Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Member since:
March 2002
March 2002
ranjan,
you don't have "300" and "the bourne identity" yet? hard to believe...
anyway, click directly on the link that was provided by the OP. tiger direct is still selling it for $170.
eddie
[Post edited by posters5 on Feb 20, 2008]
you don't have "300" and "the bourne identity" yet? hard to believe...
anyway, click directly on the link that was provided by the OP. tiger direct is still selling it for $170.
eddie
[Post edited by posters5 on Feb 20, 2008]
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Member since:
January 2008
January 2008
Click the New & Used links, and click Tiger Direct. They have it for $169 with free SHipping. If you go to Tiger Direct you will pay for shipping, get through Amazon.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Member since:
May 2007
May 2007
Does the HD A35 have equal or greater video processing and upconversion than the HD XA2's Reon HQV thing? Is it the Reon in the A35 or is it something else, and if so how does it stack up?
Thanks for any help!
Thanks for any help!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Member since:
January 2008
January 2008
Some reviews at AVS suggest the upconvert is the same as the XA2, but the upconvert chip is the same chip in the A30 model. New XA2's have dropped to $449, but that is way too high for a dying format. Even the $250-$350 for refurbs are high.
Check the HD-DVD player section of AVS and look in the A35 dedicated thread.
Check the HD-DVD player section of AVS and look in the A35 dedicated thread.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Member since:
July 2006
July 2006
If it wasn't for the Reon HQV chip in the HD XA2 I would jump all over this A35 deal, AMAZING price.
That's the first time I've heard of the A35 having as good upconverting as the XA2.
That's the first time I've heard of the A35 having as good upconverting as the XA2.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Member since:
January 2008
January 2008
I hear mixed reviews. Some people think it is the same, some say better some say worse, like beauty, it seems upscaled PQ is in the eyes of the beholder.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Member since:
June 2006
June 2006
Eddie (posters5) said -
I am a HI-DEF DUAL FORMAT SUPPORTER, and have said so for quite some time.
My interest in the A35, is for it to become my main HD-DVD player (I have about 60 discs, and will buy more as they are closed out, discount sales, etc) - and assign my current player, the classic A1, to 'back-up reserve'.
By the way... the A35 is a GREAT(!) player for HD-DVDs (in 1080p/24 mode), but is NOT the best for DVD Upconversion, as both the Toshiba XA2, and the Oppo 981, have superior upconversion than the A35, and I'll explain with another post shortly (phone call and bathroom break).
-JIMI (the Voodoo Child)
Quote:
"jimi, i thought you were one of those PS3 lovers?"
I am a HI-DEF DUAL FORMAT SUPPORTER, and have said so for quite some time.
My interest in the A35, is for it to become my main HD-DVD player (I have about 60 discs, and will buy more as they are closed out, discount sales, etc) - and assign my current player, the classic A1, to 'back-up reserve'.
By the way... the A35 is a GREAT(!) player for HD-DVDs (in 1080p/24 mode), but is NOT the best for DVD Upconversion, as both the Toshiba XA2, and the Oppo 981, have superior upconversion than the A35, and I'll explain with another post shortly (phone call and bathroom break).
-JIMI (the Voodoo Child)
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Member since:
June 2006
June 2006
OK... Yesterday I received my March 2008 issue from WIDESCREEN REVIEW (I'm a subscriber) - and they even included a 2-hour Bonus DVD (with special content, demos, Blu-ray stuff, etc - sorry, I haven't watched it yet). One of the reviews this month is for the TOSHIBA HD-A35 3rd generation HD-DVD player, which the reviewer says "is the best available for HD DVDs, bar none."
The reviewer, Bill Cruce, provides much info and comment, both praising the HD-DVD quality, but also saying the DVD Upconversion (while good) is bested by both an Oppo DVD player, and Sony's PS3.
Here are some paragraphs from the WR review....
It's performance is a bit of an enigma. It does a superb job with video of HD-DVD discs at 1080/24 output. But it is just adequate at upscaling standard definition (SD) DVDs. That is not to say it does a bad with SD DVDs, but there are better upscaling players out there. A further strength is its ability to put out a bit stream of the advanced audio codes so that your receiver can decode them, at up to 7.1 channels.
