Toshiba HD-A1/HD-Xa1 UK importers

[add46.88]

Anyone else getting excited about the arrival of Toshibas HD-DVD players?

so who's jumping in early and importing one from America?

One of my relations has seen King Kong on the HD-A1 and described it as looking AMAZING and nearly 3 dimensional!!!

[MattDJ]

I wanna get one! Only as i used to have D-VHS player and miss it... sort of.

Ive got a US Address from parcel 2 go.

So, just waiting. Tho Blu Ray is only 2 months later... and 1080p on Pioneer and Samsung players... mmm... could be both!

[add46.88]

ummm i'm thinking of getting a US address from parcel to go:confused:

is this a good way or am i better just getting one off movietyme.com???

[MattDJ]

I dont know... i wont know until i actually send something...

It was £11.74 inc vat, pay by paypal. Seems ok

Ive sent them an email to give them a scenario of what i want to do... awaiting a reply (sent yesterday tho)...

But to import a parcel (from a pick up in the US) is £55... up to 10kgs

Amazon list the Tosh at 6lbs (2.74kgs) - so you could get 3 in one import service. Or a Tosh and Blu Ray machine! I wont be rich in April and May :-(

[hddvdman]

yeah i want one too - any ideas on where to get from apart from movietyme??? may get a parcel2go addy if cheap postage to uk

[add46.88]

yeh thanks for that info MattDJ

i wonder if there is going to be any stock shortages like the xbox 360:god:

Ebay will be swamped with them if thats the case

[MattDJ]

www.crutchfield.com
www.valueelectronics.com

[add46.88]

a guy who saw this in person gives his opinion....




I was also able to see the Toshiba HD-XA1 at Fry's in Sunnyvale, Ca. yesterday and though it was quite impressive, I noticed some artifacting in the image, while it was running the 'Movie Trailer Loop'. The display was a 72" Toshiba 1080p model connected via HDMI, and the HD DVD remote was locked out for the most part. After a bit of tinkering though I was able to isolate the cause for some of the problems I was seeing.

1) The Toshiba DLP display settings were all pushed to their maximum levels (Contrast, Brightness, Color, Sharpness etc...) and after briefly setting them to a rough semblance of normalcy, the image looked much, MUCH better!

2) After noticing that the display had been set up wrong, I then checked the HD DVD player and found that it had been set to output 720p, shook my head, and ATTEMPTED to switch it to 1080i, but once I depressed the resolution button on the remote the player locked up and the image froze. I shut it down and restarted the unit which took an extremely long time (roughly 45 seconds to 1 min!). After doing this I was able to get the Toshiba split screen loop running and then was able to cycle through the resolutions without any problems.

3) I noticed when cycling in the split HD/SD screen comparison loop that when set to 480p the entire image was SEVERELY combed to the point that the image was distorted, but also noticed there was still a discernable difference in resolutions between the HD and SD samples! When set to 720p the image was stretched out and the artifacts were very evident, as they were when the Kong demo was running. Then I switched it to 1080i and finally the image looked truly High Definition, with very little atrifacting visible and a solid, stable image with maybe a few hang-up glitches here and there. All in all par for the course with a prototype player.

4) A salesman who had obviously been briefed then accessed the Movie Trailer Loop and I was finally able to see actual film material in 1080i. VERY nice! The trailers were:

1) Dukes of Hazard (Mindless and annoying for all)
2) Serenity (One of the best examples, and the only Sci-Fi one)
3) The Interpreter (Good skin tones, details)
4) The 40 Year Old Virgin (Good skin tones, color a bit over saturated)
5) King Kong (FU@*ING Phenomenal!! Mind numbingly sharp, nearly 3
dimensional!)
6) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Looked OK, but color pallet was strange,
probably due to it's production)
7) Batman Begins (Excellent black levels, awesome contrast and natural colors)
8) The Corpse Bride (Like experiencing stop-motion for the first time. Incredible!)

There may have been one more, but I can't remember which.

All in all I was impressed with the 1080i image material, once I was able to get the Television and HD DVD player set up correctly. There wasn't any form of a menu system that we could access, so either its wasn't authored with one or we were locked out from it completely. And with the menu system being tauted as being so much more advanced than current DVD players, you'd think they would have made it accessible!

Personally I was planning on waiting for the PS3 to hit the market before I committing to any one HD format, and this just further galvanizes me to continue waiting. It will be nice to finally have a disc-based HD medium such as HD DVD or Blu-Ray and I will embrace one, but only when it begins to compete with current DVD players in features, build quality, and value. Until then, no one gets my money!

-Jeremy

[MattDJ]

I saw the Tosh on demo at CES... for some reason, i cant even remember seeing the Blu Ray... If i did, i cant have noticed the difference.

Im only hesitant because the first tosh is 1080i and the first blu ray machines are 1080p.

[hddvdman]

I saw the Tosh on demo at CES... for some reason, i cant even remember seeing the Blu Ray... If i did, i cant have noticed the difference.

Im only hesitant because the first tosh is 1080i and the first blu ray machines are 1080p.

yeah i thought hd dvd would be 1080p cant understand why they are not?

[zAndy1]

'Amazon list the Tosh at 6lbs (2.74kgs) - so you could get 3 in one import service'

I'm not sure it works like that, would have thought you'd have to pay for each parcel seperately, if not it would be a good way of doing it, order 3 and get them shipped to the same UK address and then forward them on. Would have to be a lot of trust involved obviously!

[s.morris]

Look like Movie Tyme are no longer taking orders, put one in my cart and it said
We are sorry but the products listed above that have *** after the title do not exist in the quantity that you require.
Please note that used titles as a rule are one off units, please amend your quantity to reflect this.
Thank you. and I only put one in :(

Steve
.
.

[add46.88]

Look like Movie Tyme are no longer taking orders, put one in my cart and it said
and I only put one in :(

Steve
.
.


darn!!!looks like im too late with that one:mad:

[Avi]

'Amazon list the Tosh at 6lbs (2.74kgs) - so you could get 3 in one import service'

I'm not sure it works like that, would have thought you'd have to pay for each parcel seperately, if not it would be a good way of doing it, order 3 and get them shipped to the same UK address and then forward them on. Would have to be a lot of trust involved obviously!


Yea and don't forget import duty and VAT on imports valued over £18. I think DVD players have duty rate of 14% plus VAT on the total.

I placed an order via Movietyme and emailed them re duty. They emailed back saying if I was hit they would credit my account to the same vbalue providing I send the duty invoice and original packaging back to them ???

