|
The Toshiba HD-A3 HD DVD Player allows everyone into the HD DVD game with a very affordable price tag. Don't let the price fool you, however; it offers many features and an excellent build quality. A Refined, Slimmer Look
The HD-A3's refined design--with rounded edges, a slim chassis, and a high-gloss black face plate, standing less than two-and-a-half inches tall--looks sleek and elegant in your home theater system without taking up too much real estate. 
The Toshiba HD-A3 has an Ethernet port to support HD DVD titles with interactive online features, as well as to keep the player refreshed with firmware updates. View larger. | 
In addition to HD DVD, the A3 can also play DVDs, DVD-R/Ws, DVD-VRs, CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs. View larger. | Outstanding Performance
All of Toshiba's HD DVD players support the enhanced features of the HD DVD format, including picture-in-picture video, audio commentary, and Web-enabled network capabilities. With an Ethernet port, the HD-A3 can connect to the Internet for firmware updates to keep the player up to date on new features, and to support the growing number of HD DVD titles with interactive online features and bonus content. The HD-A3 features an HDMI interface that carries both a video and an audio signal in one cable for the highest quality and convenience. The A3 outputs video at 720p and 1080i for a detailed and sharp image. The HD-A3 has progressive scan capability, which means it eliminates the scan-lines of interlaced video and produces a clean image with no motion distortion and artifacts. Sparkling Surround Sound
The HD-A3's built-in circuitry processes the multi-channel decoding of Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, and DTS-HD (core only). Plays a Variety of Formats
The HD-A3 is backward-compatible with your DVD collection: It can play and upconvert DVDs to the HD resolution that is being output. It can also play DVD-R/W, DVD-R, DVD-VR, CD, CD-R, and CD-RW formats, so you don't need extra players taking up space. The HD-A3 is backed by a limited 1-year warranty.
More resolution than regular DVD (up to 1080i). | 
Upconverts standard DVDs to the output resolution. | 
Tons of new interactive features and bonus content. | What's in the Box
HD-A3 HD DVD player, remote control, and power cable.
|
 Great player |
| Review Date: November 14, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Glen R, |
Connected to a Sony KD-34XS955 HDTV
What can I say. It works great!
Easy to set up out of the box. Picture and audio quality were great as expected. Now that I've seen both I can honestly say you will not be able to tell the difference
Pros and Cons
Internet setup (DHCP for me) was a little time consuming but that had as much to do with configuring it to work with my cable router and it's fire wall than the player itself. Once connected I uploaded and installed the latest firmware. It takes a while even over high speed so get it going then go do something else for a while. Once done the player will install the firmware and turn off. Turn back on and you're good to go.
Con?- No 1080P output. Since My HD TV's max is 1080i this doesn't matter to me. It may some 6 or 7 years in the future when I replace it but by then who knows where the content delivery world will be? A word to the wise...Most flat panel displays out there right now aren't even a true 1080 by 1920 resolution anyway so before you spend the extra dough on a 1080p player make sure your display has a NATIVE display of 1080X1920. Otherwise it will just downscale your 1080 picture and you will have wasted your money. The Sony 300 does output 1080P but so do like priced HD DVD players. The difference in picture quality is minute since a 1080p display will upscale the 1080i picture anyway. There is no broadcast 1080p.
Since the only other HD player I've looked at was the Sony 300 Blu Ray that's what I'll compare to
Pro- Short boot time (20 seconds) and disc load time (15ish)so far.
The Sony was at least a minute per.
Good response time to remote commands. Still slower than a standard DVD player and the scan is more like windows media player than a standard DVD player. The Sony's reaction time was terrible and it cued commands so you could easily lose track of where you were. The A3 also provides you with a soft beep (can be turned off) so you know your command was received.
Pro/Con Unlike the Sony this deck has zoom and pan however it does not like to play in slow while zoomed. This can be a pain if you like to check out CGI.
