Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD Player
If you've been wanting top quality HD, this is it
I'll admit, I was initially in the market for a Blu-ray player, but considering all the bad reviews Blu-ray has gotten and the great reviews the HD-A1 has gotten, I had to go with the format that has proven itself.  <br /> <br />The positives I have seen so far: <br />- Price. At less than half the cost of the Blu-ray players and a better quality picture, the A1 delivers. <br />- The PQ is simply the best when playing HD-DVD's. Definitely the best looking material my 50\\" plasma has displayed. <br />- The upconversion of standard definition DVD's rivals the PQ of 720p programming. This alone is worth a couple hundered dollars, maybe more.  <br />- Well constructed. Has the look and feel of a high quality piece of equipment. <br />- Great product support. Some folks may complain about the frequent product updates, but I find them a blessing to know Toshiba stands behind their products. <br /> <br />The negatives: <br />- The remote stinks. Nice fancy construction, but the unlit buttons are terrible in darkness, although you learn to navigate it by touch after a few movies. <br />- The load times are slow. Takes about a minute to start a movie, but I'll admit, it's less annoying than having to go through a dozen previews on some standard DVD's. On a positive note, the software updates are cutting into the load times. <br />- Taking a chance on the format war. This product could be obsole, and that has been my biggest fear. But seeing the markets response to HD-DVD, Toshiba and company would have to really drop the ball hard to lose this war.