Dazzer

[MattDJ]

That was one of the questions i put to parcel2go about multiple packages. I kinda got the impression you could send loads of little things to the provided US address, from the website. I'll let you know. But i "think" its up to 10kg in weight as opposed to per package.

[s.morris]

Yea and don't forget import duty and VAT on imports valued over £18. I think DVD players have duty rate of 14% plus VAT on the total.


That would put the Toshiba at around £445 ???

Steve
.
.

[Theriomophic]

I will be getting a HDDVD Player. I am not sure whether to hold of until release in the UK or import one. I think it is dependent on a few questions being answered!


Do we have a release date in the UK for HDDVD Players?
Are there any quality issues with importing an American HD DVD Player?
If I ordered one from Amazon.com will I have to pay import duty?Cheers,

T

[Likvid]

I contacted Valueelectronics in the U.S and they do not ship outside USA due to Toshiba USA policy.

Anyone know anyone else willing to sell outside the borders? i am bit reluctant to use a Parcel2go address for such a expensive item.

[Matt Horne]

Parcel2go is basically DHL .. if you are bothered about that then I am sure there will be plenty of firms importing these once they are available.

In response to the question above.. you have to pay customs on any item from Amaon which is above the limit.. but Amazon will not ship electrical goods outside of the US anyhow..

[Theriomophic]

Matt thanks for the reply. Do you know of any issues with pricture performance with it being an American Unit?

T

[Avi]

I contacted Valueelectronics in the U.S and they do not ship outside USA due to Toshiba USA policy.

Anyone know anyone else willing to sell outside the borders? i am bit reluctant to use a Parcel2go address for such a expensive item.

Try here-


http://www.ng03.co.uk/acatalog/ng03_Shop_HD_DVD_Players___US_only___preorders_com ing_soon_4.html

[add46.88]

Try here-


http://www.ng03.co.uk/acatalog/ng03_Shop_HD_DVD_Players___US_only___preorders_com ing_soon_4.html


anyone ordered from this place before???

[Matt Horne]

yes.. steve is a member here... used to buy videogames from nextgen.. he was also a good supply for DVHS at the time...

Cheers

Matt

[DanielTS]

"I just received the following in an email from Toshiba:

"I also wanted to let you know that the Region Coding question raised was
answered definitively in a conference call last night, as we thought, there
will be no region coding on these two models."

I will ask for clarification on whether that applies to both HD-DVD and standard DVD playback, or just HD-DVD."
(Joshua Zyber, Staff Reviewer, DVDTalk)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7245623&&#post7245623

[Noggin1980]

"I just received the following in an email from Toshiba:

"I also wanted to let you know that the Region Coding question raised was
answered definitively in a conference call last night, as we thought, there
will be no region coding on these two models."

I will ask for clarification on whether that applies to both HD-DVD and standard DVD playback, or just HD-DVD."
(Joshua Zyber, Staff Reviewer, DVDTalk)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7245623&&#post7245623

Big plus point for HD-DVD then :thumbsup:

It certainly seems to be the most consumer friendly of the formats, though for some reason I still feel the more expensive, high copy protection, region coded anti consumer blu-ray will win :thumbsdow

It will feel like the comsumer is sticking its two fingers up to the company that is at least trying in some small way to look out for us if blu-ray wins. Fox for example going with bluray because of the extra harsh copy protection, so the consumer thinks oh blu-ray has more studio support thats the way to go. but the reason they have more consumer support is because the studios don't want to addopt the more consumer friendly product. (not that HD-DVD is consumer friendly of course we still have AACS, but its certainly better than blu-ray)

rant over, sorry

[Theriomophic]

I have just ordered my Toshiba HD-XA1 Player from Crutchfield and have also purchased a USA address from Parcel2Go.com

I have also spoken to parcel2go and they inform me that the will contact me on my mobile when the package arrives and all I have to do is pay for the delivery of £59 when they get it.

Anyway, fingers crossed and here goes nothing.

[Avi]

I have just ordered my Toshiba HD-XA1 Player from Crutchfield and have also purchased a USA address from Parcel2Go.com

I have also spoken to parcel2go and they inform me that the will contact me on my mobile when the package arrives and all I have to do is pay for the delivery of £59 when they get it.

Anyway, fingers crossed and here goes nothing.





Did you have any problems with entering a non US phone number on the Crutchfield site?

[add46.88]

Try here-


http://www.ng03.co.uk/acatalog/ng03_Shop_HD_DVD_Players___US_only___preorders_com ing_soon_4.html


it looks like you can pre-order but they don't have a price?

[ROBERTT]

Asked for info on this site..........theyre coming back with a ball park figure of £599.00:eek: :eek:

[add46.88]

Asked for info on this site..........theyre coming back with a ball park figure of £599.00:eek: :eek:


£599:eek: :eek:

thats a little bit pricey!

ahhh but is that for the HD-Xa1 ???

[ROBERTT]

No, the HD A1:thumbsdow

Sent off an email to Crutchfield to see if they will send to us forwarding address......

Here's hoping:rolleyes:

[Avi]

£599:eek: :eek:

thats a little bit pricey!

ahhh but is that for the HD-Xa1 ???


Bloody Hell ! I thought the Movityme price was a high at £369 but I'm now glad I placed an order with them as at least they'll cover any import duty. I've also placed an order with Amazon.com to ship to my P2G address just in case there are any issues but I'm bracing myself for duty and VAT if I go this route!

[museumsteve]

Maybe warranty should be considered?
Movietyme offer a 30 day warranty, Nextgen have always offered (and honoured) a 12 month warranty. Big difference IMO, but like most things, you get what you pay for ;)

[Theriomophic]

Did you have any problems with entering a non US phone number on the Crutchfield site?

Nope - they email you back from an international@crutchfield.com address asking you to confirm where are shipping to in America i.e is it a forward shipping address, you home address in the UK where the credit card is registered and home phone number etc. That is all.

When I entered my phone number I used 0044 and all the spaces including the extention box.

I thought the email asking for more information is rather professional and to be honest has made me feel rather cosy.

Can't wait to get my new toy. :clap:

PS. I have attached a PDF of my order from Crutchfield to really rub it in! LOL. :smoke:

PPS I also use Parcel2Go.com ;)

[Avi]

Maybe warranty should be considered?
Movietyme offer a 30 day warranty, Nextgen have always offered (and honoured) a 12 month warranty. Big difference IMO, but like most things, you get what you pay for ;)


Yea but I still think £599 is a bit steep for a product that in real terms is worth under £285. I can see many people somehow hitting the accidental damage cover in their home insurance if things go really wrong ! Plus I suspect it's not going to too long before we see Tosh UK announce the units. They announced a HD-DVD version of the Qosmio AV Laptop yesterday with UK availbility in April.