Pro-Did a great job upscaling my standard DVDs. Picture was as good as my Sony NS75H upscaling player. The Sony was terrible no matter what settings I used. I found that rather strange since I know they can make a good upscaling chip.
Pro- The afore mentioned internet connection. Simply put the 300 does not have one. I imagine it can be upgraded via disc as can this player.
All and all a great player for a great price! I'm not going to get into the content argument other than to say that I have a problem with a manufacturer trying to force me to pay inflated prices for an inferior product by withholding content. My simple remedy will be not to buy any content from Disney, FOX or any Sony exclusive even on standard DVD. Any releases held exclusive to Blu ray that I want to watch will be rented in standard def via NetFlix. In fact my DVD purchasing has all but stopped anyway. This is not only due to the huge amount of titles for rent at Netflix but also because Hollywood has produced little in the last few years worth owning. I know Toshiba has its partners and exclusives but they are not charging an arm and a leg and their format is much more stable Blu Ray.
When Sony or one of it's manufacturing partners comes out with a WORKING Blu Ray player that won't go obsolete in 6 months for $225 I'll get one. Until then my A3 will remain my only HD player. |
Fantastic Hi Def player for a great price.
|
| Review Date: November 2, 2007 |
| Reviewer: D. A. Lembree, Novi, MI |
Pros:
Fantastic picture
Great price
1080i/ 720p output great for 720p HDTV's
Fast startup time
Slim design of the unit
Adequate remote
Some reviews of other Toshiba HD players have stated that you can't pause the movie, and come back to it later but I have not found this to be the case. As long as you leave the unit on, you can pause the movie as long as you want and resume it when you want to.
Plays DVD+R discs with no problem even though this is not a stated feature.
Cons:
no 1080p output- not an issue for me since I have a 720p TV.
Haven't come across any. |
Fantastic Sleek Player!
|
| Review Date: November 4, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Jonathan, New York, NY |
I just got my A3 and it's absolutely fantastic. The load times are fast, start-up is fast and it's an aesthetically pleasing device. Sleek new slim design, lightweight and includes non-combo edition of 300 and The Bourne Identity HD DVDs, fully packaged in red elite cases.
I also have the A2, and prefer this third generation unit but the A2 is still a solid, and great machine. The A3 upconverts DVDs beautifully, watching DisneyDVDs is great and they look amazing. Of course HD DVDs also look great, especially Troy Directors Cut, Transformers looks beyond words - just an amazing movie experience, and The Matrix is gorgeous. I also recommend Shrek the Third next week, that will be gorgeous too.
Finally, the A3 is a solid player, better load times than the A2, slightly smaller, a beautiful chassis that really compliments your HT and Toshiba REGZA or any piano finished black TVs, and a great value. I recommend it. |
Great Player, Awesome Features and Picture
|
| Review Date: December 24, 2007 |
| Reviewer: W. Rose, |
Okay first of all I would like to start off my review by helping to clear up some confusion. Many people such as myself have debated whether or not to go with the higher priced A30 or A35 models since they offer 1080p resolution and the A3 model only offers up to 1080i. For those considering this offer keep in mind that the A30 and A35 models WILL BOTH only make a difference in 1080p if your HDTV supports HDMI V1.3 (1080p/24fps). Thing is that HDMI V1.3 didn't start getting introduced into new HDTV models until late 2006. So if you set is older than that regardless of whether or not it is 1080p or not then don't even bother with the higher priced models as you will be better off with the A3 and the excellent job it does in 1080i mode. Either way be sure of which version HDMI your set has before making your decision to purchase as it can save you some money and disappointment. I have the 37W3 37" Westinghouse True 1080p HDTV set and it only has the older HDMI V1.0 so I chose the A3 since I really couldn't benefit from the 1080p/24fps on the higher priced HD-DVD Players.
