Used units are only selling for about 60 bucks, tops on ebay
Is it really worth selling?
We all got into this knowing it would very possibly be a poor financial investment.
At the time it was worthwhile to get a taste of HD at half the price (or less) of blu ray.

I'm keeping mine (HD-A1) for the HD discs I have, but it is also an excellent up-converting DVD player. I'm considering picking up a newer model to have just for that. I understand that Blu-ray players don't up-convert very well.

The average Blu-ray player scales as well as the average HD-DVD player.

The best HD-DVD players do seem better at it than the best Blu-ray players though.

Used units are only selling for about 60 bucks, tops on ebay
Is it really worth selling?
We all got into this knowing it would very possibly be a poor financial investment.
At the time it was worthwhile to get a taste of HD at half the price (or less) of blu ray.

I don't regret buying it at all and love it to bits, but I use a HTPC for upscaling my DVDs and play blurays. My ultimate goal is to have it all from the HTPC, so the A1 will be surplus to requirements, but would not be if it played multiregion & PAL SD DVDs!

I don't regret buying it at all and love it to bits, but I use a HTPC for upscaling my DVDs and play blurays. My ultimate goal is to have it all from the HTPC, so the A1 will be surplus to requirements, but would not be if it played multiregion & PAL SD DVDs!
I hear you.
I read recently about an internal drive that plays both BD and HD-DVDs for about $400.

Two years ago today, this thread burst upon AVS, and thus began our HD DVD player experience.

Things have quieted down now, changes have come, life goes on, and here is a toast to the HD player that started it all for many of us!

Two years ago today, this thread burst upon AVS, and thus began our HD DVD player experience.

Things have quieted down now, changes have come, life goes on, and here is a toast to the HD player that started it all for many of us!

Ditto from me. I got mine on May 1, 2006. It was a blast following that first thread. I haven't ever been as excited about a CE product as I was those days.........Good times, good times!

Ditto from me. I got mine on May 1, 2006. It was a blast following that first thread. I haven't ever been as excited about a CE product as I was those days.........Good times, good times!

It goes on and on for me. I still have my A1 and now own several others. I now have nearly 200 discs and can't for the life of me see why people would jump and give up this. Unlike the change to other new technologies, the quality of video/audio from these at least equals what the other technology has. And, they made over 500 titles. I can see why people jumped from laserdisc, VHS, etc. (the new tech replacing it was better) but why would you not hang onto this for quite a while?

Two years ago today, this thread burst upon AVS, and thus began our HD DVD player experience.

Things have quieted down now, changes have come, life goes on, and here is a toast to the HD player that started it all for many of us!

Yes, I still have the A1 and I got it the day it came out (4/06) from BB. I now have the A1, 2 A35's and 1 A30. I got the A30 and 2nd A35 as backups because I want to enjoy the HD DVD movies for years to come.

Has any member downloaded and installed the latest firmware ver 3.0? Have you seen any improvements?

Interesting question -- I see it's not available for ISO download. Anbody have any experience with the April 23 3.0 release?

Ordered it direct from TACP and they said it was out fo stock...my envelope arrives 2 days later with F/W v2.4 ?!?!?!

Interesting question -- I see it's not available for ISO download. Anbody have any experience with the April 23 3.0 release?
Is the 3.0 firmware for the A1?
All the previous firmware updates Toshiba had mailed to me directly (without my having to ask), I suppose perhaps they are discontinuing that practice.

Is the 3.0 firmware for the A1?
All the previous firmware updates Toshiba had mailed to me directly (without my having to ask), I suppose perhaps they are discontinuing that practice.

Yes, I downloaded it. It works fine. Seems to improve the HDMI hadshake retention when switching inputs on your tv.

My HD A1 stopped working today. It was playing a disc and froze up. I shut the player down and turned it back on, but the player doesn't seem to be working.

It LCD indicates that the disc is playing, but no sound or video is exporting. One time I tried to I tried to hit setup, but the menu doesn't come up, just a black screen.

I unplugged the player for a while and tried it again and have the same problems. Is the player shot?

I had the same problem with mine after I had re-initialized it. I couldn't get any picture or sound no matter what I tried. I then hit the V.Output button on the remote, everything came back instantly.