Avi

[ROBERTT]

Hi Theriomophic...

Im looking to import too from Crutchfield. I also have a P2g US address.

I emailed them and got a reply from international@crutchfield.com listing various restrictions. The only problem I can see is the tel no. They require a directory-assistance-verifiable US shipping name, address and phone number (listed in the us phone book). They do a security call back so I imagine you need to provide P2G's US phone number. Do you know what this is and how we can get it??

Geting all excited.....its so close now:clap:

[Theriomophic]

Hi Theriomophic...

They do a security call back so I imagine you need to provide P2G's US phone number. Do you know what this is and how we can get it??

Geting all excited.....its so close now:clap:

The do not require an American telephone number. The email quite clearly states please provide a tel no. with Country and City Codes!

(email from Crutchfield)
"2. Cardholder's complete billing phone number (please provide country and city codes)."

Hope this helps. :thumbsup:
T

[Avi]

The do not require an American telephone number. The email quite clearly states please provide a tel no. with Country and City Codes!

(email from Crutchfield)
"2. Cardholder's complete billing phone number (please provide country and city codes)."

Hope this helps. :thumbsup:
T

Cancelled my other order with Amazon and placed it with Crutchfield as delivery "should" be faster. Amazon quoting 11 May plus 5-9 days transport to P2G.

I also recieved an email saying "Thanks for choosing Crutchfield. We gladly accept credit cards billed or issued outside of the US. But we'll need a little more information to process your order". There also about six questions including phone, billing address, warranty and region stuff etc.

Also states they "when shipping to a forwarding service or business that
requires an invoice for value-declaration purposes a commercial invoice will be included"

So appears they don't have an issue and have done this many times before. I also tried Valueelectronics but they said they would not accept an order that would then be shipped outside the US.

Avi

[ROBERTT]

Hi guys,

OK with Sky taking forever with Sky HD I couldnt wait any longer. Finally ordered a Toshiba HDA1 from Crutchfield:clap: :clap:

Hopefully we should have these by the beginning of April so at last some pucker HD to my Pioneer 434HDE. All I need now is a HDMI switching box:rolleyes:

Will keep you informed.........

[add46.88]

Hi guys,

OK with Sky taking forever with Sky HD I couldnt wait any longer. Finally ordered a Toshiba HDA1 from Crutchfield:clap: :clap:

Hopefully we should have these by the beginning of April so at last some pucker HD to my Pioneer 434HDE. All I need now is a HDMI switching box:rolleyes:

Will keep you informed.........

nice one ROBERTT:smashin:

how much was that in total?and i presume you used parcel2go to get a US address

[ROBERTT]

Hi add46.88

Order total was $499.00 which works out at roughly £287.072.....bargain:smashin:

Yes got US forwarding address from P2Go for £11.95.

Will have to pay for shipping and any import duties but will be a lot less than the £599 that one UK import site was quoting:eek:

Plus I should be one of the first in the UK to be watching:thumbsup: Ive waited long enough........

Now where do i buy my HD-DVD's from:rotfl:

[Retronana]

I just rang a Tweeter store in Chicago and they are not getting any stock until May....seems a bit like a 360 style allocation plan.

I'm in Chicago on launch weekend and had hoped to pick up a machine...seems that might not be very easy :(

Best Buy seem to be the chain in the US that are getting behind it in a big way, but I have to say I'm not a fan of their stores from what I've seen on recent visits to the US.

Any ideas on good US retailers for a day one purchase of an HD-DVD player:lease:

[Avi]

I just rang a Tweeter store in Chicago and they are not getting any stock until May....seems a bit like a 360 style allocation plan.

I'm in Chicago on launch weekend and had hoped to pick up a machine...seems that might not be very easy :(

Best Buy seem to be the chain in the US that are getting behind it in a big way, but I have to say I'm not a fan of their stores from what I've seen on recent visits to the US.

Any ideas on good US retailers for a day one purchase of an HD-DVD player:lease:


Last time I looked Valueelectronics.com were still offering March delivery (assuming Tosh deliver !) If you are planning on ordering over the internet for onward shipment best not to let them know it's going outside the US.

[Retronana]

Last time I looked Valueelectronics.com were still offering March delivery (assuming Tosh deliver !) If you are planning on ordering over the internet for onward shipment best not to let them know it's going outside the US.

I'd prefer to pick it up and chuck in my very large suitcase whilst I'm there :)

[add46.88]

there out of stock on the Crutchfield website:mad:

[nutrut]

hi,

Could someone run thru with me the way to order from crutchfield via p2g ie, billing address etc

Thank you

[ROBERTT]

Yes there out of stock but none has stock yet.....there not due out till 28th March in the US..............

[add46.88]

Yes there out of stock but none has stock yet.....there not due out till 28th March in the US..............



errrrr yeh silly me,of course....

[add46.88]

hi,

Could someone run thru with me the way to order from crutchfield via p2g ie, billing address etc

Thank you


im with nutrut on that,i need help getting this sorted

[Theriomophic]

First of all go to Parcel2go.com (http://www.parcel2go.com/orderusaddress.asp)and get a USA address for £11.74. Make sure you enter you home address on the left hand box titled address as this is where the package will be shipped too once delivered in the states.

Parcel2go will immediately email you your new USA postal Address somewhere in Florida with a c/o P2GXXXXXXXXU reference built in.

Then go to Crutchfield and place the order online with the P2G address using your normal home phone number and billing details.

If the phone number does not fit because of the area code (0044) for the UK then carry the digits over to the x box also.

You will receive an email within 24hr from Crutchfield saying thanks for your order and maybe some other information required. They are very friendly and excellent on the phone also. Especially Julia who is English on the International Help Desk (could help but try and chat her up ), my charms worked so well she is thinking of moving to Australia !!!!

If you require anything else just reply and I will answer as quickly as possible.

Hope this helps.
T

[hddvdman]

First of all go to Parcel2go.com (http://www.parcel2go.com/orderusaddress.asp)and get a USA address for £11.74. Make sure you enter you home address on the left hand box titled address as this is where the package will be shipped too once delivered in the states.

Parcel2go will immediately email you your new USA postal Address somewhere in Florida with a c/o P2GXXXXXXXXU reference built in.

Then go to Crutchfield and place the order online with the P2G address using your normal home phone number and billing details.


If you require anything else just reply and I will answer as quickly as possible.

Hope this helps.
T
was about to do the order but in the billing addy you can only enter a us one? not a uk one - so did u put parcel to go one here too as i cant get the order through the system otherwise

ta

chris

[Theriomophic]

was about to do the order but in the billing addy you can only enter a us one? not a uk one

Not sure what you mean? :confused:

Please explain further.

