Toshiba HD-A2 player.....may be the best bargain in electronics right now

[CptGreedle]

For an up-converter great.
My real point is that up-converters are not as good a value as people think.
In a few years they will just buy a BD player.
Plus most people don't even have HDTVs yet so that makes it a niche product for now (face it, all HD is still niche but gaining popularity fast).

[mdm1699]

Originally Posted by CptGreedle

I think you missed my point. For people with more than one HDTV, if they really want to buy the A2, fine. But as far as "the best bargain in electronics right now", well that is just not true because most people have no need for it.
Convincing people that Blu-ray is all they want/need is a different issue. But as far as the value of it, the A2 has very little to give anymore.
I understand most people will still misunderstand what it can do, what HDTV and HD DVD is, and what Blu-ray is. THAT is the real battle now. But to knowingly go out and buy an A2 fully aware of the end of the format war and such, the A2 has little to offer.

If they are buying it for standard dvds then the format war being over is irrelevant. I don't see what the big deal is. The A2 has little to offer when BDA hardware companies stop making and selling HDMI upconverting players.

[mdm1699]

Or even regular DVD players.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by big angry

I realize that many here would never consider buying an HD-DVD player. But for those of us not so emotionally invested in the format war, this is a killer deal.

It is a great price. But, it would also be another component in the system. How many HDMI inputs does your receiver/TV have?

Gary

[Bourne1]

I think it's pointless. I am trying to move away from DVD. I only watch movies in one room in my house, so it would be pointless for me. I wouldn't even give this as a gift to my dad; would rather wait and spend the extra money on a cheaper BD player. That way, I could take my BD's to his house that he would like to watch.

[Blu Falcon]

Originally Posted by big angry

I realize this may amount to blasphemy for some on this forum but rest assured I am not trolling.

I just bought the Toshiba HD-DVD player at Wal-Mart. They're on closeout for 74 dollars and some change.

So, if you're not planning on getting rid of your standard DVD's and you're looking for a great player, you might want to head over to your nearest Wal-Mart. You're getting a great upconverting DVD player with HDMI for a pittance, and at the same time you're extending the life of your Blu-Ray player.

I realize that many here would never consider buying an HD-DVD player. But for those of us not so emotionally invested in the format war, this is a killer deal.

I'm not ashamed to say that I picked up a good cheap HD-A2 even though I knew the format was dead. Better yet, I'm picking up some good cheap HD-DVD titles as well. When HD-DVD movies are no more, I can still use the player to watch titles I still have on DVD that I won't be upgrading to Blu.

I've read the comments suggesting that anyone willing to spend money on a dead format is throwing money away and are stupid for doing so, but I disagree. Consider this, Betamax and Laserdiscs are considered dead formats, but there's something quite novel about owning some good equipment that no one else wants. Laserdisc and Betamax players (some are considered collectors items!) may be obsolete for the mass consumer market, but there's not a shortage of people willing to pay top dollar for some of this equipment. Go check what some of these players are selling for on ebay. CDs essentially killed vinyl and cassettes, but again, there's not a shortage of audiophiles out there willing to pay top dollar for a good used turntable or cassette deck. Hell, I've even seen 8 tracks sell for premium prices! So while the rest of the world may dismiss HD-DVD as a dead format, I promise that some HD-DVD gear and titles will be highly sought after collectors items that folks will be paying good money for in years to come. I plan to pick up a good used HD-XA2 HD-DVD player as well. This player has pretty much gained legendary status in the red camp, so I'm sure it will be in high demand the more rare these units become.

I'm always going to be a big Blu supporter, but I won't turn my back on any good media.

[Brian Cash]

Why do people insist on bragging about the deals they got on hd dud equipment this is a blu ray site not both sorry if im being a a$$ about it but cmon your wasting your money on something that will be forgotten about in a couple months i mean laser discs are on sale this pawn shop for 25 bucks want to go get that im sure it plays standard dvds as well

[big angry]

Originally Posted by Brian Cash

Why do people insist on bragging about the deals they got on hd dud equipment this is a blu ray site not both sorry if im being a a$$ about it but cmon your wasting your money on something that will be forgotten about in a couple months i mean laser discs are on sale this pawn shop for 25 bucks want to go get that im sure it plays standard dvds as well

Actually I still have a laser disc player and about 25 or so movies. I also have a turntable and a ton of vinyl records.

I enjoy using both of them. If that makes me stupid in your eyes, so be it. I don't need anybody else's validation.

[hubcityrider]

As mentioned in previous posts.. Any amount of $ spent on crap, wont change the fact that it's still crap...

no thnx...

[big angry]

Originally Posted by hubcityrider

As mentioned in previous posts.. Any amount of $ spent on crap, wont change the fact that it's still crap...

no thnx...

