Hi all, Santa is bringing me an early gift, an A3 HD player. I've been researching them a little bit and was wondering if there is anything I should know about. I have seen something about discs freezing or locking up but the most recent firmware is suppose to fix this, should I download the firmware now so that when it comes I will be ready? thanks outlaws. Loopy

Loopy:
Please post the link to freezing.
Thanks.

Hi nafaguys,I found a dicussion on amazon about the 408bc504 error code here is the linkhttp://www.amazon.com/408bc504-error-code/forum/Fx18N3I3OOUREU5/Tx2BCAWC5XB6D89/1/ref=cm_cd_dp_tft_tp?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=electronics&cdAnchor=B000U62N1S&asin=B000U62N1S&store=e lectronics, or what I do is go to amazon to toshiba A3 and scroll down to near bottom of page to discusions.

My HD-A1 pauses every once and a while, but clearing the player's Persistent Storage in the Set-up menu stops this.

Loopy:
Thanks.
So do you think Toshiba rushed the product out too soon?
I don't think that it should be up to the consumer
to troubleshoot and fix their problems..

I just wonder if bluray has any such problems requiring updates.

I'm still waiting for HD player. thanks.

Man, you don't know the half of it...

It's the other way around, big time.

Gizmodo: The State of Blu-ray

On the other hand, HD DVD has had a finalized specification since launch.

The reasons I went with HD dvd is amazon is having a ten free disc special and it seems almost every Sony product I"ve ever owned has had some sort of problem . In my opinion yes I think they rushed out too soon, but like sehnzeleid said HD DVD has had a finalized spec. since launch

Both formats have relied on regular firmware updates to provide compatibility with new releases - and I suspect that even if we hadn't had a format war we would have seen some of that, although the war and pressure to get to market has certainly exascerbated it. If anything, Blu-ray has had a worse time with it, even before factoring in the evolving spec.

Been slow to pull trigger, but getting closer. So, it appears from the above that toshiba would be a reasonable entry choice, especially considering the 10 discs.

And I checked. Netflix has both formats to go.

So...if I chose Toshiba, I would like to know, please which model is the most up-to-date and "bullet-proof". Of course I would only choose 1080p.

TIA.

I think you have to go to the A30 to get 1080p, the A3 is 1080I. looks to be about $50 to $60 more for the A30.

Opinions about Toshiba A30 vs. A35 would be much appreciated, especially if anyone has any experience with it. A35 probably a later edition. But I'm wondering if there are additional features which are worthwhile. Thanks.

Loopy's right - A3 is limited to 1080i, while A30 adds 1080p support.

The A30 and A35 are the same generation. Biggest difference is that the A35 has a multichannel analog output.

So I guess the most optioned and advanced of the current Tosh A3x players is the A35.

Does anyone know if there is something better (quality) currently like another brand, or is Tosh the best bet.

Also something known to be upcoming on the horizon?
Thanks

The A35 looks to be about $100 more than the A30.

Loopy and gong:
Am I correct that the primary difference for the $100 is the addition of multichannel analog outs.
Gonk pointed out that it had them, as opposd to A30.
Just wondering if that is the only difference. If so why bother. Can use Oppo for that function if needed.
THanks

Just checked the Toshiba site and Amazon, I think thats the only difference that I can see.

just recently purchased the toshiba a-3 and right out of the box was tremendous! i did however call toshiba and ordered the firmware update disc. i was considering the a-30 but to the eye 1080i vs. 1080p? well id have to be superman to tell the diff. anyway, got a great deal and im very pleased with the player. just my 2cents. have a great holiday all!

Hi ric, got mine today and downloaded the firmware to a cd-r yesterday,so as soon as I set set it up I put the firmware disc in, it takes about 20 minutes to load the new firmware than watched The 300 disc that came with the player. Unbelievable is all I can say. Does anyone think the volume is lower on the HD dvd discs or is it just me?

Thanks to all for input (pun intended)
I pulled the trigger today on Toshiba A30.
Because of what appears unsettled blu-ray and some deficits...and...because Amazon has the deal with 10 HD-DVD discs (2 + 3 + 5 after receipt of player) all for $239.98.

Question about Tosh A30.

In setup I chose the "UP TO 1080p" choice.
I played Bourne Identity and noted 1080i on the player. My TV is 1080p.

Am I doing something wrong?
Is the disc really 1080i?
This is my first entry into HD players. Thanks.

I'm going to assume that in addition to being a 1080p display, the TV can accept a 1080p input, right? Those two don't always go together, especially on early 1080p models. Unfortunately, neither my HD-A2 nor my HDTV support 1080p, so I'm not particularly versed in this issue. The HD-A20's manual (closest thing to your HD-A30, since that specific manual isn't listed on Toshiba's site yet) doesn't help much either. My suspicion is that the HD-A30 doesn't think that your TV will accept a 1080p input and is stepping down to 1080i because it is the closest input that the player thinks the TV will accept.

Just out of curiosity, are you using component video or HDMI for the link between player and TV? Component video will only go up to 1080i.
As Gonk says, it may also be the TV; check the manual carefully.

My thanks to gonk and mahansm for reply and ideas. This link shows my TV and it\'s a 1080p .

I am using HDMI.

Here's the answer: I found it on page 3 of the article I referred to above:

While the set de-interlaces 1080i to create 1080p, it does not accept 1080p images directly

So while it claims to be a 1080p TV it does so by deinterlacing a 1080i, hence that must be why I see the 1080i on the HD A30.

Took me a bit to get through that review, but I was about to post the same thing that you found: it has a 1080p display engine, but that does not necessarily equate to accepting 1080p inputs - and in this case, it can't accept such an input. The A30 is doing the right thing.