I must have turned off the HDMI out by re-initializing. Maybe you hit this button by accident and turned off the HDMI. This is assuming your hooked up with the HDMI port. Maybe try another video output and see if they work.

Good luck.

I had the same problem with mine after I had re-initialized it. I couldn't get any picture or sound no matter what I tried. I then hit the V.Output button on the remote, everything came back instantly.

I must have turned off the HDMI out by re-initializing. Maybe you hit this button by accident and turned off the HDMI. This is assuming your hooked up with the HDMI port. Maybe try another video output and see if they work.

Good luck.

You're a genius. :) I hit the V.Output button and now everything is working again. Whew.

Thanks so much!

Is the 3.0 firmware for the A1?
All the previous firmware updates Toshiba had mailed to me directly (without my having to ask), I suppose perhaps they are discontinuing that practice.
Toshiba has always been way behind the curve in sending out the FW update discs, but they do finally arrive. I suspect they will be later than normal with this release. :D

I'm just glad that they're still sending out updates when the format is dead.

Will the A-1 give me the ability to send True-HD to my ONKYO 605 receiver? I read the Audio Chart on the 1st page, but I'm still not 100% clear on this.

The HD-A1 can decode 5.1-channel Dolby TrueHD into multichannel PCM and send the PCM over HDMI to your Onkyo. It cannot send bitstream Dolby TrueHD (nor DTS-MA) from its HDMI port; that ability requires an HDMI v1.3 port which the A1 does not have.

I had the same problem with mine after I had re-initialized it. I couldn't get any picture or sound no matter what I tried. I then hit the V.Output button on the remote, everything came back instantly.
I must have turned off the HDMI out by re-initializing. Maybe you hit this button by accident and turned off the HDMI. This is assuming your hooked up with the HDMI port. Maybe try another video output and see if they work. Good luck.

When you reinitialize, the A-1 reverts back to factory default settings which are the component inputs.

The HD-A1 can decode 5.1-channel Dolby TrueHD into multichannel PCM and send the PCM over HDMI to your Onkyo. It cannot send bitstream Dolby TrueHD (nor DTS-MA) from its HDMI port; that ability requires an HDMI v1.3 port which the A1 does not have.

Thank You Chris...

Has anyone had problems with upgrading your A-1 to f/w 3.0 from a CD burned with the .iso image from website? I burned about 7 "coaster" yesterday using different software from IsoBurn, BurnAtOnce, ImgBurn and CDBurner from Nero without success. I tried different speed from 1X to 8X, no luck. As a last resort I strung a 50' ethernet cable from my rcomputer router in the Den to the HD-A1 and behold, it downloaded in 15 minutes!

I have not had the same problem with CDs with either of my HD-A30 players or my Samsung BDP-1400 BluRay player. I wonder why the HD-A1 is so difficult?

The HD-A1 can decode 5.1-channel Dolby TrueHD into multichannel PCM and send the PCM over HDMI to your Onkyo. It cannot send bitstream Dolby TrueHD (nor DTS-MA) from its HDMI port; that ability requires an HDMI v1.3 port which the A1 does not have.

I have been using PCM as my preferred audio output to my Onydo 605, but while viewing 'I ROBOT' with Will Smith on SDDVD, I switched to "auto" and the audio output became Dolby Digital. The sound seemed much clearer, louder and the rear speakers of my 5.1 system became active. If I select "Bitstream", it will probably come out Dolby Digital, right?

Toshiba has always been way behind the curve in sending out the FW update discs, but they do finally arrive. I suspect they will be later than normal with this release. :D
Received my 3.0 update disc in the mail today. Kudos to Toshiba for their ongoing support.

Received my 3.0 update disc in the mail today. Kudos to Toshiba for their ongoing support.
Aside from the other benefits, let us not forget one of the PRINCIPAL benefits of the Toshiba HD-DVD players(I have an HD-A1 and an HD-A3), and that is their SUPERB upconversion capability - equal to or better than units costing hundreds of dollars more. I'd never trade either of mine. Wonder how many of BestBuy's trade-in offers on these machines were actually done???

Aside from the other benefits, let us not forget one of the PRINCIPAL benefits of the Toshiba HD-DVD players(I have an HD-A1 and an HD-A3), and that is their SUPERB upconversion capability - equal to or better than units costing hundreds of dollars more. I'd never trade either of mine. Wonder how many of BestBuy's trade-in offers on these machines were actually done???