Right now that I have covered that I will get down to the review of the player itself. The Toshiba A3 and it's predecessor the A2 have become the most popular selling HD standalone units out there. There is a good reason for that as they offer simplicity and a nice piece of hardware at a relatively affordable price. This is Toshiba's 3rd generation entry model HD player and with each generation it seems to get just a little more compact than it's predecessor.
Out of the box you get the following:
The Toshiba HD-A3 HD DVD Player supports 720p/1080i resolution and has 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound, DTS and Dolby HD sound
The remote and a set of batteries
The power cord
The instruction manual/warranty info
2 titles on HD-DVD (The Bourne Identity and "300")
The player has the following connections:
HDMI
Component
RCA
Ethernet jack (for web based content and firmware updates)
Optical Digital Cable
USB 2.0 port on the front left panel below the on/off switch
The player is very simple and straight forward to plug and play and doesn't require any complicated setup. The player does the following as far as functions it performs:
Plays HD-DVD format discs
Plays standard DVDs and up-converts them to 1080i (of course anyone who has compared the two knows that there is a definite difference between true HD-DVD and an up-converted DVD).
Plays CDs
It will play recordable media of any of the DVD and CD formats (not sure on re-writeable media since I don't usually bother with it) provided you use media from a quality media manufacturer.
Some will note the lack of i-net format support (ie divx, sacd, ect.) but, the way I see it most budget DVD players these days will support all of these and most already have players already in their possession that can serve in this capacity. I have an Oppo Digital DV-981HD 1080p up-converting player that supports virtually any format under the sun, so all I really care about is a player that does solid HD-DVD playback.
As many have noted the Toshiba HD-A3 takes a while to boot up, I have had boot-up times range from 30 seconds to almost a minute. The good news is that the current latest firmware (V1.3) will reduce the boot-up times to between 30-35 seconds every time you boot it up. One of the greatest features of the HD-DVD format is that even the entry line players can have firmware updates. For those who aren't familiar with what firmware is, think of it as essentially the programming code for your hardware. Firmware updates for this player also help out with certain discs where you might have playback issues. Keep in mind that the HD-DVD format is still a relatively new technology and even though the format is pretty much standardized, sometimes there are complications with new movies. Hence the reasons why firmware updates are so nice since you aren't stuck spending a couple of hundred dollars on a machine that becomes worthless each time a new title is released.
I purchased the Toshiba HD-A3 from Amazon.com when they were running a special. I got 10 free movies and the player for $200 shipped. I got the two movies mentioned above that came with the player. I got my choice of 3 movies from Amazon.com from a good sized list that they had and then there is the 5 free titles you select and then mail off for after receiving the player. I got Batman Begins, Serenity and Top Gun as my 3 free HD-DVDs from Amazon.com. I then just sent off for the 5 others via mail which I will receive in 8-10 weeks. Not a bad deal all things considered. Even if you don't care for the titles you can always pitch them on ebay and they will fetch $10-$15 a piece on ebay if they are still sealed. So you can either save yourself a bundle on purchasing titles that you really like or you can cut your total investment in the hardware drastically by selling the titles that you don't want. I did this with my 360 HD-DVD add-on and ended up shaving $40 off the total price of the player after selling 4 titles that I didn't want but got for free with the player.
Anyways, I have watched the following titles on HD-DVD all of the way through on the HD-A3 in order to give it a good work out and see how it performed: Serenity, Battle Of The Bulge, Batman Begins, Top Gun and disc #3 of the Planet Earth documentary series. I have also watched parts of the following movies just to see how the picture quality looked: Transformers and The Bourne Identity. I also watched it via component cable and HDMI to do a comparison and I couldn't tell the difference between the two, so I have stuck with component since I have only one HDMI input on my Westinghouse and I prefer to use my Oppo up-conversion player via HDMI. Via component and HDMI the picture quality is absolutely stunning and very life-like. Of course YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) depending on what sort of an HDTV you have and what it's specs are. The more brightness and the better your contrast ratio, the better the picture will look. Serenity and Batman Begins both looked stunning barring the darker scenes but that has more to do with the low contrast ratio of my HDTV set than does the HD-DVD player itself. I have yet to try any of the crazy special features that are loaded onto HD-DVDs since I have only recently hooked up my player to the internet via my D-Link DI-704 wired router.
