Toshiba HD-A3 for 133

Isn't there a firmware update available for the A3 so it can also do 1080p? I thought I read that somewhere - my bad if I'm wrong.
 
Not trying to start anything here but I would like to point out that this is probably an inventory dump on Toshiba's part.

It is a good upconverting DVD player though and if HD-DVD takes a dive you can probably pick up some movies on the cheap.

Just making sure any potential buyers are aware of these things.

;)
 
again keep this on point... no format war talk.....

however the a30 can be grouped with the Bourne Supremecy for 10 bucks more so that is a pretty good deal for 185ish
 
I have a 1080p tv and I'm in no rush to get a hd or br player at the moment, not until there is a definitive winner OR there is an affordable dual format player.. no way in hell would i want to buy an hd player and a few months down the road not have any movies to play on it because all the publishing companies switched to blueray.. it's still too crazy right now, for me anyway
 
Erasmus354 said:
The A-30 is only 172$ and that one can do 1080p
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Should be noted though that the A30 has processing issues at 1080P and only performs well at this resolution with TVs that can support 1080P/24. I was looking into this model since it's not much more than the A3 but I think I'll just go with the A3.
 
dude, really????

this is a good deal for "most" people.
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lol, that's what I said...there's always gotta be that one guy. Anyways, thanks for posting the deal man.
 
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Couple of things -- the A3 and A30 do an amazing job of upscaling SD-DVDs. Think of it this way. For $130 bux you are getting a very good SD-DVD player (competitively priced). It also happens to play HD-DVD, decode Dolby Digital+ and TrueHD, come with 2 free movies and 5 more by mail all on HD-DVD.

I have an A2 -- and these are awesome players. I also have a PS3 and Xbox 360 (and various upscaling DVD players in other rooms) and the A2 is the best for SD-DVD watching.

As for the 1080i versus 1080p thing -- it does not matter. If you have a 1080i/720p display, then who cares. If you have a 1080p display -- the TV will deinterlace the 1080i picture and the end result (what your eyes see) is exactly what you would see if you had a 1080p source. Do some research -- there are lots of threads and web pages about this.

There really is no reason in my mind to spend the extra money on the A30 unless (and this is a big unless) your TV can do 1080p@120hz. Then it makes a difference in some motion shots. On at 1080p/60hz display -- the A3 @ 1080i and A30 @ 1080p will look the same.

Anyway -- this is a great deal
 
I think this is part of the slash. And seriously, if you just wanna bitch about HD-DVD, take it somewhere else.
 
well then wait till next week and get it cheaper if you think that it will drop even more.
 
Jchase said:
Excuse me, but the statement "You cannot be serious" is a question. Please add the "?" next time.



:p
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"You cannot be serious." is a sarcastic remark. If it was a question, it would sound really funny.. sort of like "I'm Ron Burgundy???"
 
skrill said:
As for the 1080i versus 1080p thing -- it does not matter. If you have a 1080i/720p display, then who cares. If you have a 1080p display -- the TV will deinterlace the 1080i picture and the end result (what your eyes see) is exactly what you would see if you had a 1080p source. Do some research -- there are lots of threads and web pages about this.
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QFT!
 
Just to add a thought here. Just because you have a 1080p player and TV, some, like my self prefer to use my 1080i inputs.

I much prefer my movies look like real movies in a big theater and with 1080i I get that experience. What I don’t get is a well produced movie from either format that looks too much to me like a video game.

When you look out a window at a tree that is reality, that’s how I like to view HD regardless of format.

Just too totally qualify myself as a nut I still have a very strong preference for CRT sets and or CRT based RP sets for much the same reason. No pixels to deal with at any viewing distance.

Like music, if what you see or hear is better then reality, it’s wrong.

Something to think about;)
 
I would for sure jump on this if it had a coaxial digital audio out... since theres only 1 optical input on the Z-5500's and I already have to keep changing between the 360, tv, and spdif on my laptop...
 
it might be even cheaper next week since Toshiba announced the price drop for all of their HD DVD players.....
 
LiquidX said:
You cannot be serious. You're correcting him on a "-"?:rolleyes:
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The ? belongs inside the quotation marks. :D

If you need a top-notch upscaling DVD player, this is an excellent deal - there are already like 500 HD-DVDs out, so you'll also have plenty of HD content to watch on it.
 
edgeh2o said:
I would for sure jump on this if it had a coaxial digital audio out... since theres only 1 optical input on the Z-5500's and I already have to keep changing between the 360, tv, and spdif on my laptop...
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I have the same problem. There are optical switches or optical to coax adapters on monoprice.com, but not sure how well they work.
 
Varmint said:
I have the same problem. There are optical switches or optical to coax adapters on monoprice.com, but not sure how well they work.
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While I'm not personally interested in this deal, I can tell you I just purchased one of those optical to coax adapters and so far it works great. I got mine on a different site since monoprice was backordered- otherwise I would definitely have purchased one from them.

