DEAD: Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD player $199.99 Shipped @ Crutchfield

[MoobyTheGoldenCalf]

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-I...arch=hd%2Da2&i=052HDA2

Use code PA145 for free shipping.

You also still get the 5 Free HD-DVD's with this.

Currently out of stock, but you can still place the order.

Edit: Back up to $299 now. Good luck to those who ordered. Hopefully, the $199 price will be honored.

 

[videopho]

Ordered mine this morning.
Missed out the free shipping but it's still a great deal!
The invoice received via email reads unit ships on 6/26.
I guess my Matrix set ($19.99) from CC has to wait a bit longer.

 

[GZeus]

I ordered mine earlier today too - also to go with the Matrix set from CC..... and I'm guessing we're not the only ones

ps - OP, you're going to get 'spanked' by a Mod for posting that code

 

[VenomXTF]

Originally posted by: GZeus
I ordered mine earlier today too - also to go with the Matrix set from CC..... and I'm guessing we're not the only ones

ps - OP, you're going to get 'spanked' by a Mod for posting that code

Not exactly.

 

[Kaido]

How does this compare to using the Xbox 360 with the HD-DVD drive?

 

[Eug]

The Xbox 360 is the one I have. It's fine, but it's still a console, and if the room is hot the fan can get moderately loud on the Xbox 360. The A2 is supposedly very quiet.

The other problem with my 360 is that it doesn't have HDMI, although I don't care, cuz my TV doesn't either. The Elite has HDMI, but the A2 is still a great idea, because the A2 costs $199.99 with 5 free movies, whereas the Xbox 360 HD DVD costs $199.99 with 1-3 free movies.

 

[videopho]

I presently own the xbox hd-dvd version which is a pain in the rear every time you just want to play the movie you have to turn on the "space heater" console itself and it's a bit noisy.
Once received the Toshiba, the xbox player will have to go someplace else.

 

[Basilisk]

With this price and Amazon selling it for $256 (IIRC) it smells like there's a replacement model in the offing. That doesn't damn this offer -- I'm certainly tempted -- but from the owner reviews I've read, I get the nagging feeling that "the next model will fix some of the faults" (such as long load times and some disk compatibility issues).

Okay, by the time I -usually- buy into a technology they're already quality-stripped as they've become commodities. By that metric BUY NOW!

Edit: This price drop was forecast back in December by one reviewer, so maybe there isn't a new model in the offing?

 

[MoobyTheGoldenCalf]

Originally posted by: Basilisk
With this price and Amazon selling it for $256 (IIRC) it smells like there's a replacement model in the offing. That doesn't damn this offer -- I'm certainly tempted -- but from the owner reviews I've read, I get the nagging feeling that "the next model will fix some of the faults" (such as long load times and some disk compatibility issues).

Okay, by the time I -usually- buy into a technology they're already quality-stripped as they've become commodities. By that metric BUY NOW!

Edit: This price drop was forecast back in December by one reviewer, so maybe there isn't a new model in the offing?

There's no new models coming soon. It's all about Toshiba trying to win the format war. Good for them. It all = cheaper prices for us. I just picked up a HD-XA2 from Amazon for $521 shipped today, which is another hot deal on it's own.

BTW - Coupon codes are allowed now. Best change to this forum in a loooong time...

 

[Shawn]

Just bought one. Didn't know about the free shipping code though.

 

[zig3695]

i would think as long as the xbox hd-dvd drive thats hooked to your PC can read the disc it would be the same or better then any standalone because it relies on the video drivers and codecs to process the video.

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: Shawn
Just bought one. Didn't know about the free shipping code though.

Well, the good news it's only $11 shipping, so no big loss.

Originally posted by: zig3695
i would think as long as the xbox hd-dvd drive thats hooked to your PC can read the disc it would be the same or better then any standalone because it relies on the video drivers and codecs to process the video.

Well, you still have to buy the playback software, and apparently it's still got a few weird bugs on some systems.

I don't see how relying "on the video drivers and codecs to process the video" is necessarily any advantage though. I see the requirement for a PC a major disadvantage, at least for most home theatre setups.

 

[arod]

this is an amazing deal... hopefully this gets more players sold to a point where the content catches up.

 

[Trevelyan]

Wow this is a sweet deal.

Don't forget about the 5 free HD-DVD movies coupon: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-N...ails.asp?offerid=19886

 

[ncage]

Yes this deal is amazing and it made me jump on it too. I just ordered one. Especially when you consider you get 5 free movies then what is there to loose? I am a big backer for HD-DVD because of cost. Say if HD-DVD doesn't win the format wars? So what!!!!! Keep your HD-DVD player and the movies you bought for it and then buy a Blu-Ray at which point they will probably be a heck of a lot cheaper. Then comes the 1080i/p argument. Unless your TV sucks at interlacing i dont' think you will see a big difference of course with mine i don't have 1080p. I think at these prices that these things are going to start flying out the door. To tell you the truth this is around the same price point i bought my first dvd player which was a Toshiba dual dvd player at SamsClub for $249. This is even a better deal because its less money and i get free movies . I don't think these things will replace DVDs for a long time though because so many people just don't need high def. Why would you want one of these on a standard def tv. I almost bought a Oppo Upconverting dvd player a few months back and im glad i didn't. Hopefully this units upconverting of standard Dvds is good.

