Tosh HD-XA2 1080p HD DVD - First End User Reports!: USERS ONLY PLEASE! - Page 50

I have the XA2, and use it as my primary player for HD DVD, SD DVD, and CD.

I use 1080p over a 30' BlueJeansCable HDMI connection to an RS-1.

I use the analog outs - they work fine, even the LFE. (caveat: I don't use BM)

I have had no problems.

I have had no freezing.

I have had no discs that won't play.

I have had no shutdowns.

I have NEVER had to unplug the unit or turn it off due to a lock-up.

I have never had an HDMI handshaking problem.

I have only seen a syncing issue once (I think). This was with a SD DVD, and it was not repeatable.

Bottom line: I would STRONGLY recommend the XA2, based on my experience. It is the best DVD player I have ever owned - in every respect.

There are hundreds of people on this forum who have this unit. There are fewer than ten who consistently post about problems with it. The rest of us spend our time using the system, not posting about problems we don't have.

Ditto - I completely agree!

That's not to say there aren't any XA2's without problems, but that's definately the minority.

That change was made only to: televisions/projectors/computers/cameras/camcorders/ipod mp3 players/ and cell phones (90 days on these items). It didn't cover DVD players.

From the HD-A20 ordering page:
Shipping & Terms
This item is covered by Costco's guarantee to refund your purchase price if you are not completely satisfied. Costco's guarantee applies, even though this item may not be covered by the manufacturer's warranty, because Costco is not an "authorized" dealer of the merchandise.
Shipping will be calculated at checkout based on your ship-to location.

Like I said, golden.

Mauney & Rambler:

Thanks for your input. It's nice to hear that this player is performing up to spec with some people here.

As of now, XA2 is still preordered. We'll see

I will continue on with the order since my primary display for the XA2 will be the 720P Sanyo Z5 and I can be happy just using the digital coax out to my Onkyo HT audio receiver from the XA2. I simply decided to go ahead and order the XA2 in the first place to be able to view HD DVD content and since I haven`t heard of alot of issues with the 720P or digital coax with the XA2 I figured what the heck !

Another reason was if I upgrade to a 1080 FP in the future hopefully by then the current issues some folks are having related to the 1080P & audio outs will be resolved with later firmware updates providing the issues ARE software related.

I opted for the XA2 due to the reviews of the chip it uses vs. the A20 & A2.

Rest assured the FIRST problem I encounter with the XA2 I will definitely request a total refund from Amazon within the 30 day grace period.

Regards

Second that -- no problems what-so-ever w/ a 1080p output to the Sony 60A2000.....

[quote=MauneyM]I have the XA2, and use it as my primary player for HD DVD, SD DVD, and CD.

I use the analog outs - they work fine, even the LFE. (caveat: I don't use BM)

How can you avoid using BM and still use the 5.1 analogs? Do you mean BM on the player or on the receiver? At least you must say if the speakers are small or large and if you are using the sub or not, right?

Sergio

[quote=slimoli]
Setting speakers to 'LARGE' disables bass management. This setting indicates that your speakers can handle whatever you send them without problem. In this mode, only the LFE signal goes to the sub (the .1 output), which is what happens in a true theater system. In this mode, the XA2 works properly.

When you set them to 'SMALL', it indicates that your speakers cannot handle low frequencies (like with small sub/satellite systems). When BM works properly, it will crossover the L/C/R signals with mid/high frequencies going to the mains and the low frequencies going to the sub out (and mixed with the LFE signal). This is what the crossover frequency setting is for - it determines the highest frequency that will be sent to the mains. This is where the XA2 has issues; the mixing of BM low frequency signals with the -10dB LFE signal apparently doesn't work as designed. [FWIW, the LFE is designed to be operated at 10 dB below the mains signals - that's in the Dolby specs, and is designed to preserve signal headroom for the extra 10 dB needed for reference level reproduction. This has caused some confusion among people who don't fully understand how 5/6/7.1 is supposed to work, but it is correct in the XA2.]

If you have good full-range mains and a decent sub for LFE, you don't need BM.

Mauney,

You got everything correct except for the fact that if you select "None" for the center channel, the center speaker's material does not go to the LF and RF as it should. Also, the center channel does not turn off as it should. The LFE channel should spread the bass to any "Large" speakers if you select "None" for the LFE channel. It does not. Apparently, this is a problem with all the HD DVD players not justthe XA2. It does not do these things for the True HD or for DD and DTS.

Everyone's setup (although ours are not that divergent) is different.

My XA2 is MORE stable than my BDP-HD1. The latter "freezes" if left on or left paused for an extended period. The XA2 on the other hand is rock solid. YMMV.

have had mine for a few weeks now. no problems so far. a really nice machine.

This may be true - I don't think anyone besides you has reported this, but I have no reason to doubt your observation.

However, I would submit that the vast majority of people buying XA2s have both center channel speakers and subwoofers for LFE, and thus would never have any issues with routing under a 'NONE' setting for center or sub.

Beyond this, if you have an unusual system that requires this setting, wouldn't it be easier to run HDMI to a receiver and handle it there?

Should it work for the analog outs if the settings allow it? Yes. Does it matter for the vast majority of users? No.

In my personal opinion, the source is not the right place to do BM or driver selection anyway. The source should be just that - a source that provides all of the signals available on the original material. The pre/pro or AVR is where you should re-mix, filter, and otherwise configure your signals to match the specific setup. (I realize that this is a bit of a purist viewpoint, and others may disagree).

Well said and completely agree.

Mauney,

The reason they put a pre/pro in XA2 is because there ar no preamps with the True HD decoder. So, if you want to use the analog outputs, you have to rely on the internal decoder/pre/pro.