As for the places where HD-DVD really shines, take a look at the Planet Earth and other high def documentary series. The other place where it really makes a difference that I have found is on the pre-1990s release films. It's not so much that they are the absolute best quality for HD-DVD but it's the contrast between the original DVD release and the HD-DVD release. I did side by side comparisons between Battle Of the Bulge and Top Gun. Keep in mind I was using my high end Oppo Digital DVD Player via 1080p up-conversion and HDMI to play the regular DVD discs and on the Toshiba HD-DVD Player I was using cheap component cables. The difference was night and day. On the original DVDs the picture was dull and faded and you could see a number of the film imperfections and artifacts from the original print. The HD-DVD versions on the other hand had ultra-rich color and all of the original print imperfections seemed to disappear. Also keep in mind that I got within 3 feet of the set at times just to see how clear it was and from a distance of 10 feet or more it is simply amazing. Outside of one freeze-up playing Serenity (this was prior to updating to the latest firmware update) I haven't had any playback quirks or pauses with the player and it hasn't happened since I updated the firmware.
The playback format takes some getting used to since it is different than DVD. While most HD-DVDs start out with a traditional menu, they differ from the DVDs in that you cannot stop an HD-DVD and then resume play from the same spot where you stopped it. However you can create a save point and it will start playing at that point. The big difference though is that you can access the menu right in the middle of watching the title and use features such as PIP (Picture In Picture) for watching special features content and comparing it side by side with the film. This is handy as you don't have to stop the film and exit out to access the menu. You can do it from right within the movie.
As for regular DVD Playback it does a pretty good job of up-converting but as mentioned above I prefer to leave that task up to my Oppo since being a high end player it can do the job better (that and the Oppo contains the coveted Faroudja processor whereas the Toshiba has Sharc processor). The Sharc processor is a great processor but it doesn't quite measure up to the Faroudja. Then again to my knowledge no HD Player currently on the market employs the Faroudja processor (outside of maybe the really high end models that cost a fortune). As others have pointed out though the HD-A3 has the annoying habit of putting side-bars on full screen DVD releases. You can use a stretch feature but it will force you to sacrifice some picture quality to do it.
For CD Playback it does a decent job but IMHO standalone video playback devices weren't really designed for such things so I don't use it much for that purpose.
The sound on this player is great either via HDMI or Component and seems to be more life-like than it's DVD counterparts. That being said I am only running it via my two 15 watt speakers that are on my Westinghouse. I don't have any fancy sound set-up due to the fact that I live in an apartment and can't really take advantage of such things
The A-3 also has a setup menu. You can set up default screen and audio options. Under the maintenance option you can also check your firmware revision and update it directly from the player via ethernet connection. I DO NOT recommend updating the firmware via wireless connection due to stability issues. Fortunately you can update it via CD-R after downloading it from the net on your PC and burning the image to a CD-R.
All-in-all I have found the HD-A3 to be a very smart investment at $200 shipped with 10 free HD-DVD titles to either keep or sell and thereby reduce my overall costs on the player. With a finalized spec, firmware updates, special features and region free format (can play any HD-DVD from anywhere in the world), this player is more than worth it. It has some short-comings but then again HD players of either format all have their own quirks, the difference is that with this player it is very comparable to it's higher priced counter parts as far as it it's functions as a high definition player, it just does it all at a significantly lower price. Of course there will be the Blu-Ray trolls who will come on here and say why it isn't worth investing in the format but IMHO (In My Honest Opinion) the performance of the player and the price speak for itself and it is a smart choice for anyone seeking to get into high-def without wanting to spend over $200 on a player. Definitely shop around though as there are frequent specials on this thing. Amazon currently has it for $179 shipped with 7 free movies.