Only thing im wondering now is how long these things will be on backorder.

Ncage

 

[videopho]

Somehow my guts feeling has that Micro$shaft is the main thrust behind the format price war because, frankly and simply Toshiba would not stand a chance vs $ony.

 

[ncage]

Originally posted by: videopho
Somehow my guts feeling has that Micro$shaft is the main thrust behind the format price war because, frankly and simply Toshiba would not stand a chance vs $ony.

Hmm i don't know about. Why did Sony loose the war between betamax/vhs? They had the better format but yet they still lost. To tell you the truth i really don't care what the reason is other than i can get a HD-DVD player for $200!!!!!!!!!!!! with 5 free movies !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wonder how long its going to take to get these 5 free movies and for crutchfield to fill all these orders since im sure there are a ton of them since this is such an amazing price.

 

[Dweekie]

This player outputs 720P/1080i, not 1080p. Image quality will depend on the deinterlacing properties of the display, but generally won't be quite as good as a 1080p player. The Xbox 360 outputs 1080p. I guess it only matters if you have a 1080p display, but if you do, the nod goes to the xbox 360 for visuals.

The audio in an Xbox 360 is always compressed to DTS on output (even the elite through HDMI). The audio in the toshiba is not compressed in hdmi, but it will be in other digital cables. Therefore, if you use a standard optical or coaxial cable, then both players will be equal. If you use HDMI, the Toshiba will be better. Neither support full analog 5.1 outputs. Therefore, the nod would go to Toshiba for audio only if hdmi is involved. Keep in mind you only get the best audio quality through HDMI or Analog(rca) cables. Toslink optical and coaxial cables are the worst cables for next-gen surround audio - lots of people make this mistake.

 

[Dweekie]

Whoa, an discount just disapeared, price up to $299.99. Dead.

 

[ncage]

Yep it just disappeared. Congrads to those who got in on this deal and pray that we won't be getting an email from crutchfield saying this price won't be honored. I have yet to see crutchfield price that far from MSRP so i am a little concerned i won't get the price they stated on their web site.

 

[GZeus]

Originally posted by: VenomXTF

Originally posted by: GZeus
I ordered mine earlier today too - also to go with the Matrix set from CC..... and I'm guessing we're not the only ones

ps - OP, you're going to get 'spanked' by a Mod for posting that code

Not exactly.

Hadn't seen that before. Sweet!! Thanks.

 

[GZeus]

Originally posted by: Dweekie
... Keep in mind you only get the best audio quality through HDMI or Analog(rca) cables. Toslink optical and coaxial cables are the worst cables for next-gen surround audio - lots of people make this mistake.

Hadn't heard that before. Source? Link?

 

[MoobyTheGoldenCalf]

Originally posted by: GZeus

Originally posted by: Dweekie
... Keep in mind you only get the best audio quality through HDMI or Analog(rca) cables. Toslink optical and coaxial cables are the worst cables for next-gen surround audio - lots of people make this mistake.

Hadn't heard that before. Source? Link?

It's true. You can only get Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio through either HDMI or by having the player decode it and send the 6 channel analog out. If you use Optical out, there isn't enough bandwidth to carry the full HD audio signal, so the player will downconvert the HD audio to standard 5.1 DTS audio.

If you want a link, go to any home theater website

 

[MoobyTheGoldenCalf]

BTW, folks on other forums are posting that they have received order confirmations and invoices from Crutchfield. It looks like they are going to honor the $199 price.

 

[GZeus]

Originally posted by: MoobyTheGoldenCalf

Originally posted by: GZeus

Originally posted by: Dweekie
... Keep in mind you only get the best audio quality through HDMI or Analog(rca) cables. Toslink optical and coaxial cables are the worst cables for next-gen surround audio - lots of people make this mistake.

Hadn't heard that before. Source? Link?

It's true. You can only get Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio through either HDMI or by having the player decode it and send the 6 channel analog out. If you use Optical out, there isn't enough bandwidth to carry the full HD audio signal, so the player will downconvert the HD audio to standard 5.1 DTS audio.

If you want a link, go to any home theater website

I could do that or you could explain to me how a fiber optic line or a coaxial line - you know the stuff that's the backbone of the internet - suddenly doesn't have the bandwidth necessary for HD audio?!!

From my brief search, a quote from avguide.com 'The Perfect Vision' e-mag:
"We?ve compared the sound of digital audio signals presented via HDMI interfaces vs. coaxial or optical digital audio interfaces, and in every case achieved superior-sounding results via coax or optical inputs. What accounts for these sonic differences? We aren?t entirely sure, but at least one performance-minded manufacturer has told TPV that HDMI audio outputs tend to exhibit high levels of jitter, which ostensibly hamper sound quality."

So, whachu got?