Anyone who went for that Best Buy trade-in "offer" got seriously ripped. I second your praises of the upconversion quality of these players.

There is an XA1, A2 , two PS3's and a 360 in the house...and let me tell you, for the sake of standard DVD playback, I'm glad we chose to hang on to the HD DVD players. The PS3 is great for BDs (well, the BDs which were actually mastered properly)...but its DVD upscaling is inadequate and leaves much to be desired. Maybe Sony will improve the function in a future update.

Also important to many is that NTSC PS3's won't spin region 0 PAL (something the 360 does quite well actually ..albeit 480p conversion).

Version 3.0 of the firmware is not available for the first generation models at the Toshiba website or via download. It's also available for the 3rd generation models as I have both. This may be the last update we see?

I'm sure it's in here somewhere but too many pages to look through. Anyone know how to get HDMI audio while using component video output? Is it even possible?

Stace

It is not possible.

I have noticed something curious with my A1 when playing standard dvd's. A very few (Who framed Roger Rabbit and Fargo I know for sure) will not display in widescreen format, even though the disc is a widescreen edition and does play in widescreen on my standard Sony dvd player. Most widescreen format dvd's do play on the A1 as they are supposed to. Is there just some sort of flag on the disc that the A1 isn't reading correctly? Any ideas and has anyone else experienced this?

Yes. Some of the older titles will not play correctly. On my rig, I can get it to work by switching to 480i output on the A1. This then activates my TV's ability to stretch and zoom and voila, all is good.

Yes. Some of the older titles will not play correctly. On my rig, I can get it to work by switching to 480i output on the A1. This then activates my TV's ability to stretch and zoom and voila, all is good.

Thanks,
At least I know it's not just mine. I'll try the 480i.

These widescreen discs with the problems are almost certainly non-anamorphic titles; that is, they are not "16:9 enhanced for widescreen TVs". Instead, they have hard-coded video black bars above and below the movie in a 4:3 aspect ratio. Standard DVD players can generally make such discs fill a 16:9 display when set that way in the player's menu, but HD DVD players have not had that ability.

Version 3.0 of the firmware is not available for the first generation models at the Toshiba website or via download.
Is this the last word on 3.0 -- it's no longer available? (If so, why would that be?)

Is this the last word on 3.0 -- it's no longer available? (If so, why would that be?)
3.0 is still available for the HD-A1 on their website. I just downloaded the ISO from there.

http://www.tacpservice.toshiba.com/ConsumerProductSupport/productupdatesandnotices.asp

Version 3.0 of the firmware is not available for the first generation models at the Toshiba website or via download. It's also available for the 3rd generation models as I have both. This may be the last update we see?
I think perhaps he meant to say "is now available ."
Toshiba had mailed me my copy to updat my A1, as they have for all the updates.

Well, perhaps I'm misunderstanding something then, since the firmware file offered me from that page is 2400N -- surely that can't be right?

Well, perhaps I'm misunderstanding something then, since the firmware file offered me from that page is 2400N -- surely that can't be right?
I see that too. Can't think of a way to tell if that's right other than loading it onto a player and then checking the version.

Well, perhaps I'm misunderstanding something then, since the firmware file offered me from that page is 2400N -- surely that can't be right?

You can always give Toshiba a call and ask them to send
you a 3.0 upgrade disc. The part # is HDVD 3001. I got mine on 5/13/08. This disc is no charge and will upgrade the HD-A1, HD-XA1, and the HD-D1 to 3.0.

Hope this helps,
Ben Music

What does the 3.0 version do that previous upgrades don not? 24P output?

What does the 3.0 version do that previous upgrades don not? 24P output?
From Toshiba's website...

"Frequently Asked Questions:

Q1. What does this update do?

A1.This firmware update improves network connectivity for supporting the download of web- enabled network content associated with certain HD DVD discs, improves certain video and audio processing capabilities, and also addresses certain disc playback and HDMI/DVI related issues identified by Toshiba."

The most notable feature is that my HD-A1 no longer loses the HDMI handshake when I switch to the on-screen menu of my receiver, which was a real pain because you had to restart and wait for the player to boot up.