I would definitely recommend the purchase if you're full-up on optical inputs on your older receiver like I am.
 
ps3guru03 said:
it might be even cheaper next week since Toshiba announced the price drop for all of their HD DVD players.....
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Yep, I read this, too. I think 50% price drop across the board. :eek:

"Toshiba, unwilling to concede defeat in the next-generation-DVD battle, said Monday that it would launch an aggressive advertising campaign to promote its HD DVD players and slash prices about 50%.

Entry-level players now start at about $150, down from about $300.

The consumer electronics maker said in a statement that it would step up marketing of the players. It provided few details but said the ads would run on television, in print and online."

Varmint said:
...

If you need a top-notch upscaling DVD player, this is an excellent deal - there are already like 500 HD-DVDs out, so you'll also have plenty of HD content to watch on it.
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I wonder what upconverts better, this HD DVD player or an OPPO DVD player. I have the OPPO '980 and it does a pretty damn good job of upconverting DVDs to 1080p. Just wondering.
 
aramis said:
While I'm not personally interested in this deal, I can tell you I just purchased one of those optical to coax adapters and so far it works great. I got mine on a different site since monoprice was backordered- otherwise I would definitely have purchased one from them.

I would definitely recommend the purchase if you're full-up on optical inputs on your older receiver like I am.
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Awesome, I will try that, thanks!
 
beowulf7 said:
I wonder what upconverts better, this HD DVD player or an OPPO DVD player. I have the OPPO '980 and it does a pretty damn good job of upconverting DVDs to 1080p. Just wondering.
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I purchased my A2 when I was still using my Oppo 981 as my primary DVD player. I have (well, had) them both connected to my 58" Panny plasma. The A2 is an outstanding upconverting DVD player. IMHO, it is as good if not BETTER than the upconverted video quality of my Oppo 981. Very shortly after, I sold my Oppo and now use my A2, exclusively, for both my HD-DVD and SD DVD movies.

In the light of Toshiba's recent price cuts, the A3 is hands down the best bang for the buck for those consumers that are shopping for an upconverting DVD player, but not really in the market for a next gen hi-def format player yet. For the extra cost of $30 from your mainstream grade upconverting DVD player (Sony, Panny, etc...), you can net yourself an EXCELLENT upconverting 1080i/720p player and along with the hardware, you get yourself 2 movies included in box and a coupon for 5 additional HD-DVD movies. NO freebie movies inside any SD upconverting players! Even if you don't buy another HD DVD movie beyond the free ones that you'll receive with the purchase of the A3, the value of the package easily outshines anything a regular upconverting DVD player can offer you at the current time.
 
The real question here is....will you get those free HD DVD's you sent off for? I don't know very many people who have received theirs yet.
 
Holy Cow, I paid $99 for my A2 and $199 for the A3, I alos have a Sony BDP-S300 (I have a little one so gotta get those Disney/Pixar Blu-Rays) and I don't regret getting either. Good Prices indeed.
 
Mthr1 said:
I purchased my A2 when I was still using my Oppo 981 as my primary DVD player. I have (well, had) them both connected to my 58" Panny plasma. The A2 is an outstanding upconverting DVD player. IMHO, it is as good if not BETTER than the upconverted video quality of my Oppo 981. Very shortly after, I sold my Oppo and now use my A2, exclusively, for both my HD-DVD and SD DVD movies.

In the light of Toshiba's recent price cuts, the A3 is hands down the best bang for the buck for those consumers that are shopping for an upconverting DVD player, but not really in the market for a next gen hi-def format player yet. For the extra cost of $30 from your mainstream grade upconverting DVD player (Sony, Panny, etc...), you can net yourself an EXCELLENT upconverting 1080i/720p player and along with the hardware, you get yourself 2 movies included in box and a coupon for 5 additional HD-DVD movies. NO freebie movies inside any SD upconverting players! Even if you don't buy another HD DVD movie beyond the free ones that you'll receive with the purchase of the A3, the value of the package easily outshines anything a regular upconverting DVD player can offer you at the current time.
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That's really the bottom line.
 
Mthr1 said:
In the light of Toshiba's recent price cuts, the A3 is hands down the best bang for the buck for those consumers that are shopping for an upconverting DVD player, but not really in the market for a next gen hi-def format player yet. For the extra cost of $30 from your mainstream grade upconverting DVD player (Sony, Panny, etc...), you can net yourself an EXCELLENT upconverting 1080i/720p player and along with the hardware, you get yourself 2 movies included in box and a coupon for 5 additional HD-DVD movies. NO freebie movies inside any SD upconverting players! Even if you don't buy another HD DVD movie beyond the free ones that you'll receive with the purchase of the A3, the value of the package easily outshines anything a regular upconverting DVD player can offer you at the current time.
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Not necessarily. For my brother and several other people I know HD-DVD players are the worst "upconverting" DVD player they could buy. They only have component inputs and AFAIK none of the Toshiba's can upconvert to anything but the HDMI output.
 
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