High-Definition DVD Player Reviews
Toshiba HD-XA1
High-Definition
DVD Player
UPDATE:
The following report was written on February 1st, 2006, before Toshiba had
released its players to the market. Click
here for a summary - written on April 21st, 2006 - of the latest reviews of
the Toshiba HD-A1 player.
And note the May 2006 review in
Consumer Reports: "If you are determined to go HD-DVD now, choose the
$500 Toshiba HD-AI over its $800 sibling. The HD-XA1 adds only a sleeker
appearance, a lighted remote, and a connection for a 'custom controller'."
Toshiba’s
HD-XA1 (together with its cheaper sister model, the HD-A1) is expected to be
the first true high-definition DVD player to hit the market in the West,
with a release date scheduled for
April
2006, and a
price of around $800.
.jpg) It
is important for prospective buyers to understand that two formats are
competing for supremacy in the new field of high-definition DVD - Blu-ray
and HD DVD. Toshiba is in the HD DVD camp. (For a little more about the
formats, see my
Buyers Guide, which includes a short list of websites providing further
guidance.) What this means is that discs in the Blu-ray format will not work
with the Toshiba player.
In its
announcement of the new player, Toshiba said:
As a logical
evolution of the DVD market to high definition, the HD-XA1 and HD-A1 have
backward compatibility, allowing users to continue to enjoy their libraries
of current DVD and CD software….Both models will utilize the new video
decoder chip developed by Broadcom. To meet the latest advancements in
Audio/Video interfaces, both models connect to HDTV sets via a High
Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI™). HDMI is the first
industry-supported all digital A/V connection providing the transmission of
uncompressed digital video and multi-channel audio on a single cable.
…Toshiba's HD-XA1 and
HD-A1 support a variety of HD audio options to complement HD video
offerings. The mandatory audio formats for HD DVD include both lossy and
lossless formats from Dolby Labs and DTS® - including the newly developed
Dolby® Digital Plus and DTS-HD.
According to
Sound and Vision magazine:
While the Blu-ray
high-definition DVD camp dithered, Toshiba boldly announced a pair of HD DVD
players with firm prices and release dates. The $800 HD-XA1 supports just
about every disc format known to man (Blu-ray excepted) as well as a large
number of audio enhancements, including Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD. Even
more amazing is the HD-A1 for just $500 with many of the same features.
(With the sole Blu-ray player actually announced as a product, Pioneer's
Elite BDP-HD1 due in May, clocking in at nearly two grand, those prices are
looking pretty good.) HD DVD's status as a real, soon-to-hit-stores
technology was further solidified by the HD DVD Promotion Group's
announcement that the Toshiba players will be available as early as
March….The Group also stated that as many as 200 movie titles are expected
to appear in the new format this year, with nearly 50 to coincide with the
March hardware launch.
CNET.com commented:
While hardly
"affordable" compared to standard DVD players, these prices are
significantly lower than expected and less than those of any of the Blu-ray
players announced…so far. Combined with earlier availability (Blu-ray
supposedly ships in June), they could make HD-DVD a more compelling option
for big spenders who immediately want the latest in next-generation home
video playback.
…The
nitty gritty of the two Toshiba players should be familiar to anybody who's
followed the next-gen format fracas. The units support a variety of video
codecs, including MPEG-2 as well as MPEG-4 AVC and VC-1. The more expensive
HD-XA1 has a couple of cosmetic enhancements (a motorized drawer!), a
backlit remote, and a selection of three different user interfaces, as well
as some improvements to construction. It also has a pair of USB ports "for
convenient connection of gaming controllers," according to the press release
(no further details were provided). Interestingly, both players--and all
forthcoming HD-DVD players--will only output high-definition resolutions via
copy-protected HDMI outputs, so people whose HDTVs don't have HDMI or DVI/HDCP
inputs won't be able to enjoy the improved image quality of HD-DVD.
* Get the Latest Price on the Toshiba HD-XA1 High-Definition
DVD Player.
February 1st, 2006
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