Pray tell, what makes it "crap"?

From what I can tell in my use of it so far, it is a solidly-built, well-engineered machine. It runs extremely quiet, set up was a breeze, it plays CDs well, and it has played every video disc I've put in it.

So, please, explain your comments. Calling it "crap" simply because it is an HD-DVD player is not good enough.

[Blu Falcon]

Originally Posted by hubcityrider

As mentioned in previous posts.. Any amount of $ spent on crap, wont change the fact that it's still crap...

no thnx...

Beta was considered superior to VHS, but VHS won the format war. Beta was never considered crap. And the crap that you're referring to is still good HDM. If Blu-ray had lost the war, would you not invest in HD-DVD?

Everyone has made a choice as to which format they prefer and I don't think the OP is out to change anyone's minds. But the ignorant and quite immature stuff being posted in this thread is seriously unwarranted. FWIW, I'm not referring to anyone who has responded with a good educated counter-argument to this debate.

[big angry]

Absolutely. I'm not trying to pimp HD-DVD here, because it's obviously a lost cause.

All I'm saying is that there is a fairly state-of-the-art DVD player out there that can be had for a very good price. Hell, my wife spends more than that getting her hair done.

[owa]

A regular upconverting DVD player is still a better choice in my opinion. They're faster, don't lag and are more stable. Of course, they probably cost more than the A2 though.

[radagast]

Originally Posted by big angry

Absolutely. I'm not trying to pimp HD-DVD here, because it's obviously a lost cause.

All I'm saying is that there is a fairly state-of-the-art DVD player out there that can be had for a very good price. Hell, my wife spends more than that getting her hair done.

Are you going to pay full price for hd-dvds?

[Blu Titan]

I don't plan on buying nother DVD player ever again, so the comparisons between this player and DVD does NOT apply to me. HD DVD is an obsolete format... bottom line. There no way that I am spending $$$$ on an obsolete 1080i player. I rather use the money to buy Blu-ray movies or another Blu-ray player for my fitness room.

[big angry]

Originally Posted by radagast

Are you going to pay full price for hd-dvds?

I don't plan on purchasing any HD-DVD's, unless I can find a bunch on ebay for like 3-4 bucks apiece or some other kind of ridiculous deal.

[AikonEnt]

As HD-DVD was marketed as being region free does that also apply to the players? More specifically playing different region DVD's? I have a lot of region 1 DVD's, none of which will play in my PS3 or any upscaling DVD player I can get in the UK so I have to make do with good old 20th century DVD technology (which looks worse and worse the bigger the tv gets). Now I don't mind double-dipping on the discs I really want again in Blu, but I'm certainly not re-buying everything in Blu, so an upscaler that could do any region of DVD would be a bonus for me (I even have some region 3 discs). Now if a HD-DVD player could do this for me, and I could pick one up for around £30 then I can't see the problem with the idea of getting one (won't be buying any HD-DVD discs though). If it can't the f#@k it, chuck all HD-DVD players in the bin

[ezcobar411]

Originally Posted by BlueNeon

I don't plan on buying nother DVD player ever again, so the comparisons between this player and DVD does NOT apply to me. HD DVD is an obsolete format... bottom line. There no way that I am spending $$$$ on an obsolete 1080i player. I rather use the money to buy Blu-ray movies or another Blu-ray player for my fitness room.

Exactly. Why invest in either technology at this point. It would be in the best interest of all of us to further increase the market share that blu has

[bhampton]

Hey,

You couldn't pay me to own a HD DUD player.

(Well,.. I suppose you could but I would just spend the money on Blu Ray's and either return or give away the HD DUD player.)

-Brian

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by radagast

Are you going to pay full price for hd-dvds?

If your smart about it, you can get the same warner and paramount movies out now for about $6-$8 each. BD's will never come down to that price. So in essence, buying the hd-dvd's are saving you money in the long run if you plan to keep the player and movies. They will always play on your player and will always be cheaper than their BD counterpart. Plus, HD backers wanting to get into BD will trade 2 or 3 for 1 to get a BD. The movies never break, so really, what is the difference when it comes to similar titles already out?? I would not buy the HD version of the matrix, because I think the BD version can be better. But I will now buy the HD version of many lesser warner and paramount titles for super cheap. Shooter is still selling for $40+ on ebay, you can get the HD version for less than $10. You do the math. Same movie and crappy audio on both copies. There are some deals to be had if you look for them. I just picked up Italian Job, Transformers and Top Gun for $17 shipped. Less than $6 a movie. Transformers will probably have better audio on the BD version, but the video transfer will be the same. $$$ to be saved for later on when only the BD versions comes out. Why rebuy the same title, when it is pretty much going to be the same thing. You cannot get better than 1080P.