THE IMAGE - So what is the big deal about 24p? Film is recoded at 24 frames-per-second (fps). HD discs, both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc, store film images in a way that the full frame can be pulled from the disc at 24 frames-per-second without going through any intermediate step. Some players, like the Toshiba A35, can do this correctly, but others like the Toshiba XA2 go through an intermediate interlaced step before generating a progressive image.
What does it mean to have a proper 24p image? If your display can properly handle a 24p image by showing it in even multiples (e.g. 48, 72, or 96 hz - <my Pioneer KURO plasma does it at 72 hz -JIMI> ), then movements become smoother and more natural (movie projectors use a shutter to create an illusion of 48hz in the theatre). This is most evident in slow-moving images, such as scrolling credits or slow pans across a scene.
A player that can correctly take 1080p/24 off the disc and send it directly to a display that can use it also avoids various scaling artifacts. The infamous steps in Chapter 8 of Mission: Impossible III are rendered cleanly at 24p by the A35, with only slight compression noise but no moire or flickering of the steps. This is much better than the XA2, which does not produce true 24p directly from the disc but first takes an interlaced image then converts to progressive [or 1080p - to 1080i and back to 1080p -JIMI].
VIDEO TESTS - The Toshiba A35 has no Croma Upsampling Error (ABT test disc), and it correctly decodes HD color (Rec. 709) on the Digital Video Essentials HD DVD test disc. It has no cropping problems in HD or SD, rendering the full image to the edge, and it displays a full resolution 1080p image from HD discs at all points in the field.
It excels at HD 24p output, but its SD and HD 60p output is just adequate. It uses an Anchor Bay Technologies ABT1018 chip for scaling SD discs. On ABT's own test disc it doesn't perform as well on the 'Jaggies' test or the 'Race Car' test for SD DVD as the SONY Playstation3 at 1080p directly, or the OPPO DV-980H (480i) through a DVDO VP50 [scaler] or even the OPPO at 1080p directly. In this respect it is worse than the XA2.
However, it's 24p output from HD DVD discs is superb. The only problem with the 24p output of the A35 is that HD-DVD Supplements that are in interlaced SD (480i) appear with jerky motion. Also 24p with regular discs causes problems with the menus not working or lining up correctly. It is a pity that Toshiba could not have programmed the A35 to detect SD video and switch out of 24p as, for example, the PS3 does. At the very least, they could have provided a button on the front panel and/or remote to allow quick switching between 24p and 60p.
THE AUDIO - Unlike SD DVD, where the issue was usually how many channels of Dolby Digital audio were on the disc, with HD-DVD 5.1 channels are assumed, and 7.1 channels are possible. There are several different audio formats, including higher bandwidth forms of Dolby and DTS as well as lossless forms of both. The ultimate is uncompressed PCM tracks, though those should be indistinguishable from the lossless formats. Whereas with SD DVD players it was standard to have the digital audio decoded and turned to analog form in the receiver or preamp, with HD DVD there are good reasons to have the audio decoded in the player then output as either multichannel PCM or as analog. This is because an HD-DVD player has many kinds of audio that must be blended into the final output (e.g. commentary or PIP sound and menu sounds). The A35 employs powerful SHARC digital signal processors to handle all these capabilties.
The Toshiba A35 has an added feature over its lesser relatives (A3 and A30). It is able to output bit stream digital audio over HDMI 1.3a for lossy Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, as well as the newer lossless audio codecs, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, at up to 7.1 channels. If you have a receiver that can decode these audio formats, you have the option of sending these signals to it, though you will lose the multiple audio streams available on some discs. I did not have a receive that could decode these signals, so I did not perform any tests of them.
Final Thoughts (excerpt) -- Since firmware update 1.3, I have not encountered playback problems with any HD DVD discs, though there have been sporadic reports of problems in the Internet forums. HD DVD discs do seem to be particularly sensitive to fingerprints and other smudges on the surface that are easily wiped off. Rental discs seem especially sensitive to damage.