Oh yeah and for reference Netflix has an awesome selection of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray titles so you definitely can rent titles for reasonable prices on HD-DVD or Blu-Ray from them.Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player |
Exceptional Player. Great Value. Highest Quality Out There
|
| Review Date: January 23, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Paul Mendes, Cumberland, RI |
I'm not an early adopter, but I do know quite alot about High Def and all the technology involved. I have been on the fence for so long, waiting for the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray war to be over, so I wouldn't buy into the losing format. But, after recently getting an Plasma HDTV, I felt it was time to jump in.
I purchased this on 12/27/07, which was right before Warner Bros defected over to the Blu-ray side, producing movies exclusively for Blu-Ray. My first thought was to return the player. But the more and more I thought about it, there was no reason to return this. Here are some reasons why, and why you should NOT believe all the hype about Blu-Ray:
It is a fantastic player. Very very well-built, great features, high quality, and I was pleasantly surprised at how nice a player this is. I look at details, finish work, etc. For example: take a look at the many lower cost DVD players, and when their trays open up. Many are flimsy, open fast then slow down, or even open up shaky. Not the Toshiba A3. When the tray opens, it pushes the front door down as it slides open. No flimsyness, the tray speed is consistent from open to close, doesn't clunk, etc. Fit and finish is tight. The metal cabinet and the front panel are nearly seamless and very consistent.
As with all HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players, the HD-A3 does take some time to "boot up". These devices are not mearly "fancy DVD players". Rather, they're more like computers, so they do take some time to come up. From the time you press the power button, and the movie starts playing, is about a minute or so. The slowness is way over-hyped. Turn it on, pop the movie in, and go grab your popcorn. Before you even get back, the movie is all set. It's really not much slower than regular DVD; just takes a little bit to get accustomed to.
Toshiba is now touting the Upconvert ability this player has to upconvert all of your existing DVD movies to near HD quality. Well, no HD-DVD (or Blu-Ray) player will make ANY DVD look like HD, but depending on the type of player you have, the quality of the upconvert varies greatly. The HD-A3 upconverts DVDs EXCEPTIONALLY. It is truly amazing the difference. The only one superior to these (the A3, A30, A35) is Toshiba's own HD-XA2, which has a different chip inside, and, as such, is far more expensive.
To see the difference, I compared my Daewoo DVD player to a Panasonic DVD-S53K I had (before returning it), to the Toshiba HD-A3. I used "Finding Nemo" and "The Wild". On the Daewoo, both movies looked fine, which means it was what I've been used to seeing on my TV for months now. Nice. The Panasonic is a dedicated upconvert DVD player, and I definitely noticed an improvement. But when I tried it on the HD-A3, the difference was phenomenal. Both movies were so so close to looking like they were HD movies, that I was shocked!! Keep this in mind as Blu-ray players don't upconvert nearly as well as HD-DVD players.
As for actual HD-DVD movies, the picture and audio quality are nothing short of stunning!!! The tiniest of details are shown in such great detail, its like you're watching the movie for the first time again. Do yourself a favor and purchase the Planet Earth series on HD-DVD, and watch you and all your friends/family's jaws drop !!! The same can be said with all the other HD-DVD's I've purchased so far...with Transformers also being a totally stunning viewing.
Toshiba HD-DVD players are FAR less expensive than Blu-ray players. Currently, the cheapest Blu-ray is more than twice the price of the HD-A3. To some, they might perceive this as proving that HD-DVD is less quality. This is not true for the general consumer. True...the HD-A3 is only 720p/1080i, but if you really want a 1080p player, then get the HD-A30 or HD-A35. Most people have a 720p/1080i HDTV, so you won't get any benefit in purchasing a 1080p player, but if you do have a 1080p HDTV, then the A30 or A35 will be your better option. Either way, only a diehard Video junkie will ever notice the difference. Trust me on this one. I can go into audio codecs and Dolby Digital/DTS, audio sampling rates, bit rate conversion, etc, but honestly the general consumer will never notice the difference.
