$600 to spend on an HD DVD player...
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Toshiba HD-A20 if you can wait just a little bit...
http://www.hardwarezone.com.au/news/...?cid=5&id=6336
Greg
http://www.hardwarezone.com.au/news/...?cid=5&id=6336
Greg
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I'd say take this route, and use the other $200 on HD DVD movies
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I'd say take this route, and use the other $200 on HD DVD movies
I already had a 360 and picked up the hd-dvd add on. It is working very well and looks great. It's early in the format 'scuffle', so its a cheaper way to get to watch hd movies now.
The only thing the 360 really lacks is the sound support of the standalone devices. My receiver cannot take advantage of it, so no big loss for me.
Edit: It also does not upconvert beyond 480p. Not a big deal, as its tough to watch non-hd movies now
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The only thing the 360 really lacks is the sound support of the standalone devices. My receiver cannot take advantage of it, so no big loss for me.
Edit: It also does not upconvert beyond 480p. Not a big deal, as its tough to watch non-hd movies now
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Not quite. As far as I know the HD-A20 is a 1080p version of the A2, with the addition of a backlit remote. The A20 *might* support 1080p/24 but that has yet to be confirmed.
Not quite. As far as I know the HD-A20 is a 1080p version of the A2, with the addition of a backlit remote. The A20 *might* support 1080p/24 but that has yet to be confirmed.
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No. It does not feature the Silicon Optix processing chip.
The only difference in the HD-A2 and the HD-A20 is "1080p" output on the A20.
One of the big claims against HD DVD is that it "can't do 1080p" which is false as a whole, but on its least expensive player, the A2, it is true.
The A20 gives "1080p" output (well, interlaced then deinterlaced 1080p) at $599 - the same price point as Blu-ray's PS3. That's the only reason it exists.
No. It does not feature the Silicon Optix processing chip.
The only difference in the HD-A2 and the HD-A20 is "1080p" output on the A20.
One of the big claims against HD DVD is that it "can't do 1080p" which is false as a whole, but on its least expensive player, the A2, it is true.
The A20 gives "1080p" output (well, interlaced then deinterlaced 1080p) at $599 - the same price point as Blu-ray's PS3. That's the only reason it exists.
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The least expensive player is the XBox 360 HD DVD add-on, which does 1080p via VGA.
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I agree, but it did for me (and I don't have an XBox 360)
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I agree, but it did for me (and I don't have an XBox 360)
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If you're looking to get in cheap, a used HD-A1 sells for about $200 on ebay. While my HDTV sold in less than 2 days and $100 more than I would have taken on craigslist, I haven't had any response since posting my HD DVD player.
Buy the XA1 for $399 from VE. Built like a tank, great looks, though slower than the G2 units. A great deal from a great company!
Quote:
Originally Posted by getme /forum/post/0
...so what's my best option. Should I consider an xbox 360? Should I stick with a set top player?![]()
Buy the XA1 for $399 from VE. Built like a tank, great looks, though slower than the G2 units. A great deal from a great company!
It depends on what's of more interest to you - home theater or games & movies.
IMO, I would go with the standalone player - the A2 or the A20 (if you have a 1080p HDTV or plan on getting one in the future). The standalone players give you the ability to hear the full DD+ or Dolby TrueHD tracks whereas the 360 add-on doesn't.
I bought the A1 back in July so I didn't have the 360 add-on option (nor would I have gone with that option).
Quote:
Originally Posted by getme /forum/post/0
...so what's my best option. Should I consider an xbox 360? Should I stick with a set top player?![]()
It depends on what's of more interest to you - home theater or games & movies.
IMO, I would go with the standalone player - the A2 or the A20 (if you have a 1080p HDTV or plan on getting one in the future). The standalone players give you the ability to hear the full DD+ or Dolby TrueHD tracks whereas the 360 add-on doesn't.
I bought the A1 back in July so I didn't have the 360 add-on option (nor would I have gone with that option).
decisions decisions...
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Quick question: audio was mentioned earlier in the thread, since my receiver has analog 5.1 inputs will I be able to use ALL of the audio formats that HD DVD supports? Am I correct in assuming that the HD DVD player itself decodes the audio and a 5.1 analog output is provided?
Quote:
Originally Posted by MidnightWatcher /forum/post/0
I'd say take this route, and use the other $200 on HD DVD movies![]()
decisions decisions...
Quick question: audio was mentioned earlier in the thread, since my receiver has analog 5.1 inputs will I be able to use ALL of the audio formats that HD DVD supports? Am I correct in assuming that the HD DVD player itself decodes the audio and a 5.1 analog output is provided?
Yep, you should be good to go. As I stated before, the XA1 is less than $400 at VE, and it has the 5.1 outputs, unlike the A2 or 360 add-on. If you do buy a G1 unit, make sure to update to 2.0 to receive TrueHD in 5.1. If you have an earlier firmware, you will only get TrueHD in 2.0...
Good luck!
Quote:
Originally Posted by getme /forum/post/0
decisions decisions...![]()
Quick question: audio was mentioned earlier in the thread, since my receiver has analog 5.1 inputs will I be able to use ALL of the audio formats that HD DVD supports? Am I correct in assuming that the HD DVD player itself decodes the audio and a 5.1 analog output is provided?
Yep, you should be good to go. As I stated before, the XA1 is less than $400 at VE, and it has the 5.1 outputs, unlike the A2 or 360 add-on. If you do buy a G1 unit, make sure to update to 2.0 to receive TrueHD in 5.1. If you have an earlier firmware, you will only get TrueHD in 2.0...
Good luck!
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