No 24Hz output -- at least not for the HD-A1.

ok. if it fixes some of the handshake problems it's probably worth it. I loose this when i switch between my pre/pro (Outlaw 990) that is being used to switch audio only between satillite box (using optical input) and the HD-A1 (using 5.1 analog audio input). I just have to open and shut the door to get it to re-accept tha handshake, but it would be nice if it didn't have this problem. Shame they can't get it to output 24p- even at 720P that would help me. Shame we lost the war, I thought this was better than BR. With pricing where BR is , it will be a good 3-5 years before I spring for another player. Perhaps Toshiba has one more update in them . . .. . . :) . . . . for the adopters of thier format HD disk even if it is kaput.

Issuing firmwares to make all their HD-DVD players region free would be handy too!

The most notable feature is that my HD-A1 no longer loses the HDMI handshake when I switch to the on-screen menu of my receiver, which was a real pain because you had to restart and wait for the player to boot up.

No 24Hz output -- at least not for the HD-A1.

Just curious. Which reveiver do you have the problem with?

Stace

Toshiba has released firmware 4.0 for the HD-A1 and HD-A30. Go to Toshiba's website, click on Customer Support and look under DVD players.
Link is below:

http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/customersupport/

Do we know what 4.0 actually does (not just the Toshiba website). I've downloaded and installed it but don't see anything added!!

Region free capability for SD DVD would be fantastic!! ....and if it could play blu rays even better!

Do we know what 4.0 actually does ....and if it could play blu rays even better!
haha that would be some beautiful trick!!:D

4.0 upgrade - what does it do? 24p output would be nice I agree. according to Toshiba website "This firmware update improves support for Addresses certain disc playback related issues identified by Toshiba , Play state specification is changed (Advanced playback function) When "pause state" continues 3 hours." what does this mean? Is it worth the effort to upgrade?

I've upgraded from 3.0 and see / hear no discernible difference!!

4.0 finally eliminates the chugging sound of my HD-A1 when playing SD discs (this problem started with the 2.3 update). Also the moire problem in the rotating elevator scene immediately after docking at the space station in 2001(HD DVD) is gone.

Hard to believe its been 3 years since this thread hit AVS hard and heavy!

Fun, fun times back then.;)

I got my HD-A1 on the first day a local Best Buy had it sitting inconspicuously on a shelf. God bless that tank of a machine, it's still running beautifully in my rack, near it's younger cousin, the HD-A35.

The third anniversary was last Tuesday. I remember it like it was yesterday. Calling Best Buys the next morning until I found one with their three players. Walking to the front counter of the store with the box held high like I had won the Super Bowl and it was the Lombardi Trophy. The long wait (really only three days) until stores here would sell the first HD DVDs. Then, trying to figure out what the heck was going on with the audio... Finding out I needed a DTS decoder?

Hi-def still rules! (in any format)

I got my HD-A1 on the first day a local Best Buy had it sitting inconspicuously on a shelf. God bless that tank of a machine, it's still running beautifully in my rack, near it's younger cousin, the HD-A35.

I also remember it fondly. I called the BB closest to me and they didn't have it. I then called the one on the other side of town and they had one. I asked them to hold it at the customer service counter and found it waiting for me there. Went to get it during the lunch break at work. Got it on the first day they were out. Still have it now but don't use it much. Last time I tried it, it was still working fine. I still think the wrong format won, but what can I do about it? Just got four new HD DVDs for as low as $2.77 each.

I'm looking for an HD-DVD player for my son, and came across an A1. What's a fair price for a used one? Has the A1 been pretty reliable? I have the A2 and it's been great. How does the A1 compare to the A2 with HD-DVD's and SD upconversion? Thanks.

Don't know about the price, but I'd say it should be at least $50 less than an A2. The A1 is a good player, but it's slower to load, can be a little catankerous with older displays (using the HDMI output), and is more sensitive to ambient heat. It also requires more restraint with the remote (give the button presses time to do their jobs). There are indications the A1 mechanism loses its ability to read HD DVD before having trouble with CD or DVD -- probably a laser focusing issue. However, it provides excellent upscaling with SD DVD (probably superior to the A2, though the A2 is still very good). Given a choice between an A2 and an A1 I would favor the A2, but my RCA HDV-5000 (basically an A1) is the main player in my main system :)!

