Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD Player
Hollywood Strikes Again?
Overall I am very pleased with the HDA1 player at least in terms of the HD DVD discs. But one of the reasons that I purchased this player is because it is advertised to upconvert standard DVDs to near HD quality. This was a big selling point since there aren't that many HD DVD titles available yet.     When I tried to play normal DVDs using the standard High Def component cables a message appeared on the screen told me that the up-conversion was prohibited and the resolution was reduced to 480p. So, the hardware is capable but the system can still prevent the player from utilizing the advanced features.     The remote control could be significantly better. The text is very light on a black background making it very difficult to read. Also, some of the buttons - buttons that the manufacturer apparently feels you won't need very often - are under a \\"slide cover\\". You have to open the cover to reveal the buttons. This is a bad idea and I really don't care for it.    The player is also very slow to respond to the remote control at times. Whatever you do - do not keep pressing buttons as it remembers the buttons that you press and will jump all over the place once the unit catches up.    Another bad idea that I don't much care for is the DVD tray itself. It has an outer door that drops down to reveal the (standard) DVD tray. Judging from devices that I've had in the past it's only a matter of time before the outer flap stops flapping. When this happens the player will probably quit working. There are probably limit switches on the flap that will prevent the player from operating if the flap isn't in the proper position, so even if the door is removed the limit switches will have to be defeated as well. Hope I'm wrong about this one!    The audio outputs are a bit odd (in my opinion). There are the standard red & white RCA style jacks for \\"2 channel\\" audio out. However, to there are seperate RCA jacks for the FRONT, CENTER, and SURROUND speakers for the 5.1 channel surround. May equipment must be out of date because I've never seen anything like this before. Looks like I'll have to replace the stereo unit as well just to get the 5.1 audio.    The Ethernet port is handy for downloading firmware updates when they become available. It is also suggested that some HD DVD software may include links to HD DVD specific web content. None of the titles that I currently have use this feature. The funny thing is that Toshiba put the port there for this function then has roughly a page and a half of disclaimers saying that they're not responsible if it fails or the content doesn't work, etc.     If Toshiba had been really smart they would have included the ability to play media files from a PC, particularly if it did not require a special OS such as XP Media Center Edition. How cool would it have been to be able to display pictures downloaded from your digital camera or your home moves without having to burn them to a disc?