T

[hddvdman]

Not sure what you mean? :confused:

Please explain further.

T

i am only allowed to put aus billing address in, i cannot put a uk one in as it asks me for a us state and us post code - so therefore i cannot use my uk c/c details there - of course i can put p2go address there and phone them up and change address over the phone? is this what you did

chris

[Theriomophic]

i am only allowed to put aus billing address in, i cannot put a uk one in as it asks me for a us state and us post code - so therefore i cannot use my uk c/c details there - of course i can put p2go address there and phone them up and change address over the phone? is this what you did

chris

No what happens is the goods get shipped to the P2G address in America. P2G call you to let you know goods arrived and let you know that you have a parcel and ship it to your UK address which you registered with P2G when you initially signed up.

Does this clear it up?

T

[hddvdman]

No what happens is the goods get shipped to the P2G address in America. P2G call you to let you know goods arrived and let you know that you have a parcel and ship it to your UK address which you registered with P2G when you initially signed up.

Does this clear it up?

T

thanks mate ordered now just need to find a good site for teh hd dvd's!!!!

[add46.88]

can you pre-order any DVDs yet?

so guys whats the first DVD your going to get?

[Theriomophic]

Try amazon.com. then use your P2G address to get them sent.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/16297241/ref=d_hp_br_lf_53/104-4754315-4788716 :clap:


T

[nutrut]

Just to get this cleared up for my little brain, on the crutchfield website you enter P2G address for billing and for delivery, but your own phone number with country prefix. Then in the email you recive state forwarding address etc?

[Theriomophic]

The billing and phone number details are your home UK details. Shipping address will be your P2G.

Hope this helps.

T

[Matt Horne]

why would you ship dvd's via the P2G address.. why not ship direct... £59 a time for P2G shipping is not cheap for DVD orders ??

I guess with Duty/VAT you are looking at roughly £420 all in ?

Matt

[nutrut]

On the Crutchfield website what do i put in the state and zip if its my uk address that goes in?

[Theriomophic]

why would you ship dvd's via the P2G address.. why not ship direct... £59 a time for P2G shipping is not cheap for DVD orders ??

I guess with Duty/VAT you are looking at roughly £420 all in ?

Matt

I am not saying the this is the best solution - but one of many and is the only place I know that is actually listing hi-def DVD's.

If you know of other sites then please share them here.

Thanks
T

[Theriomophic]

I am not saying the this is the best solution - but one of many and is the only place I know that is actually listing hi-def DVD's.

If you know of other sites then please share them here.

Thanks
T

On the Crutchfield website what do i put in the state and zip if its my uk address that goes in?

OK - this is what happens. Place your P2G address in the billing part also.
They will then send you an email with 6 things to do from Internation@crutchfield.com. Go through all the answers and you will get confirmation email accepting your order. Alternatively Place the order and get a reference number by email and call Julia in International customer services and she is brilliant and will help you all the way.

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

[klacey]

As to the films i know next-gen.co.uk will be selling them as it said that pre orders will be coming soon, at least i hope.

[Theriomophic]

On the Crutchfield website what do i put in the state and zip if its my uk address that goes in?
Right here goes the plan.

1st Use your P2G account as the billing address.

2nd This will generate the order and give you an order reference number.

3rd You will then get an email stating 6 things to do. (See earlier on in this thread) and go through these 1 by one. Or give Julia a call if you do not mind calling the States and go through with her on the phone. She is an ex-pat with an American Accent and will help you all the way.

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

T
Sorry for the double post the first one went tits up and now look :oops:

Mod edited to tidy-up. Nick

[nutrut]

Ok recieved the confirmation email, now i guess i just wait for the Q&A one

[Matt Horne]

Hi... no I just meant theres normally no restrictions on buying films.. ala dvd's from amazon.. hence no need to use the P2G mail solution. Just order from amazon and get them shipped to your UK address :)

dvdboxoffice.com had a lot up for preorder I think as well..
Matt

[Avi]

Hi... no I just meant theres normally no restrictions on buying films.. ala dvd's from amazon.. hence no need to use the P2G mail solution. Just order from amazon and get them shipped to your UK address :)

dvdboxoffice.com had a lot up for preorder I think as well..
Matt


I don't think there will be restrictions on shipping HD-DVD software as with current R1 DVD's. The issue with the players is due to geographic restrictions in the Toshiba/authorised US dealer agreements. So in theory places like Amazon, Movityme, Nextgen plus loads of others should be able to sell HD-DVD titles. You still need to be carfull if you are importing from the US beacuse if you order a few titles and they get shipped in one carton you will be hit by VAT due to the combined value being greater than £18 . I don't believe there is a duty on DVD's.

Avi

[nutrut]

Hi,

Thanks for all your help all sorted and ordered, now i just have to decide what films to get :)

[Likvid]

Parcel2Go is only for UK people, anyone know a similar service for EU people?

[Avi]

Parcel2Go is only for UK people, anyone know a similar service for EU people?


I don't know of a similar service in the EU outside the UK. I guess you could do a deal with a UK forum member to bring a unit into the UK and forward to you. Where are you ??

AVI

[Likvid]

I don't know of a similar service in the EU outside the UK. I guess you could do a deal with a UK forum member to bring a unit into the UK and forward to you. Where are you ??

AVI

Found a dealer in Sweden that import these players for very good price, might take up on that instead, it's inside EU and no VAT.

http://www.dvdirect.net/products_hardware_1.asp?action=2006-03-04_14:03:25_HD-DVDPlayer

[Avi]

Found a dealer in Sweden that import these players for very good price, might take up on that instead, it's inside EU and no VAT.

http://www.dvdirect.net/products_hardware_1.asp?action=2006-03-04_14:03:25_HD-DVDPlayer

Hi likvid


I think that's about £401 for the A1. My order with Movityme is £369.99 delivered and they will cover duty.

Avi

[add46.88]

Found a dealer in Sweden that import these players for very good price, might take up on that instead, it's inside EU and no VAT.

http://www.dvdirect.net/products_hardware_1.asp?action=2006-03-04_14:03:25_HD-DVDPlayer


nice one:smashin:

i wonder if they accept paypal?

[Likvid]

nice one:smashin:

i wonder if they accept paypal?

Ask them, they speak english.

I found the site today and was a bit impressed with their prices.

They say March 28 delivery.

Shipping within EU 350SEK or approx 35 EURO.

[Likvid]

i wonder if they accept paypal?

yes they do :grin:

Translated from their site under Payment options:

Paypal:

Pay easy and secure for a merchandise on the Internet.