PS. One nice thing about the A1 is it only takes a button press to select between the component output and HDMI. The A2 automatically goes to HDMI if a cable is detected, there's no choice.

4.0 finally eliminates the chugging sound of my HD-A1 when playing SD discs (this problem started with the 2.3 update). Also the moire problem in the rotating elevator scene immediately after docking at the space station in 2001(HD DVD) is gone.

I'm just now updating my XA1 to 4.0. Oops!

I'm just now updating my XA1 to 4.0. Oops!

I still haven't updated my A1 to FW 4.0 yet. Did anyone ever find a list of fixes that this FW is supposed to be good for? I haven't any problems whatsoever with my A1 and therefore haven't seen a reason to update it.

I haven't moved to 4.0 either, but I remember seeing that moire in the elevator scene on 2001. If it's really gone, I only wonder if anything changed for the worse. Rev 2.4 has given me the best color quality of any release up to that time (HDMI -> DVI-D), that's the main reason I've been reluctant to change. I'd rather keep the moire in that scene than drop back in color accuracy in every scene. 'Course, I could probably try 4.0 and if I'm not satisfied return to 2.4.

Has anybody tried backing up from 4.0 yet? It wasn't possible to go back to pre 2.0, how about pre 4.0?

This is a fun thread to re-visit, especially the first pages. Feels like nostalgia now.

Upgrading to 4.0 at the moment!

This is a fun thread to re-visit, especially the first pages. Feels like nostalgia now.

Interesting that it's almost exactly 4 years ago, as well.

The local Best Buy got in 3 today. One went up for display (they were hooking it up as I walked in) the other 2 were for sale. Bought their first one. I added the 4 year service plan for $40. Picked up an AR HDMI cable to hook it up.
(quoting the first post in this thread)
I'll bet you never needed that service plan these 4 years :p

This is a fun thread to re-visit, especially the first pages. Feels like nostalgia now.

But the pics are gone from the 1st page. That sucks. They were kind of immortalized here.

Yep what a great memory...........it was way more fun than when Blu-ray came out...........I was obsessed for two weeks until I bought mine on May 1st. Our BB had one unit in stock, but wouldn't sell it to me until an add came out the next day. I was so ticked. I went to Sears with my wife to run an errand and to my great shock, they had one in the back. I bought it and also bought Serenity and Apollo 13. I loved reading this thread and seeing the pics. I have NEVER been so excited in my life to purchase a consumer electronics device like I did with that HD-DVD player. I have purchased many other things since but it all pales in comparison to walking out of Sears (of all places) with that big red and white box. :)

We really do need those pictures. Its too bad that AVS doesn't have a AVS photo album section with those nostalgic pictures..............

We really do need those pictures. Its too bad that AVS doesn't have a AVS photo album section with those nostalgic pictures..............

And the OP hasn't posted since 2008!

It is hard to believe it has been 4 years! I ran out and bought one the first day, after I saw the first couple of pictures posted at the beginning of the this post. Serenity was one of my first purchases, and to this day I still love that HD-DVD, I also double dipped that one on Blu Ray. I still have my A1, never ever had a problem with it. I upgraded all the fw on it, and it never failed to play a disc, including the DVD flippers. My A1 is in storage, but I have an Onkyo 805 and XA2 that I use now.

Hard to believe its been 3 years since this thread hit AVS hard and heavy!

Fun, fun times back then.;)

Damn! Another year.:D

Hopefully some of the regular posters from back in the day who haven't been on AVS for sometime are doing fine. You never hear from some of them and they made major contributions to the AVS forums.

Four years and we finally get LOTR on HD disc, and HD DVD was dealt the blow of death which wouldn't allow it to display the trilogy. Life continues on however, and I'll always have fond memories of when HD DVD came on the scene......fun times.

My RCA still works fine and my HD DVD's still play fine :)! I'd liked to have seen the 51GB 3-layer disc appear on the shelves with all players compatible, and when viewing BD, I miss the consistency and speed of HD DVD -- but what can you do? I'm still there, but unfortunately, HD DVD isn't :(! Consequently, I now have three BD players.

