Still not quite close to $98 :-))

You’re basically comparing a discontinued non 1080p player to a brand new 1080 24p capable player.

That’s like saying you got a better deal on a 40” XBR2 than someone else did on a 46” XBR4.

As it was discussed previously, 1080i vs. 1080p makes no difference in regards to telecined movies. My TV locks onto cadence in less than a second, I checked it with HQV test disk. So, after a split-second of initial titles, I enjoy true 1080p picture.

As to 24p output, I don't have a 24p-capable TV. Most budget LCD/plasma 2006/2007 TVs don't have this feature. I can live with slight judder as long as the picture is properly deinterlaced.

Out of all models offered by Toshiba, only the XA2 stands out, everything else is pretty much the same deal. I wanted the XA2, but I am surprised by how well the A2 fares.

I understand that a 1080p TV must be 24p capable to fully enjoy the benefits of a 1080p player but I just think its wrong comparing the price.

It’s like comparing 2 cars of the same manufacturer where one of them can reach a speed of 120mph and the one with more horse power is taped to 155mph. It may be illegal to reach those speeds but you’re obviously expected to pay a lot more for the faster model.


I wouldn’t be surprised if Toshiba were to show off a successor to the XA2 at CES because its way overdue.

I don't think that the XA2 needs replacement. What should they add? HDMI 1.3? It is there already. The player has full Dolby TrueHD decoding, as well as amazing Silicon Optix chip and 1080p output. Really, I don't see any serious improvements this player needs. Just drop the price to $300 and it will fly off the shelves.

IMHO, Toshiba must focus on firmware updates, on bug fixing, and on AVCHD playback across all the models instead of spending money on a new shiny (or matte) box with differently shaped buttons. I hope that AVCHD playback can be added to current models via firmware update. These models already support H.264, so they must have the needed computing power available.

Here in Canada we're getting the HD-D3 (basically an A3 + hdmi cable) with bourne 1 + 300 for 99$ on boxing day @ futureshop.ca.

I'm sold!!

Heath would you like me to get you one? LOL!! =)

Ha ha ha. Great deal, but I have to save my money. If I could buy anything tech, it would be a Nikon/Nikkor 55-200mm VR lens for my D40x.

Heath

5 Free Movies by Mail
 

Has anyone received the 5 free movies by mail yet?

Yes, I recieved mine, but it took almost 3 months.. I know someone else that purchased a unit and it took a while to recieve theirs also...

$79.99 at Costco
 

Toshiba HD DVD Player is $79.99 at Costco. Free HDMI cable and two HD DVD Movies (Bourne Identity and Supremacy) are included.

The end of the format war now helping the consumers.

P.

ummm, yeah, step right up and clear out our no longer supported merchandise... sometimes a bargain is not a bargain. Yeah, the milk is cheap, only a teensy bit lumpy and a week and a half past the expiration date!

I saw last night where a major Japanese retailer was gearing up to trade ALL the HD-DVD players they had sold for Blu Ray players! Now if something like that were to happen, I guess picking up an HD-DVD player on the cheap now might not be so bad, but not sure I'd take that chance!

Actually they'll credit your player cost towards a Blu-Ray player, its not an even swap over as they'd lose their shorts on such a deal (well, moreso than they already will with the trade-in).

As for buying an HD DVD player now, well what can I say, if one knows exactly what they're getting into it could still be a good deal. You buy an A3 for $80 and get Bourne Identity and 300 in the box. Grab a few key movies on sale or from eBay. Re-sell, keep and enjoy, whatever. When lower priced 2.0 BD players come out you move the HD DVD player somewhere else where it becomes a very nice upscaling DVD player and move full bore into Blu-Ray.

I don't see the big deal, I bought a Laserdisc player a long time ago just to watch the original Star Wars trilogy and Jaws because Lucas and Spielberg were taking their time with DVD releases. The Laserdisc player and its movies were - like HD DVD now - fully obsoleted and dead at the time, but a good dead format is still good :)

Now obviously if you've got $400-500 to spend on a player/PS3 and don't mind waiting a while for some of the exclusive Universal titles, by all means there's zero reason to look at HD DVD now.

$50.00 Rebate from Amazon!
 

Just wanted to let everyone who bought an HD DVD player from Amazon.com know about this. I got a discount code by email for $50.00 today from Amazon.com, as an apology of sorts from them.

The catch, the bad news, was that it expired the same day it arrived, today April 9th. The good news for me was that I needed a hard drive for a customers video and such and put the $50.00 toward the drive. 500 Gig Lacie USB external drive for $49.99 total with shipping.

Check your emails if you bought from Amazon and get your rebate spent. The rebate applies to Amazon Merchandise with very little restrictions and has no minimum to spend. If you can find something for $50.00, it's your for free or just shipping.

Got to do it before midnight all!

Still love my HD DVD player and my ten free movies too! Now I have less than $100.00 invested into it.

Good luck to all-----Mike

Rats ... I didn't get any email. Ordered my HD-A20 from Amazon.com last fall.

Mike, did they say it was an apology for any hd dvd player? Or did you get a different model than me?

Thanks!
 

Mike, thank you for posting this. I promptly checked my e-mail and yes the promotional code from Amazon was there. I used it towards the purchase of Belkin Tune Studio (audio mixer for ipod) ($199-$50=$149). What is so interesting is that Amazon mailed this promotion on the day it is expiring and included in their offer was this message:

"The code is valid through April 9, 2009, so you have plenty of time to use your credit."

Thanks again.

P.