Need Some Serious HD-A1 Help!

Need details, what connection type used in store what connection type used at home, what firmware, what's your mothers maiden name & your SS # with bank routing # & account...

Once I have the additional data I can tell you the problem.

are you sure you have the output correctly set?

If you have teh original remote that came with it then hit the button that says v.output until the light on the front of the A1 says HDMI (should be in the upper leftish corner of the VFD display on the front of the player) I would then power cycle everything, turning the TV on first and make sure that the TV is on the HDMI input that you have teh A1 connected to. Then turn the A1 on and wait for it to boot (should be ~60-90 seconds) You should see a HDDVD/Toshiba splash screen sometime during this startup. Then put your disc in and see if it plays correctly. If it does not then you may need to update the firmware on the unit. To find out which firmware you are currently using with the original remote the bottom silver part slides down. Under that you should have a button that says setup. Go into Maintenance under the setup menu and choose the one that isn't initialize and it should tell you the firmware revision (currently it is 2.1/xx/xx...where the xx's are #s I cant remember off teh top of my head) but the 2.1 is the important part. Chances are you are running 1.0 or 1.3 depending on how long it was a floor model. You will need to hook the player up to your internet connection and download the newest firmware (unless you are running HDMI-DVI as there is apparently a problem with that with 2.1) Please post of you need further help and I will try to walk you thru whatever else you might need

I assume you own a HDTV with a HDMI input connection? So connect a HDMI cable directly from the player to the HDTV and turn both on. Now use the player remote and press the "V-Out" button until you see "HDMI" lights up on the front panel of the HD-A1 then press the "resolution" button until 1080i lights up on the same panel. If you still have a problem the try setting the player resolution to 720p and see if that's better (could be your HDTV doesn't accept 1080i). After you confirm the player is working you may then want to connect the audio to an AVR receiver for the best sound but that's a whole new subject with several options for connection.

You have version 1.0 so the player may not play some HD DVD titles. The latest version is 2.1. I would update the player and I bet it works just fine after that.

In the setup screen of the player go to the IP screen and enable DHCP and DNS then on the same screen press the "confirm" button on the screen and when the "OK" button lights up press that. Now exit the setup turn the player off and back on and do the update which should now connect to the server.

I believe the player will connect to your DSL if you are already signed on on the computer however if not then there is a "User Information" screen in the player setup to enter your username and password.

AKTosh,

The easiest way to update your player is to download the 2.0 ISO and burn it onto a CD-R (if you have a DVD or CD burner).

You just need Nero or IMGBurn(Free software) and it takes <1 min (plus download time). It is also a more stable upgrade as you just pop the burned disc into the drive and it does everything for you.

http://www.1080x1920.net/index.php?o...id=40&Itemid=5

This website requires you to sign up and then you can download the FW. Burn according to IMGBurn or other software (Nero works fine).

NOTE ON HOW TO BURN DISC ---

This isn't like copying a music disc. You need to burn it specifically as an .iso (CD file structure). Depending on your program, you'll need to select the .iso or .nrg burn type (not data, not music).

Hopefully you've burned .iso files before -- they are a cinch if you select the right type of burn. Good luck.

BTW, this firmware is ver. 2.0. It enables 5.1 TrueHD audio (next generational audio) and a host of other interactive and other features. It will greatly advance your player but it isn't even the lastest firmware. It does, however, suffice for the time being until you get the download option to work and will calm your wife down. You can also play all of your HD DVDs and they WILL impress your wife.

are you sure you burned the right file and burned it as an ISO? Also what kind of deal did you get? Under $200 would be a great deal...over $250 and I might consider returning it and getting an A2.

So what was the price you paid for it?

THe HD-A1 is not a piece for a less than tech savvy fellow.

once he got it updated it would be the best HD DVD player for him apart from the HD-XA2(and XA1). The 5.1 analogs make it superior to the A2.

Anyone that gives up so quickly on it probably wouldn't have been able to cope with the other setup and nuance issues though (like calibrating the audio and fixing LFE). So I guess it was a good call to return it.