It’s been a long wait. I’ve finally taken the plunge and got myself the Toshiba HD-A3 HD DVD Player! Even though the debate on “HD media format war” has been raging for a while now (both sides are still claiming a stalemate), I have to start choosing a side. For me it’s clear HD-DVD is the right choice because of these reasons:
- Backwards compatible. I can still play my 300+ DVD collection on the HD-DVD player. I’ve been a DVD collector since 1997.
- It upconverts 480i DVDs to 1080i via HDMI cable.
- The movies that I care about are available on HD-DVD such as Batman Begins, Troy – Director’s Cut, 300
, The Bourne Trilogy, Transformers, etc.
- I work for Toshiba!
The only drawback is now I have to upgrade my TV and A/V Receiver. Currently I have the Samsung 42″ Widescreen HDTV DLP TV
Other than that, I’m looking forward to find out more about this player and what it can do. I still have to explore the online/interactive feature. Then there’s the bunch of HD-DVDs to buy, rent, and borrow. Looks like I need more holidays!
Tags: dvd, electronics, hd-dvd, movies
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Dolby Pro Logic? Is it still 1980? 😛
It looks like your Denon receiver supports Dolby Digital and DTS. Did you try to use HDMI just for the video to the TV but feed audio to your receiver over optical? The A3 downconverts the newer audio codecs (TrueHD and DD+) and outputs Dolby Digital to your receiver.
“Downconvert” is relative, too. You’re not getting full TrueHD or DD+, but you’re getting better DD than you would with regular DVDs. See this thread in AVS Forums for more info: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb.....dio+output.
You might need to set change some settings on the A3, too. Again, I would check AVS.
I tried the downconversion and it didn’t work either. The transport via HDMI is still PCM so the receiver still won’t decode it. Without buying a new receiver, like you said, I may just get another optical cable and bypass HDMI for the audio.
Why is the Samsung inadequate? Is it too small?
Ameloblast’s last blog post..What Animal Was I In a Previous Life?
HDMI may carry PCM, but your Denon doesn’t have HDMI inputs, does it? How do you have it connected? A3 HDMI to TV … RCA audio to receiver?
I think you should consider using LMS Home Theater Group to troubleshoot your setup. Of course, a nominal fee will apply. 😀
@Ameloblast: yeah, the screen is only 42″ which is ok, but not great for the full 1080i/p experience. I’ve seen HD on bigger screens and they’re dramatically different, especially good ones above 52″.
@LK: the HDMI goes to the TV, and TV is setup with optical cable to the Denon. No RCA connections. From what I’ve read on the forums (here and here)
it looks like PCM is only suitable for 2.0 outputs (hence the downmix PCM option). I think the Samsung TV is not capable of output in bitstream mode which is what’s required by the receiver. Looks like going direct from player to receiver is still the best way to do this for the audio.
…..timely purchase 😉
mattym’s last blog post..Cox is on a roll!
Yeah, the Reuters news on WB going blu-ray exclusive suck!
Warner news is a major bummer.
On the other hand, I like the new layout/look of your blog.
My post on this WB debacle is coming up.
Thanks for the compliments of the re-design.
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