The Toshiba HD-A35 is the best player available for HD DVDs, bar none. This is because of its ability to produce clean, progressive 24hz output at 1080 lines. In addition, it can send the newest audio codecs in bit stream form over its HDMI output to a receiver for decoding. Unfortunately, its performance with upscaling SD DVDs falls short of the very best. Here the older, and still comparable, HD-DVD XA2 excels. Like all HD DVD players, the ability of the A35 to be upgraded over the internet, as well as to take part in interactive activities available on certain HD DVDs over the internet, is a tremendous strength. Finally, like all HD DVD players, it is in final form and can take advantage of all the advanced programming features available on any HD DVD now or in the future. - [END]
Read the entire 4-page review on pages 52-55 of the March 2008 issue of WIDESCREEN REVIEW.
-JIMI (the Voodoo Child)
[Post edited by Love Hendrix! on Feb 21, 2008]
The reviewer, Bill Cruce, provides much info and comment, both praising the HD-DVD quality, but also saying the DVD Upconversion (while good) is bested by both an Oppo DVD player, and Sony's PS3.
Here are some paragraphs from the WR review....
It's performance is a bit of an enigma. It does a superb job with video of HD-DVD discs at 1080/24 output. But it is just adequate at upscaling standard definition (SD) DVDs. That is not to say it does a bad with SD DVDs, but there are better upscaling players out there. A further strength is its ability to put out a bit stream of the advanced audio codes so that your receiver can decode them, at up to 7.1 channels.
THE IMAGE - So what is the big deal about 24p? Film is recoded at 24 frames-per-second (fps). HD discs, both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc, store film images in a way that the full frame can be pulled from the disc at 24 frames-per-second without going through any intermediate step. Some players, like the Toshiba A35, can do this correctly, but others like the Toshiba XA2 go through an intermediate interlaced step before generating a progressive image.
What does it mean to have a proper 24p image? If your display can properly handle a 24p image by showing it in even multiples (e.g. 48, 72, or 96 hz - <my Pioneer KURO plasma does it at 72 hz -JIMI> ), then movements become smoother and more natural (movie projectors use a shutter to create an illusion of 48hz in the theatre). This is most evident in slow-moving images, such as scrolling credits or slow pans across a scene.
A player that can correctly take 1080p/24 off the disc and send it directly to a display that can use it also avoids various scaling artifacts. The infamous steps in Chapter 8 of Mission: Impossible III are rendered cleanly at 24p by the A35, with only slight compression noise but no moire or flickering of the steps. This is much better than the XA2, which does not produce true 24p directly from the disc but first takes an interlaced image then converts to progressive [or 1080p - to 1080i and back to 1080p -JIMI].
VIDEO TESTS - The Toshiba A35 has no Croma Upsampling Error (ABT test disc), and it correctly decodes HD color (Rec. 709) on the Digital Video Essentials HD DVD test disc. It has no cropping problems in HD or SD, rendering the full image to the edge, and it displays a full resolution 1080p image from HD discs at all points in the field.
It excels at HD 24p output, but its SD and HD 60p output is just adequate. It uses an Anchor Bay Technologies ABT1018 chip for scaling SD discs. On ABT's own test disc it doesn't perform as well on the 'Jaggies' test or the 'Race Car' test for SD DVD as the SONY Playstation3 at 1080p directly, or the OPPO DV-980H (480i) through a DVDO VP50 [scaler] or even the OPPO at 1080p directly. In this respect it is worse than the XA2.
However, it's 24p output from HD DVD discs is superb. The only problem with the 24p output of the A35 is that HD-DVD Supplements that are in interlaced SD (480i) appear with jerky motion. Also 24p with regular discs causes problems with the menus not working or lining up correctly. It is a pity that Toshiba could not have programmed the A35 to detect SD video and switch out of 24p as, for example, the PS3 does. At the very least, they could have provided a button on the front panel and/or remote to allow quick switching between 24p and 60p.
THE AUDIO - Unlike SD DVD, where the issue was usually how many channels of Dolby Digital audio were on the disc, with HD-DVD 5.1 channels are assumed, and 7.1 channels are possible. There are several different audio formats, including higher bandwidth forms of Dolby and DTS as well as lossless forms of both. The ultimate is uncompressed PCM tracks, though those should be indistinguishable from the lossless formats. Whereas with SD DVD players it was standard to have the digital audio decoded and turned to analog form in the receiver or preamp, with HD DVD there are good reasons to have the audio decoded in the player then output as either multichannel PCM or as analog. This is because an HD-DVD player has many kinds of audio that must be blended into the final output (e.g. commentary or PIP sound and menu sounds). The A35 employs powerful SHARC digital signal processors to handle all these capabilties.
