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Could somebody summarize the differences in the HD-DVD players?

3802 Views 41 Replies 22 Participants Last post by cpc, Sep 16, 2007

cpc

Discussion Starter · May 21, 2007

What HD-DVD players output 1080p as-is without any firmware upgrade needed and at what frame rates do they output?

I have an Epson 1080 on the way and I want to know what player to use for full 1080p. I use an SDI dvd player and HD+ for my SD dvd upscaling for now.

thanks,

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1 - 20 of 42 Posts

geko29

· #2 · May 21, 2007

HD-A20 outputs 1080p/60. HD-XA2 also outputs 1080p/60 out of the box and is supposed to be getting a firmware update for 1080p/24.

sivartk

· #3 · May 21, 2007

I also believe that the XA2 has analog outputs for audio.

turansformer

· #4 · May 21, 2007

The XA2 also uses the Silicon Optix Reon chip for its scaling.

jmpage2

· #5 · May 21, 2007

The A20 and the XA2 are the only players that output unadulterated 1080p.

There is a rumoured firmware update coming this month that will enable 24fps output on these players for those with 24fps cabable devices.

Differences? The XA2 uses the highly rated Reon chipset for upconversion. The A20 uses an Anchor Bay upconversion system which is also no slouch. The XA2 also has discrete 5.1 analog audio outputs which will allow you to enjoy advanced soundtracks like Dolby True HD if you don't have an HDMI equipped AV receiver.

cpc

Discussion Starter · #6 · May 21, 2007

Also noticed that the XA2 has HDMI 1.3.

jmpage2

· #7 · May 22, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by cpc /forum/post/0

Also noticed that the XA2 has HDMI 1.3.

Yes, but HDMI 1.3 doesn't do anything special today and likely won't do anything special anytime in the next several years.

MichaelHDDVD

· #8 · May 22, 2007

The 360 HD DVD player outputs 1080p over VGA or HDMI if you own a XBox 360. however you can not get lossless audio.

cuzzin

· #9 · May 22, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by jmpage2 /forum/post/0

The XA2 also has discrete 5.1 analog audio outputs which will allow you to enjoy advanced soundtracks like Dolby True HD if you don't have an HDMI equipped AV receiver.

Only problem is, you have to "enjoy" it without decent bass.

cpc

Discussion Starter · #10 · May 23, 2007

Ok, so if I have an Epson 1080, will I enjoy a Toshiba XA2 together with it or should I just get an A20? I have an iScan HD+ and no plans to get a VP50 right away.

chrismoose

· #11 · May 23, 2007

I have a samsung 4696D 1080p with yamaha ysp-800 speaker/receiver which is hooked up via optical cable for the audio and am trying to decide if the a20 is worth the extra money over the A2. Some posts have indicated that some people with 1080p sets actually prefer the a2. Can anyone else with a 1080p set weigh in? The XA2 seems like too much price differential for me. Thanks

cpc

Discussion Starter · #12 · May 23, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by cuzzin /forum/post/0

Only problem is, you have to "enjoy" it without decent bass.

What do you mean by this?

Also, which Anchor Bay chip is in the A20 HD-DVD player? What is it equivalent to? The VP30? The add-on ABT card or the VP50 chip?

WirelessGuru

· #13 · May 23, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by jmpage2 /forum/post/0

Yes, but HDMI 1.3 doesn't do anything special today and likely won't do anything special anytime in the next several years.

Actually, it does....
The feature: HDMI 1.3 utilizing the Silicon Image Vastline 9134 semiconductor (found in the XA2) has the ability to pass on DD+, DTS-MA, and TrueHD codecs as bitstream to a receiver that will decode those codecs.

The problem: HD-DVD titles that are "advanced authored" (almost all of them) force audio decoding to be done locally on the player.

The feature: HDMI 1.3 also allows for 36 bit color depth when paired with a display with the Sil9133 receiver.

The problem: there currently is no content available that utilizes 36 bit color depth.

I guess technically your statement can be considered true, but i wanted to clarify it a little bit.

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thorr

· #14 · May 23, 2007

lol that was funny Wireless

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cpc

Discussion Starter · #15 · May 24, 2007

So where does that leave me? I have multi-channel inputs on my receiver.

MauneyM

· #16 · May 24, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by jmpage2 /forum/post/0

Yes, but HDMI 1.3 doesn't do anything special today and likely won't do anything special anytime in the next several years.

Not true. There has been at least one report that the lossless codecs will be made available over HDMI in the XA2 later this year. Now, whether or not they will be available from discs using advanced authoring.....???

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MauneyM

· #17 · May 24, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by cuzzin /forum/post/0

Only problem is, you have to "enjoy" it without decent bass.

Not true. Not only has it always worked if you have full-range speakers, it nnow works even with bass management enabled - check the 1.6 BM thread.

jmpage2

· #18 · May 24, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by MauneyM /forum/post/0

Not true. There has been at least one report that the lossless codecs will be made available over HDMI in the XA2 later this year. Now, whether or not they will be available from discs using advanced authoring.....???

You can already pass True HD 5.1 over HDMI 1.2 so not sure what you are referring to here.

brianrt

· #19 · May 24, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by jmpage2 /forum/post/0

The A20 and the XA2 are the only players that output unadulterated 1080p.

There is a rumoured firmware update coming this month that will enable 24fps output on these players for those with 24fps cabable devices.

Differences? The XA2 uses the highly rated Reon chipset for upconversion. The A20 uses an Anchor Bay upconversion system which is also no slouch. The XA2 also has discrete 5.1 analog audio outputs which will allow you to enjoy advanced soundtracks like Dolby True HD if you don't have an HDMI equipped AV receiver.

I was under the impression all of the second gen players pull 1080i from the disc, then the A20 and the AX2 use an external deinterlacer to give 1080p. The only true pure 1080p player would be either a HTPC or a the Xbox Addon. Am I right or just confused?

MauneyM

· #20 · May 24, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by jmpage2 /forum/post/0

You can already pass True HD 5.1 over HDMI 1.2 so not sure what you are referring to here.

If I understand it correctly (and I may be missing something), HDMI 1.1/1.2 only allows you to send decoded PCM, not the actual TrueHD source data. HDMI 1.3 allows you to send the source data, thus allowing the decoding to be done in the receiver.

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