My RCA still works fine and my HD DVD's still play fine :)! I'd liked to have seen the 51GB 3-layer disc appear on the shelves with all players compatible, and when viewing BD, I miss the consistency and speed of HD DVD -- but what can you do? I'm still there, but unfortunately, HD DVD isn't :(! Consequently, I now have three BD players.

Yep, we are in the same boat..........I also have three BD players...........I love HDM.......but I still liked and will always like HD-DVD better. It is very sickof me, but I miss those format war discussions. This site was hopping like crazy for those couple years.

I don't know man, to my way of thinking, Sony has a tradition of stomping on better ideas. But even saying that is dangerous -- can get you demerits :(! Toshiba clearly made the right decision in shutting down HD DVD, with the turnabout of Warner, and follow up exit of a couple key retailers, there just wasn't a real opportunity left :(! But that was certainly a sad time for those of us who genuinely believed in the format. At least for me, BD will always be the squirrely cousin that is capable of producing, but is likely to annoy you at the same time.

Still, the most important thing is there remains an HD disc format that is capable of bringing better images and sound than could ever be rationally expected from previous media releases. I'm glad BD is there, but I definitely miss HD DVD :(!

I'll never forget one of my first HD DVD's (End of Days) and the difference in the sound and picture. The sound was really awesome.

Haven't been here in a while. Watched "Bourne Supremacy" on my XA2 night before last. What a pleasure! I have an A1, 2 A3s, and the XA2 in the theater ... plus the LG BH200 in our guest room. I guess I have about 35 HD DVDs. And the most important one is still not available on BD ... "Eagles: Live From Melbourne".

It's funny how one title can make an old format so valuable. I still now and then run "Alien" on my DTheater deck. I guess this Fall, that title will finally be available on BD ... but I've had it for years in HD and it's been worth it.

Never got into Laserdisc ... but I know how those dedicated folks feel.

BTW, I have two Panasonic BD players. They are very nice.

I got Best Buy to sell me the first HD-DVD player a few days before the official release date, and they threw in a copy of Phantom. I was constantly freeze-framing to catch all the detail in the costumes.

The release of King Kong, Transformers, 300, Matrix, and the promise of LOTR were suppose to put HD-DVD over the top, but Sony flexed its muscle and purchased a victory (for which I think they are still paying) rather than on the merits. There is no question in my mind that HD-DVD was the more robust format but money talks.

I regularly use my HD-DVD player, and until the OPPO blu-ray came out, nothing could touch it for upconverting SD DVDs. I hope it holds out for 5 more years.

You just touched on something I've been curious about. Have you seen the Oppo 83 upconvert SD DVD? If so, how's it compare with the XA2. I've been considering purchasing one ... but if it weren't a lot better than what I have, I'd pass.

The Oppo will output SD DVD at 1080p 24Hz. If you have a display device that can accept such a signal, then the Oppo has the advantage. Greg Rogers talks about this benefit in his recent review of the JVC RS35U projector.

Otherwise, it would be a close call between the two players. On the other hand, the Oppo is very fast at loading discs and plays SACD and DVD-Audio, which I enjoy very much.

Thanks for that info.

I got Best Buy to sell me the first HD-DVD player a few days before the official release date, and they threw in a copy of Phantom. I was constantly freeze-framing to catch all the detail in the costumes.

The release of King Kong, Transformers, 300, Matrix, and the promise of LOTR were suppose to put HD-DVD over the top, but Sony flexed its muscle and purchased a victory (for which I think they are still paying) rather than on the merits. There is no question in my mind that HD-DVD was the more robust format but money talks.

I regularly use my HD-DVD player, and until the OPPO blu-ray came out, nothing could touch it for upconverting SD DVDs. I hope it holds out for 5 more years.

Kevin,

Glad to see you around and kicking. I hadn't run into any of your posts for a long time here.

I got Best Buy to sell me the first HD-DVD player a few days before the official release date, and they threw in a copy of Phantom. ...

I just got Phantom on blu-ray (I know bad word here in this thread) at BB for $9.99. I had never seen it before but thought it was pretty good.

I just got Phantom on blu-ray (I know bad word here in this thread) at BB for $9.99. I had never seen it before but thought it was pretty good.

