What do I lose in best quality?

Since you are connecting your Receiver by HDMI you can pass full quality audio as PCM (no quality loss). You do lose the ability to bitstream HD codecs and the A-3 doesn't internally decode DTS-HD so you can't play those tracks (unless you want to just play the 1.5mbps DTS core track).

For PQ since you are using HDMI you will have good PQ with two exceptions
1) The output will be 1080i so your Panny will need to deinterlace to 1080p (not a problem) but some "purist" want a 1080p signal.
2) You can't output a native 108p24 signal but your Panny can't display 1080p25 anyways.
3) The HD-XA2 has better SD upconversion.

Really it depends on how picky you are. Really it is a splitting hairs kinda of decision. I think most people would be happier with an HD-A3 plus $300 in movies vs and HD-XA2 but it is your decision.

Yes. The Panny will deinterlace the 1080i signal. Your TV is a fixed panel meaning that it ALWAYS displays 1920x1080 pixels so regardless of what it is fed it will display 1080p.


Some people like the idea of sending the bitsream to their receiver so the receiver does all the work (and displays the words "TrueHD" or "Dolby Plus" on the front panel. It is exactly the same sound. The one area that does matter is DTS-HD. The A3 can't decode it and can't output it as a bitstream. Right now less than 1% of titles use DTS-HD so for me it isn't a big deal.[/quote]


Yes all upconversion is not equal. DVD is 480i and your TV is 1080p so the number of pixels needs to be increased. Either your TV will do it or an "upconverting DVD player will do it". Some do a bad job, and some do an ok job, then a couple do a good job (A-3). The XA2 has a chip called Reon which is in the top 1% of DVD upconversion. It does make a big diference on a large high quality 1080p screen. Remember this is only for SD DVD. HD DVD is not affected.


I have the 705. It does convert analog to HDMI (component, S-video) but it doesn't make them look any better. The main advantage is that you can have say 3 HDMI sources (HD DVD, Tivo, HTPC) and 3 analog sources (xbox 360, cable box, something else?) all running to the 705. Then just one cable running to your display. The 705 "manages" all your inputs.

That being said a VHS running of composite connected to the 705 converted to HDMI will still look like crap.


I will make is "simpler". You don't need to worry about optical or analog out since you are using HDMI. You don't need to worry about component or DVI issues since you are using HDMI. This makes it simple to decide:

A3 great value - You will have a player that can blow away anything you have seen before HD DVD. Rent or buy Planet Earth to show family and friends.

A30 adds 1080p support - Not required but some people prefer to have the player deinterlace and feed a 1080p signal to the TV. You need to decide if this is worth an extra $100 over an A3.

A35 adds bitstream support - Your receiver will decode all the audio formats and you gain DTS-HD MA support. You need to decide if this is worth another $100 over the A30 ($200 more than A3).

XA2 adds superior upconversion. This will improve SD DVD quality. You need to decide if this is worth another $100 over the A35 ($300 more than A3).

The oppo is in the same league as an A3. If you buy an A3 there is no reason to buy an oppo IMHO. The HD-XA2 has the same upconverting chip as the Denon DVD-2930CI ($850 list price). It is well beyond anything oppo or similar <$300 products on the market.

You may just want to get an HD-A3 from a store with good return policy. If you like it and your DVD are "good enough" for you then keep it. If not you likely will not find a major jump in PQ going to Oppo or any other sub $300 upconverter. If you really want better PQ you will be looking at a Denon and at that price point (A3 + entry level 1080p Denon) it would be cheaper just to get the HD-XA2. The HD-XA2 would give you best of both worlds superior SD and 1080p HD.