best all around hd-dvd player

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Falls Included

I'm happy & gay too
Joined
May 30, 2003
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3,701
I'm not really feeling the sony prices right now, and i FINALLY got my 2 hd-dvd rebates back (bought and resold), so I'm looking to buy a standalone player. given the price shift of players, it doesn't seem to hard to fathom myself getting the big dog out there, but i would like user experiences with hd-dvd players, and maybe ideas as to which model to get exactly.

i have a 42" westy tx series, and a denon receiver with jbl speakers. the receiver is pre-hdmi. i also have plans to build an htpc sometime in Q2 if that is of any consequence. needless to say, i will be using hdmi (1.2a is what i think my tv has, but higher won't hurt, lol), and optical or coaxial audio
 
Toshiba A30 or A35 for a standalone unit. If you need a HDDVD drive for your HTPC, I have one in my FS thread. They're pretty hard to come by.
 
i'll probably just pick up a stand alone. it's not going to make that much difference really, i will have a harmony anyway, so it won't be hard to control it vs a pc

whats the difference between the 30 and the 35? just 1080p?
 
Falls Included said:
i'll probably just pick up a stand alone. it's not going to make that much difference really, i will have a harmony anyway, so it won't be hard to control it vs a pc

whats the difference between the 30 and the 35? just 1080p?
Click to expand...

& the 35 has individual 5.1 audio outputs ... theyboth have 1080p. Only the A3 is limited to 1080i
 
Yea, the A3 is 1080i and A30 & 35 are 1080p. The A35 has X.V.Deep Color, the A30 does not. Deep color only works with HDMI 1.3 (it needs the extra bandwith) so the 35 would be overkill for your Westy.

Right now, the best High-Definition player is the PS3. (not trying to start a flame war)

Toshiba killed HD-DVD not too long ago (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_DVD#Decline_and_discontinuation). Buying an HD-DVD player now would mean also buying a Blu-ray player later and just be confusing to your media collection. A PS3 is upgradeable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray#Player_profiles) where the standalone ones are not. Plus you can play videogames! Woo!
 
No need to thread crap here. He specifically stated prices for BR are too high. Take your garbage elsewhere.
 
Hey now, wasn't trying to thread crap, that's why I cited sources in my post. It was an honest suggestion to take a step back and say "is it worth the cost of a 130 dollar DVD player?" for what will ultimately be a dead technology. In the short term maybe, but beta was probably a good buy in the short term as well. What I was thinking is 5 years down the road when Blu-ray is standard. How often will you watch the HD-DVD's you managed to collect before they stopped being pressed when the rest of your collection is on Blu-ray?

OP, I still say the HD-A30 is the best choice for you. I also say that I wouldn't buy a BD player right now (the new 2.0 spec isn't compatible with the current crop of them) unless it was the PS3. If I was completely off base or out of line with forum etiquette I apologize. I wasn't making the assumption that everyone had heard Toshiba was ending support for HD-DVD.
 
The OP specifically asked for HDDVD. You may have said you aren't thread crapping, but you are. You're pushing an agenda without even realizing it.

It's this easy.
- Buy HDDVD for super frickin cheap. Play <$10 HDDVD's in it. Over 400 titles to choose from.
- Later on in a year or two, buy in to BR if the prices come down and it's affordable.

It isn't confusing at all. A monkey can tell red from blue to see which disk goes in what player.
 
w1retap said:
The OP specifically asked for HDDVD. You may have said you aren't thread crapping, but you are. You're pushing an agenda without even realizing it.

It's this easy.
- Buy HDDVD for super frickin cheap. Play <$10 HDDVD's in it. Over 400 titles to choose from.
- Later on in a year or two, buy in to BR if the prices come down and it's affordable.

It isn't confusing at all. A monkey can tell red from blue to see which disk goes in what player.
Click to expand...


Feel the awkwardness a year down the road when this happens.

Friend: "hey, do you have the movie XXXXXX"

you: "yes"

Friend: "can i borrow it?"

you: "sure you can, here ya go"

Friend: "WTF is HD-DVD, i can't play this crap"
 
I would just pass on the hd-dvd and pick up a blu-ray for your htpc. I have the 360 hd-dvd drive and its been great but now that hd-dvd is dead i wouldn't start with it now.
 
Just bought an A3 from Costco for $79.95 which included an HDMI cable and 2 movies. This player is fantastic, upconverts SD DVD's (of which I have a ton of) very well, and also plays HD DVD's. Can hardly buy a decent upconverting player for that little. This will suffice until the price of Blu ray drops considerably. If it ever will.
 
Verge said:
Feel the awkwardness a year down the road when this happens.

Friend: "hey, do you have the movie XXXXXX"

you: "yes"

Friend: "can i borrow it?"

you: "sure you can, here ya go"

Friend: "WTF is HD-DVD, i can't play this crap"
Click to expand...
Friend: "hey do you have the movie XXXXXX"

you: "yes"

Friend: "can I borrow it?"

you: "sure you can, here ya go"

Friend: "WTF is Blu-ray, i can't play this crap, the players cost $299+ LOL"





anyhow, if you own both, you don't have that problem. With how cheap HDDVD is, it's stupid not to.
 
Ender1183 said:
I would just pass on the hd-dvd and pick up a blu-ray for your htpc. I have the 360 hd-dvd drive and its been great but now that hd-dvd is dead i wouldn't start with it now.
Click to expand...

There's 400+ titles about to go in the bargain bin, with many right now for $10. The movie's don't magically stop working after a certain date.
 
If you're going to build your HTPC "anyway", why not save a bit of cash and use it to play back your HD-DVD's (and Blu Rays). That also addresses your concern about your receiver not handling HDMI if you're the one building the HTPC. I use analogue connectors because I want DolbyTrue HD and just set my receiver to multichannel. Big improvement over optical.
 
w1retap said:
Friend: "hey do you have the movie XXXXXX"

you: "yes"

Friend: "can I borrow it?"

you: "sure you can, here ya go"

Friend: "WTF is Blu-ray, i can't play this crap, the players cost $299+ LOL"





anyhow, if you own both, you don't have that problem. With how cheap HDDVD is, it's stupid not to.
Click to expand...

The average Joe here in america is extremely uninformed, and will forget what HDDVD is in a matter of months. It will be like Divx soon. WTF is that ?
 
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