Naw, not a bad word, just reality..........I was thinking when you mentioned the Phantom. I had never seen that, never had any desire to. But when HD DVD came out there was so few titles I was starving for content. I bought that and watched it with my family and surprisingly enough, we all liked it. I used to use it as a reference to show my family and friends HD-DVD. There is some amazing HD scenes in it........

Can't believe it's been four years; Warner sucks..

Can't believe it's been four years; Warner sucks..
Careful, you can get your wrist slapped for saying something like that, happened to me :(!

Warner doesn't give a damn about their customers only the bottom line. I sent an email to them complaining about not being able to transfer the digital copy of "Risky Business" because they had a time deadline (I missed by only a few days). I never even got a response.

Yeah.... I love a round of Warner Bashing!!!

On a personal note I blame them more for the demise of the HD-DVD than I do Sony. There "stupid" decision to release all content on the dual-format discs pushed the price up where no one was buying anything... which provided a self-fulfilling prophecy that the format was of no interest to anyone! grrrrrr

Before that I could buy HD-DVD's at Wal-Mart for $17 which was only $2 more than the standard dvd and I felt a terrific value. After Warner changed there policy all the HD-DVD's jumped up to $29 and sales went into the toilet.

IMHO ..... of course

My HD-A1 is still working brilliantly in my system (plus I have another A1, A3 and SDH7000 in storage). To me, HD DVD is not dead, it's complete (like LaserDisc). I will not be replacing any of my HD DVDs with the equivalent Blu-ray release (do you hear that, Warner & Universal?).

I will not be replacing any of my HD DVDs with the equivalent Blu-ray release (do you hear that, Warner & Universal?).

Ditto for me. I recently saw the 3 Bourne movies in a Blu-ray package for $85. I've owned them for years on HD-DVD. Do they think we're stupid enough to re-purchase the same movies when the picture quality is the same? No thanks!

Do they think we're stupid enough to re-purchase the same movies when the picture quality is the same?If we're lucky, it's the same. "Apollo 13" wasn't so lucky.

My HD-A1 is still working brilliantly in my system (plus I have another A1, A3 and SDH7000 in storage). To me, HD DVD is not dead, it's complete (like LaserDisc). I will not be replacing any of my HD DVDs with the equivalent Blu-ray release (do you hear that, Warner & Universal?).

"Brilliantly" is not a word I would have ever chosen to describe the operation of my HD-A1. Mine's still plugging away too though. It doesn't see much use in the Sargasso of AV equipment that's otherwise known as my living room. The A35 in the theater room still gets a workout.

So far, I haven't replaced any HD-DVD's with equivalent BD's...even through trade-in deals. I'm finding some of the series boxes a little annoying. For instance Smallville where I have seasons on DVD, HD-DVD and BD. I figure when the BD's are in the $5 bin at Walmart, I may consider duplicating purchases.

If we're lucky, it's the same. "Apollo 13" wasn't so lucky.

Neither was The Thing...

As you can see from my signature, I have 63 HD DVDs and will not be replacing them with BD. I have a spare A30 and A35 along with another A35 and an A1 to hopefully last a lifetime so that I'll never have to replace the HD DVDs.

If we're lucky, it's the same. "Apollo 13" wasn't so lucky.

Isn't that funny. Looking at Xylon's thread and looking at the specs isn't it amazing how the BD has a bigger disc capacity and much higher bitrates, yet the HD DVD is superior to the BD. This disc is one example where BD's theoretical advantages have done nothing to make the title better. Maybe its a VC-1 vs AVC argument............Remember those discussions?

Isn't that funny. Looking at Xylon's thread and looking at the specs isn't it amazing how the BD has a bigger disc capacity and much higher bitrates, yet the HD DVD is superior to the BD. This disc is one example where BD's theoretical advantages have done nothing to make the title better. Maybe its a VC-1 vs AVC argument............Remember those discussions?

Bigger capacity and bitrates help. Imagine if Warner porting the LOTR trilogy to HD DVD, you will see a much softer picture(even with VC-1) plus no lossless sound.

Bigger capacity and bitrates help. Imagine if Warner porting the LOTR trilogy to HD DVD, you will see a much softer picture(even with VC-1) plus no lossless sound.

In theory yes................but it doesn't always work out that way. (See Apollo 13) They did wonders with VC-1 on HD DVD. We'll never find out so this argument is pointless.........