My system is what you might call old. It consists of several monoblock high powered amps and some nice preamps and decoders. While I do have a center channel and a 600 watt Velodyne 18" subwoofer, the soundfield is more realistic accross my 96" wide video screen when only 2 front channels are utilized. As far as the sub is concerned, I ran accross the XA2's bass redirection issues when I was doing some testing. My AV theater has 40 year old components and 3 wek old components. The challenge is making them all work together.

My XA2 came in Tuesday... all I can say is WOW... What a picture!!!!

(and I haven't even played a HD-DVD in it yet

[quote=MauneyM]
Excellent Mauney. I have the XA-2 on order also and the BM issue had me a little confused. Based on this succinct statement I have one less issue to worry about as I have full range mains. Now I just need to fret over whether HDMI to DVI on my older non-HDCP compliant screen (Fujitsu PDS4242) will work.

Regards

Allan

Hey folks,

New here... Looking for a little advice... Just bought a XA2 with firmware version 1.5... The picture and everything looks outstanding but every 30 minutes or so into a movie i'll see a flicker, like a frame flashes for a milisecond that isnt supposed to be there. It's not really a big deal but for 600 bucks it shouldn't be happening, i briefly skimmed through this post and didnt really see anything relating to this issue... I've tried several brand new HD DVDs and they all seem to do the same thing... Its BARELY noticible but i'm a perfectionist and i want this issue gone . I'm conntected to my JVC 56" TV via HDMI... I know its not the TV because it never happens unless i'm using my XA2... Any advice would be greatly appreciated... Thanks!

Is it flashing a color on the screen (i.e. is the screen flashing with a blue or pink tint to it)? Sounds like a HDMI handshaking/dropout issue.

I watched the Hitcher last night and had quite a bit of audio stutter. Anyone have this issue besides me? I had to stop or fast forward past these issues. Right now I have 1.3 installed and its hooked up via HDMI.

thanks

Did your new XA2 come with the new 1.5 FW ? If so what is the build date?

You may try if your XA2 is in close proximity to your T.V. display, just connect some component video cables & view the exact same movie disc to rule out any intermittent HDMI handshake issues.

Thanks MauneyM,
My experience is exactly the same. I got my unit with the first shipment to US and with all the changes I have made to my HT the XA2 has functioned without a clitch, all upgrades worked the 1st time and it is bar none the best DVD player I have ever owned (having owed over 8 different players all highend and many over $2k).

Same experience here....As salemanager fora major retail company(not CE related) I am constantly hearing,from sales personal,"I wote that sale up due to the fact that when purchased from our competitor(s)...the consumer has had major issues with the product"
My response is that I am worried more about the customer(s) who we never hear
from because they are satisfied with our competitor's service" IMO,they far outweigh the consumer who is unhappy...That's the area we need to place stronger emphasis on....
I am sure this is true of Toshiba as well...

Am I bit confused about one thing, here's a quick question:

Currently can I use the XA2's HDMI for 1080p and it's analogues out for TrueHD at the same time?

Thanks.

Yes. That's exactly what I am doing in my system.

The content providers put DD THD as an "advanced content" which mandates the player to do decoding, so the fact there is no THD decoders in receivers today has nothing to with it.

[quote=MrHifi]Mauney,

The reason they put a pre/pro in XA2 is because there ar no preamps with the True HD decoder. So, if you want to use the analog outputs, you have to rely on the internal decoder/pre/pro. [quote]


Mr. Hi Fi,

Although I do understand what you mean, I'd just like to clarify something for those new to this hobby. We do not want anyone to misinterpret what you are saying or to think the XA2 contains hardware or features it does not.

The XA2 does NOT contain a pre/pro.

Pre/Pro is short for Preamp/Processor, a term used for surround sound processors. The XA2 does not have a built in preamplifier and it offers no signal attenuation (no volume control).

The XA2 DOES have built in DSP (Digital Signal Processing) and it DOES have built in DAC's, (Digital to Analog Converters) which feed the multi channel analog outputs.

This means the XA2 has the ability to decode the new HD Audio formats in the player. The XA2 can output a digital signal through HDMI, SPDIF and Toslink. Through its multi channel analog outputs, the XA2 also simultaneously outputs analog signals, including the decoded HD Audio formats. The XA2's outputs, whether digital or analog, will typically be connected to an outboard pre/pro or a receiver.


You are correct that no current Pre/Pro presently has the ability to decode these formats, although a few already have the hardware in place. Therefore, we must rely on the player to decode the HD Audio for us and then output it in a format our current pre/pro's and receivers can recognize.

Same here.... I love the player. Although I DO have handshaking issues. Turning the player on before the TV resolves the problem. If I were using straight HDMI for both audio and video the handshaking would not be a problem. I would NOT buy any other player.

Just got mine from ******* tonight and it came loaded with 1.5 firmware.

Seems pretty nice. so much faster than the XA1 I sold.

Did you buy the player with 1.5 on it already? Or did you upgrade it after you got it?

This is really wierd. I had some audio issues with my player. My player shipped with firmware 1.0 and I had some audio issues. Upgraded to 1.3 and the audio issues were resolved. Then, like a moron I upgraded to 1.5 and it was broken again.

I spent a great deal of time on the phone with Toshiba who assured me that all players ship with 1.0 firmware. The factory does not upgrade the firmware. So, with their assurance I bought a second player to get back to 1.0 so I could upgrade to 1.3. The new unit (1 week ago) had 1.0 on it. I'm wondering how some are being purchased with 1.5? Are these "open box" buys? Or is Toshiba pulling my leg and it was a coincidence?