Also don't believe the hype about Blu-ray discs having more capacity than HD-DVD. OK...currently they do: Blu-ray has 50Gb discs where HD-DVD has 30Gb. However, Toshiba and the HD-DVD group recently approved a triple-layer 51Gb disc. These will work flawlessly in any HD-DVD player, and upcoming movies will take full advantage of this extra space. And to me, isn't 51 > 50?
Speaking about compatibility, what the Blu-ray group and Sony "forgot" to mention to the consumer is that Blu-Ray has 3 different formats/profiles/specs. Yes, they released their technology before it was completed in order to compete with HD-DVD, and as such, they have 1.0 players, 1.1 players, and eventually, 2.0 players. Well guess what...if you just went out and bought a Blu-ray player, and it's a version 1.0, you are pretty much out of luck when it comes time to play the bonus features available on 1.1 discs (and eventually, when they come out, 2.0 discs). This means, many of the bonus features like extra scenes, menu interactivity, additional footage, picture-in-picture commentary, multiple viewing angles, raw footage, and web-enabled features won't be accessible to you. And 1.0 players can NOT be upgraded. To some people, they can care less about the bonus features. But why buy a movie that when you put it in your profile 1.0 or 1.1 player, 1/2 the menu options are greyed out and not accessible? Did Sony tell you about that?
As for HD-DVD, they had a finished spec since Day 1. All HD-DVD players have USB and Ethernet ports. Upgrading is as simple as connecting your Cat-5 cable to the back of the player. When I got my HD-A3, I needed to upgrade the firmware to version 1.3. I plugged the Cat-5 cable, went into the settings, and the player did the rest. The upgrade was flawless and simple. In addition, only HD-DVD players can take advantage of this internet connection, and download new content, movie trailers, and tons of additional features. All something that Blu-ray can't do currently, and won't be able to until profile 2.0 comes out for them (late Fall 2008).
Another feature only available for HD-DVD players are the COMBO movies. These are movies that have HD-DVD on one side of the disc and standard DVD on the other side. What better way to move into the HD world by having both formats on 1 disc. Advantages of this? You can watch the HD-DVD version on your TV, and if your friend/relative wants to borrow the movie to watch it on their standard DVD player, they can do so. Or think about the typical American family road trip. The kids can watch Shrek the Third at home on their stunning HDTV, and when it comes time to pack up, they can bring the movie with them and watch it in the car. No need to buy both versions. And your right....Sony and Blu-ray can NOT do this.
Add to the fact that when buying this player you get 2 free movies (Bourne Identity and 300) right in the box, as well as 5 free movies by mail, and you can not beat this deal.
To those worried about this being a dying format, here's a few things to think about: If HD-DVD were to die, it's not like these HD-DVD players will all of a sudden stop working. There are well over 600 HD-DVD movies currently out, with many more to come. HD-DVD is region-free encoding, meaning, you can purchase HD-DVDs anywhere in the world, and they will work fine on your player. Not so with Blu-Ray. HD-DVD has the exclusive support of Paramount, Dreamworks SKG, and Universal, all major movie studios. Plus you can play ALL of your regular DVD's in stunning near HD upconvertability. Finally, with the recent price drop on all the Toshiba players, many many more people are jumping on the bandwagon. Do you honestly think all the other Blu-ray exclusive studios are going to continue supporting only Blu-ray with such a large number of HD-DVD players out there? As for sales, just look at Amazon's consistent ranking of the HD-A3 player in the top 10 in ALL of Electronics. The closest Blu-ray player? A paltry #68.
Do yourself a favor and puchase this player. You will not have any regrets.
My apologies for this review being so long, but I hope I have provided you with a wealth of information, and that you now have the facts between what you hear about Blu-ray being superior, and what's actually true. |
Best buy for " Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player ", Lowest Price Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player + Free shipping. Get Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player Now! |
No video reviews found for this product.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.