They payment is done in Euro and with either VISA, MasterCard or American Express.

Your anonymity and integrity is always protected.
You don't need to open a Paypal account, the payment can be done anyway.

You can feel secure and dependent by letting Paypal pay the money and that it ends up at the correct recepient.

When we have received your payment we will send a electronic invoice to you

When you have received the invoice and paid for it with Paypal or any other means we accept the merchandise will be shipped to your address.

[shaithis]

I think that's about £401 for the A1. My order with Movityme is £369.99 delivered and they will cover duty.

MT only give 1 month guarantee and supply at 110v stating you need a transformaer.

DVDirect state CE 220v and dont stipulate guarantee, which I would assume means the usual 1 year?

They may be a better deal in the long run, although I will wait a while and see how things pan out, I am content for the moment with the HD titles I have :devil:

[Avi]

MT only give 1 month guarantee and supply at 110v stating you need a transformaer.

DVDirect state CE 220v and dont stipulate guarantee, which I would assume means the usual 1 year?

They may be a better deal in the long run, although I will wait a while and see how things pan out, I am content for the moment with the HD titles I have :devil:


If these units are not yet shipping and when they do it will be in the US only how can these guys offer a CE 220V? Are they modding the units ? Are all units 110-240v anyway? I would double check if they offer their own gurantee or if its back to Tosh. The Tosh warranty is only valid in the US and they will want details of where and when you purchased. I gather the warranty is also conditional on purchase from an authorised US dealer.

Thoughts ?

[Likvid]

If these units are not yet shipping and when they do it will be in the US only how can these guys offer a CE 220V? Are they modding the units ? Are all units 110-240v anyway? I would double check if they offer their own gurantee or if its back to Tosh. The Tosh warranty is only valid in the US and they will want details of where and when you purchased. I gather the warranty is also conditional on purchase from an authorised US dealer.

Thoughts ?

I don't care much about warranty or not as if it will broke down i will just buy another one compared to all the hassle dealing with some dealer in the U.S and sending it back and wait.

Most often electronics these days never goes faulty anyway so....

[Evil Engineer]

MT only give 1 month guarantee and supply at 110v stating you need a transformaer.

DVDirect state CE 220v and dont stipulate guarantee, which I would assume means the usual 1 year?


You may be in a sticky situation with any guarantee where the product has been taken out of the country of origin. I don't think Toshiba-UK will be much interested in providing servcie for something sold by Toshiba-USA, particularly when it's likely to be different to the models that eventually show up in the UK.

And what about firmware changes? I understand that Toshiba are already promising a firmware upgrade to add the interactive features at a later date. How will this work?

Lots of questions. But if anyone is willing to take a punt go for it.

[Evil Engineer]

Most often electronics these days never goes faulty anyway so....

I don't know about that one. I would expect glitching players, incompatible discs and all sorts of potential fun and games. Just like the early days of DVD!

Good Luck.

[add46.88]

so is anyone going to order from www.dvdirect.net??

im still thinking about it

cant make my mind up if i want to get a parcel2go addy instead

[Avi]

so is anyone going to order from www.dvdirect.net??

im still thinking about it

cant make my mind up if i want to get a parcel2go addy instead

Interesting one this. Never heard of this company which in not surprising as it's in Sweden. Not sure how they would get the units to CE 220V and don't know what their return/warranty policy is. Also Movietyme quote a UK delivered WEB price of £369.99 but in the FAQ's they point out this may be subject to duty and VAT. Are you sure there are no potential hidden costs like this ??

I'm hedging with cancellable orders on Movityme and Crutchfield. I'll see which looks most promising on delivery later in the month and cancel the other.

AVI

[add46.88]

i would of ordered from movietyme but there not selling them anymore?!

[Likvid]

so is anyone going to order from www.dvdirect.net??

im still thinking about it

cant make my mind up if i want to get a parcel2go addy instead

I am thinking of ordering from them as i then don't need to worry about import duties and VAT.

[Avi]

I am thinking of ordering from them as i then don't need to worry about import duties and VAT.

Hi Likvid

Don't you have duty and VAT in Sweden ? Are these being sold as US imports or European models ?

AVI

[add46.88]

found this post on another forum......


HD-DVD Launch Titles March 28

I just attended a Toshiba HD-DVD demo at the highend A/V store here in San Antonio. All the stuff they showed looked great. They used a 71" 1080P rpDLP set for the display.

I asked about the disks and what would be available when the players ship because there are so many rumors about that. Their buyer said that she talked to someone at Warner Home Video today who assured her that 4 of the 5 launch titles would be ready for sale on Mar 28 and that there would be a formal announcement on Monday. The 5 titles that you have already heard about are Batman Begins, Constantine, Last Samurai, Million Dollar Baby, and Phantom of the Opera.

They also said that the initial titles, for awhile (months?), will not have the copy protect flags and therefore will allow 1080i over component outputs, as well as hdmi.

[Likvid]

Hi Likvid

Don't you have duty and VAT in Sweden ? Are these being sold as US imports or European models ?

AVI

I beleive they are grey imports from their source in the U.S who gets pass the customs somehow.

[MattDJ]

Ive just ordered mine (and two more for friends) from Crutchfield. Getting em sent to parcel2go addy...

They sent me an email asking if i was reselling them on!?! Sort of, i replied.

They also said, do you mind if you wait if we cant get stock on time? I said, lmk nearer the time, in no rush but ideally up to 3 weeks i'd expect it to ship out.

[didsmith]

Hi,

does anyone know the reason for movietyme removing the tosh hd-dvd players from their website for pre-order....is it just a case of them being bombarded with pre-orders or something else?

[add46.88]

Its soo frustrating,i wanted to order from movietyme:mad: :mad:

i guess ill have to get a addy from parcel2go & order one from Crutchfield:god:

Im just worried about VAT & Duty,how much extra can i expect to pay???

also,they might not have any instock so i could be waiting months

ummm, decisions... decisions...

[Avi]

Its soo frustrating,i wanted to order from movietyme:mad: :mad:

i guess ill have to get a addy from parcel2go & order one from Crutchfield:god:

Im just worried about VAT & Duty,how much extra can i expect to pay???

also,they might not have any instock so i could be waiting months

ummm, decisions... decisions...


Well - convert you purchase £ = £287 then add the £54.99 P2G import = £341.99. Now calculate 14% and add = £389.86. Then add VAT 17.5% = £458+£11 P2G address.

So about £469 !

AVI

[add46.88]

Well - convert you purchase £ = £287 then add the £54.99 P2G import = £341.99. Now calculate 14% and add = £389.86. Then add VAT 17.5% = £458+£11 P2G address.