The Toshiba A35 has an added feature over its lesser relatives (A3 and A30). It is able to output bit stream digital audio over HDMI 1.3a for lossy Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, as well as the newer lossless audio codecs, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, at up to 7.1 channels. If you have a receiver that can decode these audio formats, you have the option of sending these signals to it, though you will lose the multiple audio streams available on some discs. I did not have a receive that could decode these signals, so I did not perform any tests of them.
Final Thoughts (excerpt) -- Since firmware update 1.3, I have not encountered playback problems with any HD DVD discs, though there have been sporadic reports of problems in the Internet forums. HD DVD discs do seem to be particularly sensitive to fingerprints and other smudges on the surface that are easily wiped off. Rental discs seem especially sensitive to damage.
The Toshiba HD-A35 is the best player available for HD DVDs, bar none. This is because of its ability to produce clean, progressive 24hz output at 1080 lines. In addition, it can send the newest audio codecs in bit stream form over its HDMI output to a receiver for decoding. Unfortunately, its performance with upscaling SD DVDs falls short of the very best. Here the older, and still comparable, HD-DVD XA2 excels. Like all HD DVD players, the ability of the A35 to be upgraded over the internet, as well as to take part in interactive activities available on certain HD DVDs over the internet, is a tremendous strength. Finally, like all HD DVD players, it is in final form and can take advantage of all the advanced programming features available on any HD DVD now or in the future. - [END]
Read the entire 4-page review on pages 52-55 of the March 2008 issue of WIDESCREEN REVIEW.
-JIMI (the Voodoo Child)
[Post edited by Love Hendrix! on Feb 21, 2008]
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Member since:
June 2006
June 2006
Hey Falcon, who said -
Well, see my post above with the WR excerpts. Obviously, the A35 is NOT as good at upconverting SD-DVD as the XA2 player. However, the A35 surpasses the XA2 somewhat in providing the best quality HD-DVD image (if using 1080p/24 output to a TV capable of displaying it in native 1080p/24 form). So, BOTH PLAYERS are top-notch and worth owning!
Hey, IF I later find a 'steal' opportunity (like somebody letting go of their XA2 for a 'steal' of a great price), they I'll acquire one of these as well. Probably won't happen (not that lucky), but if the opportunity arises, I'll let everyone here know - and you should too!
-JIMI (the Voodoo Child)
Quote:
"That's the first time I've heard of the A35 having as good upconverting as the XA2."
Well, see my post above with the WR excerpts. Obviously, the A35 is NOT as good at upconverting SD-DVD as the XA2 player. However, the A35 surpasses the XA2 somewhat in providing the best quality HD-DVD image (if using 1080p/24 output to a TV capable of displaying it in native 1080p/24 form). So, BOTH PLAYERS are top-notch and worth owning!
Hey, IF I later find a 'steal' opportunity (like somebody letting go of their XA2 for a 'steal' of a great price), they I'll acquire one of these as well. Probably won't happen (not that lucky), but if the opportunity arises, I'll let everyone here know - and you should too!
-JIMI (the Voodoo Child)
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Member since:
June 2006
June 2006
> VIEW HERE - for the Toshiba A35 HD-DVD player review I mentioned in above post (from the March 2008 issue of WIDESCREEN REVIEW). To access the review, you have to either be a subscriber, or have a WR online access account.
Note: online disc reviews are FREE, although brief and to the point about the disc's A/V quality. WR reviews DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-ray discs.
I highly recommend subscribing to this magazine - just wish the type-font (print) was larger.
-JIMI (the Voodoo Child)
Note: online disc reviews are FREE, although brief and to the point about the disc's A/V quality. WR reviews DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-ray discs.
I highly recommend subscribing to this magazine - just wish the type-font (print) was larger.
-JIMI (the Voodoo Child)