In theory yes................but it doesn't always work out that way. (See Apollo 13) They did wonders with VC-1 on HD DVD. We'll never find out so this argument is pointless.........

Universal did a good job with King Kong, Fast and Furious series and Bourne trilogy since all have better picture and sound on BD compare to HD DVD. I admit that they screwed up Apollo 13 and U-571 big time, but to me bigger spaces and higher bitrate do make BD a superior format.

I still have two HD DVD players but I will eventually replace all of the remaining HD DVDs with BDs. HD players are too slow, too buggy. And the movies themselves look soft compare to BD.

Universal did a good job with King Kong, Fast and Furious series and Bourne trilogy since all have better picture and sound on BD compare to HD DVD. I admit that they screwed up Apollo 13 and U-571 big time, but to me bigger spaces and higher bitrate do make BD a superior format.

I still have two HD DVD players but I will eventually replace all of the remaining HD DVDs with BDs. HD players are too slow, too buggy. And the movies themselves look soft compare to BD.

The movies look soft? That is a huge overgeneralization. Not sure what you are talking about. Both formats have certain movies with suboptimal encodes that are soft. King Kong and the Bourne movies look better on BD?? Proof please. The only BD player that hasn't had any bugs is the PS3. Most all of them have had various movie issues and have required firmware to fix them. Look at the BD player section in this forum, there are tons of issues. I too have moved on and have three BD players...........but other than theorical advantages, BD hasn't provided me with an overall better experience in the real world. Can anyone else chime in with their experiences?

After reading Xylon's threads it seems that there is no clear winner in the King Kong PQ comparison..........a few more seem to think the HD DVD may even look better. The Bourne series, seems to give the blu a slight advantage, but 95% of the population would never even notice in the real world. It doesn't matter, the format war is over and we live in a blu world. I'm not really unhappy about it either. I just don't think that blu winning was as great a thing as some claim. I would have been just as happy with the opposite outcome. What I am tickled about is that we have HD media to play.

The movies look soft? That is a huge overgeneralization. Not sure what you are talking about. Both formats have certain movies with suboptimal encodes that are soft. King Kong and the Bourne movies look better on BD?? Proof please. The only BD player that hasn't had any bugs is the PS3. Most all of them have had various movie issues and have required firmware to fix them. Look at the BD player section in this forum, there are tons of issues. I too have moved on and have three BD players...........but other than theorical advantages, BD hasn't provided me with an overall better experience in the real world. Can anyone else chime in with their experiences?

Agreed. Calling equivalent HD DVD releases "soft" is ridiculous. Have you seen The Thing on Blu-ray? Talk about soft. There is so much DNR applied to the BD that the HD DVD image absolutely pops off the screen when played back-to-back. There are no appreciable differences between the formats when the same master/encode is used. And to be honest, I even have difficulty hearing differences between a high bitrate DD+ soundtrack on an HD DVD and a lossless soundtrack on the equivalent BD.

Again, it is not worth my hard-earned money to "upgrade" an HD DVD to BD unless the film has undergone a completely new restoration for the BD release.

I actually owned an A2, but decided to return it when Wal-Mart offered a buyback (@ end of the 'war'). Resolved not to buy anything Sony, I picked up the LG Super-Blu player instead. So far, it's played everything I've thrown at it, and I haven't updated its firmware (have yet to try Avatar, though).

There's no way I'll replace my current HD DVDs; I don't mind being "purple".

Universal did a good job with King Kong, Fast and Furious series and Bourne trilogy since all have better picture and sound on BD compare to HD DVD. I admit that they screwed up Apollo 13 and U-571 big time, but to me bigger spaces and higher bitrate do make BD a superior format.

I still have two HD DVD players but I will eventually replace all of the remaining HD DVDs with BDs. HD players are too slow, too buggy. And the movies themselves look soft compare to BD.
I disagree on too slow and buggy, a severe generalization, and I disagree on the movies being soft compared to BD, another severe generalization. In any case this is the wrong forum for HD DVD bashing, try the BD forum. As it says in the forum heading -- if you're not here for HD DVD, move on! The war is over!

The activity on this thread motivated me to purchase some additional HD-DVDs on Amazon and E-Bay. You can get some great HD movies for $5 with shipping.