So about £469 !

AVI

thanks for that AVI

£469 is about my max budget so could just about go for it!

i suppose its not that expensive considering its a new bit of kit

have you pre-ordered one yet?

EDIT:so would i be charged the customs & VAT price when it gets delivered to my front door?

[Avi]

thanks for that AVI

£469 is about my max budget so could just about go for it!

i suppose its not that expensive considering its a new bit of kit

have you pre-ordered one yet?

Yep ! I have an order with Movityme and Crutchfield. Just hedging to see who will have earliest deliver. I'm hoping it's Movietyme as they will credit any duty back to my account !

Avi

[klacey]

Im hoping to order mine from next-gen.co.uk, they should be taking orders soon, you guys should check it out. No price as yet.

[Avi]

Im hoping to order mine from next-gen.co.uk, they should be taking orders soon, you guys should check it out. No price as yet.


Steve at Nextgen confired the price as £599 inc a 12 month warranty. See earlier posts in this thread.

Avi

[klacey]

May have to reconsider at that price, i take it that is the hd-a1 and not the hd-xa1?

[add46.88]

Im hoping to order mine from next-gen.co.uk, they should be taking orders soon, you guys should check it out. No price as yet.

i would like to get one from next-gen.co.uk but, £599 is abit pricey:eek:

[Avi]

May have to reconsider at that price, i take it that is the hd-a1 and not the hd-xa1?

Yep HD-A1

[add46.88]

May have to reconsider at that price, i take it that is the hd-a1 and not the hd-xa1?


how much is the hd-xa1 then??

i must admit it looks pretty cool

[klacey]

Well in the us the hd-a1 is $499 and the hd-xa1 is $799.

[add46.88]

i was just thinking,i wonder how much the HD-A1 will be when its out in the UK?

i wouldnt be surprised if it was around £400ish,surley it wont be as cheap as americas £287 price tag

[klacey]

i was just thinking,i wonder how much the HD-A1 will be when its out in the UK?

i wouldnt be surprised if it was around £400ish,surley it wont be as cheap as americas £287 price tag
Your probably right, us brits do get ripped off.

[Avi]

thanks for that AVI

£EDIT:so would i be charged the customs & VAT price when it gets delivered to my front door?


You should be charged by P2G prior to delivery as they will need to pay customs before the item will be released.

Avi

[Avi]

I just picked this up from AVSFORUM in the US and thought it might be of interest. This guy is the owner of Valueelectronics and his opnion appears to be well respected.

DTV TiVo Dealer
Snr. Member/Retailer

True HD is absolutely stunning pq and makes watching a movie an adventure to see it and hear it in the the full glory it was originally intended to be enjoyed.

When you watch the trailers on Toshiba's HD DVD demo disc you see what you have been missing and if you are on the fence you tend to jump off on the HD DVD side.

It's not that I think HD DVD is better than Blu-ray, my comments are just that true HD is an amazing and exciting adventure.

-Robert

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks Peter. Last week a very reliable technical source told me that HD DVD will output 1080p by the end of this year. My source told me the HD-A1 and HD-XA1 firmware would be upgraded via the broadband connection to accommodate 1080p output. I took his info with a grain of salt.

However, when Peter visited me today the question of 1080p came up and I told him what I was told. Peter asked me for a flashlight and looked on the front panel display and low and behold Toshiba included 1080p on the display so the player is 1080p ready.

-Robert

[hddvdman]

hi

we are gonna need a stepdown for the dvd power supply - any good places i can get from?

thanks

ordered from crutchfield and amazon

[Avi]

hi

we are gonna need a stepdown for the dvd power supply - any good places i can get from?

thanks

ordered from crutchfield and amazon


Well I bought mine on ebay at £7.99 for a 75w 110-130v stepdown. This is on the assumption that the player itself is not 110-240v - you never know !

Avi

[zAndy1]

I would be surprised if a 75W transformer is good enough though! Does it really only use 75W in operation, doesn't sound like a lot...

[Avi]

I would be surprised if a 75W transformer is good enough though! Does it really only use 75W in operation, doesn't sound like a lot...


I'm no expert but I based this on an existing high end DVD player (Denon 3910) having a power consumption of 39w. Why would you consider 75w too low for a HD-DVD player?

AVI

[zAndy1]

That's fine then, I wasn't sure to be honest what the power consumption was.

[add46.88]

anyone getting a spare HD-A1 they can sell to me???

i would pay exactly what it cost, including the customs & VAT

oh well thought i would try my luck,you never no....

[davegriff2]

Avi wrote: I'm no expert but I based this on an existing high end DVD player (Denon 3910) having a power consumption of 39w. Why would you consider 75w too low for a HD-DVD player? Well there's a lot more number crunching involved for a start; and powerful processors need lots of power..

[Avi]

Avi wrote: Well there's a lot more number crunching involved for a start; and powerful processors need lots of power..


Yea I agree hence going 75w compared to the upscaling Denon 3910 at 39w. I guess the processor in my Lumagen HPD processor does a lot of number crunching and this is rated at 25w. So I'm hoping 75w does the job unless anyone know what the HD-A1 consumes ?

AVI

[Alistair_M]

Thanks to the avs forum - here its 399 dollars for the a1 player

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecsplash/shop/detail~dpno~707060.asp


How much would it cost in total to get this to the uk using parcel2go

1. cost for player= 399 us dollars
2. handling charge= 7.95 us dollars
3. ground shipping = 1.99 dollars
4. parcel2go £11.74 registration fee
5. parcel2go shipping cost £59.00

total so far: £308

6. customs 14% - so new total is £351.00
7. vat on this (17.5%) = so final total is: £413

Seems a decent price for a high def player.

So would that be the total cost (excl a transformer)?

thanks

Alistair

[add46.88]

Thanks to the avs forum - here its 399 dollars for the a1 player

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecsplash/shop/detail~dpno~707060.asp


How much would it cost in total to get this to the uk using parcel2go

1. cost for player= 399 us dollars
2. handling charge= 7.95 us dollars
3. ground shipping = 1.99 dollars
4. parcel2go £11.74 registration fee
5. parcel2go shipping cost £59.00

total so far: £308

6. customs 14% - so new total is £351.00
7. vat on this (17.5%) = so final total is: £413

Seems a decent price for a high def player.

So would that be the total cost (excl a transformer)?

thanks

Alistair



nice one Alistair:smashin:

think i might might order one from here now

[Alistair_M]

keep an eye on this this thread. I don't know anything about ecost as a supplier

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=655504

[Likvid]

Anyone asked www.jvb.nl if they will offer the Toshiba players??

