviews)The LG Super Blu combo player has made my life a lot easier. I jumped into high def this past summer with HD DVD and built up a library of 48 movies. Of course, as my luck would have it, the tides have turned considerably in blu ray's favor, so rather than give up on my HD DVD collection, and not wanting to take up extra space with a blu ray player, this LG is the ideal solution. It delivers impressive audio and video on both formats and upconverts standard dvds to near high def resolution. Set up was a snap and the player is very user friendly. I would highly recommend this unit to anyone who already started an HD DVD collection and is now ready to enter the "blu" world.
ADDENDUM: Written 8/31/08
I want to add to my original review posted above: I just purchased two more of these LG BH200 combo players at Best Buy, where they were just on sale for $339.99. At this incredibly low price, I could not resist getting two more, one for my second Toshiba 42 inch LCD 1080p television and the other for my Panasonic 32 inch LCD 720p televsion. All my hi-def tvs now have this magnificent LG multi format player connected to them via HDMI cables, allowing me complete flexibility to watch all of my HD DVDs, Blu Ray discs and standard dvds. I have not ceased to be extremely impressed with the amazing crystal clear video images on both hi def formats. The sound is equally impressive, and, as of yet, I do not have any HDMI receivers, so I am using 5.1 channel DD and DTS surround sound, which is clear and crisp. I can only imagine how awesome 7.1 channel hi def sound must be. The standard dvds I have are upscaled to near 1080p resolution, allowing me to enjoy my existing dvd collection with almot hi def images. On some dvds (Star Wars for instance), the images are so crystal clear, at first glance, you think you are watching a blu ray version of the movie. I have not had any compatability issues with this unit, and have been able to play recordable dvds and cds as well. It does everything, and does it amazingly well. My hat goes off to LG for making one of the finest, if not THE finest, hi def players out there. I e-mailed the company recently to ask if there was any truth to rumors that they were discontinuing this model anytime soon, and if so, if they were going to replace it with a new combo player. They wrote back and said they were not planning to discontinue the BH200 at this time, but would not be making any HD DVD players in the future. I am glad I was able to purchase two more of these babies before they become extinct. I also downloaded a firmware update onto a dvd, but have not yet installed it, as I am simply enjoying watching all my multi-format movies without any problems. I will install the update in the future, if needed. This player makes a great stand-alone blu ray player, even if you do not own any HD DVDs, and a great upconverting player as well. But if you, like me, have an HD DVD collection, this is a great way to be able to continue to enjoy the format without replacing them with blu ray versions. This will absolutely give you the best of both worlds!

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Toshiba HD-XA2 1080p HD-DVD Player Review

