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Jeremy112
Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 2649
Location: Fond du Lac, WI
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 2:08 pm Post subject: Toshiba XA2 |
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Yes, I know, it lost the format war. That doesn't make HD DVD any less cool! Just less popular!
Anyway, I want to confirm a couple things, as I am in the process of switching out ALL of my components in my rack.
The Toshiba HD-XA2 was Toshibas last and best flagship HD DVD player correct? I have the XA1 but it does 1080i only, the XA2 does 1080p right?
Second, and last, Toshiba is the only company who made actual HD DVD players, not combo HD DVD/blu ray stuff. Did samsung do HD DVD as well?
Ill be posting in the audio section about suggestions for some other components, but since HD DVD can be had fairly reasonably priced, I am starting with the cheapest of items first 
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ecrabb
Forum Moderator
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 15909
Location: Utah
TV/Projector: JVC RS40, Epson 5010
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 3:24 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, the XA2 will output 1080p/60, and it's also much faster than the XA1. Of course, if you have a newer AV receiver with 1080p upscaling, the AVR can inverse telecine the XA1's telecined 1080i output. That's what I do.
The HD-A35 came a year after the XA2... Almost all the same features at a lower price point. The XA2 had better build quality and Silicon Optix Reon HQV. That's about it.
There was also the Onkyo DV-HD805 - a rebadged HD-XA2 with not quite as nice of a cabinet. I've always thought about grabbing one, and buying up all the movies on HD DVD, but then I think, "Naaaaaaahhhhh..."
SC
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Jeremy112
Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 2649
Location: Fond du Lac, WI
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| Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 8:40 pm Post subject: |
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| ecrabb wrote: | Yes, the XA2 will output 1080p/60, and it's also much faster than the XA1. Of course, if you have a newer AV receiver with 1080p upscaling, the AVR can inverse telecine the XA1's telecined 1080i output. That's what I do.
The HD-A35 came a year after the XA2... Almost all the same features at a lower price point. The XA2 had better build quality and Silicon Optix Reon HQV. That's about it.
There was also the Onkyo DV-HD805 - a rebadged HD-XA2 with not quite as nice of a cabinet. I've always thought about grabbing one, and buying up all the movies on HD DVD, but then I think, "Naaaaaaahhhhh..."
SC |
I bought it because there are yet a few HD DVDs that are not on blu ray, and for the price, the XA1 was a nice TOTL player, I wanted to get the XA2 because as you said, (and I suspected that was why the price of the XA2 is higher) it does 1080p, and is faster and better build quality than the non "high end" players.
I have used my HD DVD player 7 times, once per movie, have not used it since, but as I said, they are cheap, and the look nice in the rack
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When I'm asking for a Model number, that doesn't mean I'm asking for a nude photo with your number on it
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MikeEby
Joined: 24 Jun 2007
Posts: 5237
Location: Osceola, Indiana
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 1:25 am Post subject: |
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To be honest I think we are better off with Blu-ray other than the silly waste of time DRM...HD-DVD's didn't seem very durable compared to Blu-ray.
Mike
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Doing HD since the last century!
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Jeremy112
Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 2649
Location: Fond du Lac, WI
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 1:33 am Post subject: |
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| MikeEby wrote: | To be honest I think we are better off with Blu-ray other than the silly waste of time DRM...HD-DVD's didn't seem very durable compared to Blu-ray.
Mike |
Ill second that Mike, I have bought a lot of blu rays from Amazon and some of them would come off the spindle, and not have a single mark on them.
It is an overall better format anyway, so I am also glad it won 
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When I'm asking for a Model number, that doesn't mean I'm asking for a nude photo with your number on it
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ecrabb
Forum Moderator
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 15909
Location: Utah
TV/Projector: JVC RS40, Epson 5010
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 3:19 am Post subject: |
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| MikeEby wrote: | | To be honest I think we are better off with Blu-ray other than the silly waste of time DRM...HD-DVD's didn't seem very durable compared to Blu-ray. |
I loved HD DVD when it first came out, and well into the format war, because:
A) It was region-free
B) It was FAR easier (read cheaper) to author (no BD-J BS)
C) It was significantly cheaper to mass produce because DVD lines were more easily converted to handle HD DVD, and because there was a cheaper patent licensing pool, and no chemical protective layer as with BD
D) HD DVD was very much MPEG-4 AVC from the get-go (BD was all MPEG-2 or VC1 at first - one sucked, and the other was Microsoft-developed, and I'm not a fan of MS)
E) It wasn't owned partially by Sony, a content owner (conflict of interest, anyone?), and a company I'm not particularly fond of
After a couple of the studios pulled their support for HD DVD (which still pisses me off they took sides), most of those things were ironed out, Sony finally got their specs and tools ready, and things get better.
I'm still not find of Sony, but the durability of Blu-rays is FAR, FAR superior to that of HD DVD. I rented quite a few HD DVDs from Netflix back then, and we had more than a couple that were unwatchable in my HD-XA1 due to skipping. There were no scratches; it was just a light "hazing" resulting from abrasion in the Tyvek sleeves. Of course, the protective layer that was in BD from the start could also have been added to HD DVD later - for the same additional cost as with BD.
Sony just rushed BD to market, so it sucked it first - and it showed.
In the end I'm pretty happy, though. I like BD these days.
Those POS "reduced" keep cases with the big holes suck, though... I HATE those things. Feels like something you should get in a Happy Meal, not pay $15-20 for.
SC
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WanMan
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 10270
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| Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 2:07 pm Post subject: |
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Yet, even with BD I still find myself buying disks from Canada, UK and France because they are not offered in the USA.
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Trust no one. Absolutely no one. Advice of the board.
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