[Avi]

Thanks to the avs forum - here its 399 dollars for the a1 player

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecsplash/shop/detail~dpno~707060.asp


How much would it cost in total to get this to the uk using parcel2go

1. cost for player= 399 us dollars
2. handling charge= 7.95 us dollars
3. ground shipping = 1.99 dollars
4. parcel2go £11.74 registration fee
5. parcel2go shipping cost £59.00

total so far: £308

6. customs 14% - so new total is £351.00
7. vat on this (17.5%) = so final total is: £413

Seems a decent price for a high def player.

So would that be the total cost (excl a transformer)?

thanks

Alistair



Does look rather tempting. Anbody asked them about delivery time ?

I also asked Movityme why they had removed the HD-A1 from their web site as at £369.99 delivered including a credit for any VAT/Duty for UK customers it seems like a great deal. Received the following reply;

"Thank you for your mail.

There is no problem with these, but we are unsure of regular supply. So at present we have taken this from our site as we would not want a mass order and only have a few come into stock. So we are just ensuring that all orders that have been placed will be guaranteed a player.

Once we have confirmation of more stock we can then put these back on our website."


AVI

[add46.88]

as soon as anyone knows when movietyme are taking orders again,let us know here!

[Avi]

Thanks to the avs forum - here its 399 dollars for the a1 player

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecsplash/shop/detail~dpno~707060.asp

Alistair


Update from AVSFORUM re ecost


DTV TiVo Dealer
Snr. Member/Retailer


I just confirmed that ecost is not an authorized Toshiba dealer.

Even if they expect to buy them through Toshiba distributors I do not know how they would expect to get any inventory as these HD DVD players are on a very limited allocation for the next several months.

-Robert

[telford_mike]

Does anyone know whether Canada will get these players at the same time as the USA? I'm off there in May and would love to pick one up...

[Evil Engineer]

Does anyone expect to able to get an HD-DVD player on 28th March?

Or more importantly, how about some films to play on it?

It seems from AVSforum that hardware numbers are likely to be "limited" and Warners, the only studio with firm product announcements, look like they miss the launch.

Hard to be sure, though. The Bluray & HD-DVD forums over there have decended into a spectrum vs C64 style fanboy bun fight.

[Theriomophic]

Does anyone expect to able to get an HD-DVD player on 28th March?

It seems from AVSforum that hardware numbers are likely to be "limited" and Warners, the only studio with firm product announcements, look like they miss the launch.

Crutchfield have stated the 28th unofficially - if that helps.

As for movies - There will be movies on the release day. No issue about that at all.

[hddvdman]

Crutchfield have stated the 28th unofficially - if that helps.

As for movies - There will be movies on the release day. No issue about that at all.
i spoke to crutchfield yesterday re my order hxa1 - very helpful people - but no defo on the date if its the 28th i will be a happy man... fingers crossed just gotta get some discs if anyone knows a good site to get from id appreciate the help - need to have in time for the player

[Rasczak]

Does anyone expect to able to get an HD-DVD player on 28th March?

Or more importantly, how about some films to play on it?
Why so negative Evil? Place a pre-order and you will get your HD DVD player on or around the end of March. And software will become available soon after - even Warner, who have announced a short delay, said it would only be a few weeks. Put it this way those who have ordered could be enjoying high bitrate high def in less than a month :clap: And all for a fraction of what we expected to pay this time last year!

[AnnatarUK]

Will region coding still be a problem with normal DVD's?

Will I be able to play region 2 films on this player?

[shaithis]

Will region coding still be a problem with normal DVD's?

Will I be able to play region 2 films on this player?

Pretty sure thats still in the air.....although I personally can't see how they can suddely relax that rule becasue its a HD-DVD primarily.

Hoping there will be a handset hack......although most of my discs are R1 it will still be unworkable to have another player or to not play any of my R2/R3/R4 discs again.

[AnnatarUK]

Pretty sure thats still in the air.....although I personally can't see how they can suddely relax that rule becasue its a HD-DVD primarily.

Hoping there will be a handset hack......although most of my discs are R1 it will still be unworkable to have another player or to not play any of my R2/R3/R4 discs again.

Thanks

This is my worry, if there is no hack, then i'd have to keep my current player to play my 98% region 2 DVD's.

[add46.88]

Thanks

This is my worry, if there is no hack, then i'd have to keep my current player to play my 98% region 2 DVD's.

yeh same here,ill be keeping my samsung HD950 for R2 discs

is it true that theres only going to be 10,000 of these players at launch??

[Avi]

yeh same here,ill be keeping my samsung HD950 for R2 discs

is it true that theres only going to be 10,000 of these players at launch??


I'm not sure about the number of units but I believe Toshiba US have confrimed that units have arrived from japan and are in their US warhouses awaiting shipment to retailers.

AVI

[MattDJ]

Ive just ordered some HD-DVD and Blu Ray titles from www.dvdboxoffice.com
Not exactly a huge offering... but Batman Begins, Goodfellas, Matrix, Lord Of War and Crash went in the basket!

[Rasczak]

Ive just ordered some HD-DVD and Blu Ray titles from www.dvdboxoffice.com
Not exactly a huge offering... but Batman Begins, Goodfellas, Matrix, Lord Of War and Crash went in the basket!
:confused: Both BluRay and HD DVD titles are listed as "unavailable for pre-order" now. Just out of interest what price did you pay for each?

[add46.88]

just saw this Blu-ray dvd recorder on ebay:eek: :eek:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-Blu-Ray-High-Definition-DVD-Recorder-Player-Blue_W0QQitemZ5880890100QQcategoryZ71581QQrdZ1QQcm dZViewItem

[leef1234]

:confused: Both BluRay and HD DVD titles are listed as "unavailable for pre-order" now. Just out of interest what price did you pay for each?
I just had a quick look and the matrix and batman are listed at $36.95, about £18.50 i think it works out too. Both HD-DVD.

[pjskel]

just saw this Blu-ray dvd recorder on ebay:eek: :eek:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-Blu-Ray-High-Definition-DVD-Recorder-Player-Blue_W0QQitemZ5880890100QQcategoryZ71581QQrdZ1QQcm dZViewItem


Not at that price! Been out for a while now - I know a forum member of another forum I'm frequent, bought one off ebay UK. £1k sounds about right, IIRC.
No tuner apparently on board - so of very limited usage here since there's only limited HD STBs with no HDCP to worry about on digital signal output or outputting HD over component, assuming it can accept Component in.

[Evil Engineer]

Why so negative Evil? Place a pre-order and you will get your HD DVD player on or around the end of March. And software will become available soon after - even Warner, who have announced a short delay, said it would only be a few weeks.