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(More customer reviews)First let me say that I have or have had an A1, A2, XA2, 360 HD Drive, and PS3. This is by far the best HD-DVD player out, as well as the best SD player. The Reon's NR is awesome on SD discs, and the edge enhancement agorithm is so refined I have yet to find a reason not to leave it on level ALL the time, even on HD material. I have had experience repairing one of these and can shed some light on a couple of issues.
1 - Does your XA2 power down randomly when playing HD discs? If so it is caused by a bug that only affects some players. If the unit is turned on while its' input is selected (on the receiver or TV) a bug occurs during handshake that causes the shutdown at random. I speculate it is to do with setting the overheat threshold uncommonly low. The unit will only have this problem with HD media, when set to 1080p. Set it to 1080i and it's fine. Play SD discs at 1080p and it's fine.
-The workaround is to select any input other than the XA2's when turning the player on (or leave the TV/receiver off). Turn on the player and wait for it to boot up completely. Once it is finished you may select the player's input and it will play HD discs at 1080p for days on end...no shutdown.
2 - Does your player seem to have a high pitched whine? This is in fact not caused by the fan in the XA2 which is awfully quiet compared to most active CE cooling devices (about 1/5th that of the PS3 during HD playback). It is caused by the transformer on the power supply unit ringing. The only way to fix it is to exchange the unit, or send it to Toshiba for a PSU replacement. For the tech savvy, this unit uses the same PSU as the A2 (which can be gotten on the cheap right now). The service manuals can be found on AVS, and it is a simple job of loosening a few screws and a couple of connectors. If you can change a CPU in a PC you can do this. Otherwise, it should be covered under Toshiba's warranty.
3 - Does your player play SD discs fine, but read "no disc" when you insert HD media? This is caused by a blue laser diode failure in the drive itself. Face it Blue Lasers are still new, and unfortunately the yields are still pretty poor. Some faulty parts slip through after seemingly making the grade at the factory. Again, this requires a repair by Toshiba to replace the drive, but if you're brave and have access to an A2 the drive is the same. The swap is even easier than the PSU. 5 screws and a ribbon cable. If you have a screwdriver handy this should take about 10 minutes. Of course, it is covered by Toshiba under warranty, but why not fix your XA2 yourself and part with the A2 for a while instead (which is much lighter, and thus cheaper to ship as well).
4 - Does your unit hang on the welcome screen? Welp, it could be one of two things. A bad/overheating motherboard or an undervolting PSU. The PSU fix can be done easily if you have access to an A2...then you'll know. If it turns out to be a bad mainboard Toshiba is your only hope. Their procedure is to just send a new player if the mainboard is bad. They only repair the unit if it's a bad PSU or Drive. Either way turn around is about a week.
5 - Did you get stuck with a remote whose backlight doesn't work? It's no joke. the XA2 remote is VERY difficult to read in the dark, but once the backlight lights up it is a sight to behold. It goes from barely usable to "best of the bunch". the lights are extremely bright and very legible. What you may not know though is that you have to press and hold the backlight button for 5 seconds to turn on the feature. There are thousands of people who think they got stuck with a broken remote. trust me, once it lights up you'll love it.
The latest firmware as of this post is 2.7, and that fixes 24p output as well as adding HBR bitstream output. With this update this player is once again the king of all HD players. It sports the best PQ for both HD and SD discs, and offers all of the new features (even those of the A35 which is the inferior player). The bad news is, as of this update these are becoming scarce, and since Toshiba is building these for Onkyo now (list for $899) they have discontinued the XA2. the Onkyo is the exact same player in a new box for more $$$. get an XA2 while you can. Enjoy! I hope I've helped some people get by the initial bad impressions they may have had. No electronics model is without a few lemons. The XA2 has a few, but the above should help some of you avoid a return or exchange. If you did get a lemon, and there is no more stock, consider fixing it yourself by getting an A2 to sacrifice, then send the A2 for repair...or just let Toshiba fix it. once you have a working unit you'll agree...it was worth it. This is any HD TV's best friend!

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Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player

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Microsoft Xbox 360 HD-DVD Drive Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought an Xbox 360 after Thanksgiving of 2006 and I was immediately impressed with the system. It was so good, in fact, that I went out after New Year's and upgraded my entire entertainment center with a new Samsung LN-S4051D, Samsung DVD-HD860, and Yamaha YSP-800. If you're going to do it, do it right. First off, the Samsung DVD-HD860 was a dismal player. The thing kept freezing up during playback and the image wasn't anything to write home about. I mean, my LCD is only 720p and I was seeing a lot of artifacts.
I returned the Samsung DVD player and decided to take a chance on the HD DVD add-on for the Xbox. The way I looked at it was it was only $100 more than what I already paid and then I could watch some movies in true High Definition. That was one of the best moves I made because not only do the HD movies look fantastic but it absolutely DESTROYS the Samsung in upconverting my standard-def DVDs. Regular DVDs look excellent.
One very big drawback is the amount of noise the Xbox makes while watching a movie. It's absurd. Not a big deal if you're watching The Matrix and you've got the volume cranked with Dolby TrueHD sound. But it's a constant nuisance when you're trying to get into a more dramatic and quiet movie like Unforgiven (which looks absolutely stunning on HD DVD).
Another concern I'm having is that my Xbox is on almost all of the time now. I'm either playing a game, watching a DVD or HD DVD, or I'm watching a movie from my iTunes library on my computer. The Xbox has truly become the center of attention in my living room. I just don't know if it can handle that kind of workload for long.
Seriously though, for $199 it's not that bad of a gamble. You can rent HD DVD movies from Netflix or Blockbuster so you don't even need to invest in the movies. I bought 4 and I now own the Matrix trilogy but I'm probably not buying more until I see what happens with HD DVD and Blu-ray. I have picked a side but if HD DVD loses I'm really not out that much. And I get to enjoy some great HD content while I'm waiting.

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