I'm not being negative, just realistic.

I wasn't planning on buying a first gen player of either format anyway.

It just seems damn odd to me that less than two weeks before launch day nobody knows what's happening with the software. Even Warners, HD-DVD's main backer, can't give a firm date for their software or even prices and product numbers to allow you to pre-order titles. At the same time Universal & Paramount seem to have gone AWOL.

Toshiba made a big fuss about being first to market but the way things are going it will the middle of April at the earliest before everyone gets their act together. If Sony can get their act together as promised at the end of May that only gives Toshiba a one month start.

And that don't amount to a hill of beans in a drawn out format war.

At the moment the best words to describe this launch appear to be "cock" and "up".

Obviously we'll have to see how Sony do with their launch, but its seems more likely that they'll have their act together seeing as owning a movie studio gives them more direct control over at least some of the software.

Given Warner's problems getting the software ready perhaps Sony sticking with plain old MPEG2 for their lauch titles was a wise move. It would be ironic indeed if the "less complex" HD-DVD came a cropper because of the new advanced codecs.

At the end of the day it's still anyone's game. Toshiba may well get their act together and Sony may drop the ball as well. So as things stand I'm sticking with my original plan, buy a PS3 so that I can play around with one of the new formats and wait to see which way the wind is blowing before buying a decent stand alone player. At least I'll still be able to buy games for it if Bluray gets it's arse kicked.

[Likvid]

Even Warners, HD-DVD's main backer, can't give a firm date for their software or even prices and product numbers to allow you to pre-order titles.

Wrong, they said yesterday that April 18th they will have their titles in the shops.


If Sony can get their act together as promised at the end of May that only gives Toshiba a one month start.

Not a month, but 4.5 months, Sony will release their BD on August 15th they said today.

HD-DVD will have a lots of time to take market shares fast.

[shaithis]

At the moment the best words to describe this launch appear to be "cock" and "up".

To be fair, I think that perfectly sums up the whole format war. The fact we may have to wait 2 weeks longer for some films is NOTHING compared to the uncertainty.

When customers aren't sure what to buy, you are less likely to sell.....and new, expensive technology is difficult enough to sell while your recouping R&D costs.

Who was it originally that announced their next gen format? HD-DVD or BluRay?

[MattDJ]

I ordered five titles, ca $70 for blu ray titles and ca $107 for HD-DVD... I cant see getting a player for a few weeks after release even counting shipping time as Crutchfield said there could be a delay.

[criggy]

from amillians@avsforum

News We Can (Ab)Use...

-- As they alluded to early Friday, Toshiba has decided to synch their HW release to Warner's SW release...dealers are being notified

-- Warner's Steve Nickerson (helped get DVD off the ground when he was at Toshiba) didn't give a reason for their HD DVD SW delay, but went out of his way to dispell the rumors that it had to do with VC-1, authoring or replication

-- And paint my a$$ red and call me a baboon, but Nickerson confirmed that Cinram was in fact doing Warner's launch replication, at their Olyphant plant, and further confirmed that Cinram would be online to handle Warner's BD launch in July (same plant)...no word if the HD DVD launch discs are SL or DL, and no word on Cinram's success/failure with DL HD DVD at this stage of the game

-- Warner still won't say if they will use ICT as a policy (Nickerson said "studio protocol" prohibited him from discussing internal policy issues), but retailers who have seen the tip sheets have confirmed that the first 3 launch titles are ICT=0

-- Warner plans to release their first DS DL Twin Format (30+9) on May 9th, replicated at Cinram's Olyphant plant on DVD18 machinery, rumor has it...I mean Rumor Has It...Nickerson acknowledged they are having "packaging issues" and are trying to figure out how a consumer will react if they put the HD DVD side in their DVD deck...to help the process, they have commissioned a report from the brain trust that is currently working on the "If a tree falls in a forest with no one to hear it, then does it make a sound?" issue

-- BIG CORRECTION: the Sony BDP-S1 *will* play BD9 discs, even though Sony officials went out of their way to say it wouldn't at their line show last week...Sony execs spent Friday undoing the damage

-- No matter, as Warner said they have no plans to use BD9 this year

-- The forthcoming Sony Vaio BD laptop *will* apparently play AACS discs, as they plan on bundling a BD title (likely House of Flying Daggers) with it to spur BD media sales...still no word if they plan on bundling a BD title with the BDP-S1 or the PS3

-- The PS3 *will* have HDMI 1.3, and not 1.2a, assuming the 1.3 spec locks down this June...as part of SCA's continued deflection of SCE's PS3-being-delayed-by-Blu-ray stance, SCA issued a statement saying that "Our understanding is that SCE wanted to wait for the HDMI Version 1.3 spec" and that is why the unit was delayed...I guess not having final dev kits wasn't as much of an issue as not having 48bit 1080p that no display device can use (adding to the fun, on Friday, an HDMI spokesman questioned the value of using HDMI 1.3 in the PS3, saying "If I were marketing a product today, I wouldn't wait for 48-bit color....(f)or the next 10 years, 36-bit will be the top-of-the-line in video displays")

so,a 1 month head start for HD-DVD if BLU-RAY sticks to the 23rd of may.

[add46.88]

i saw this on AVS forums...

"Toshiba is moving ahead with the March 28th launch of the HD-XA1. Chronos HD DVD is also scheduled to release on March 28th.

The HD-A1 will be released on April 10th

[Rasczak]

Given Warner's problems getting the software ready perhaps Sony sticking with plain old MPEG2 for their lauch titles was a wise move. It would be ironic indeed if the "less complex" HD-DVD came a cropper because of the new advanced codecs.
What makes you think that the codecs are causing the problems? Every indication I've read is that is has been AACS that has caused the issue. Indeed I'm sure I've read a dfinitive denial by Warner that the delay has been caused by the codecs.

At the end of the day it's still anyone's game. Toshiba may well get their act together and Sony may drop the ball as well. So as things stand I'm sticking with my original plan, buy a PS3 so that I can play around with one of the new formats and wait to see which way the wind is blowing before buying a decent stand alone player. At least I'll still be able to buy games for it if Bluray gets it's arse kicked.
I honestly can't understand such a cautious attitude among home cinema fans. For $2000 (i.e. not significantly more than you pay for a solid DVD player) you could pickup a HD DVD player and about high def 50 titles that will last you a good 4 years whether the format 'wins' or not. Even if one format does 'die' it's quite likely dual players will emerge either from third party companies (LG) or from the 'loosing camp'.

HD DVD titles will take a few weeks to arrive - but the studios seem to be sticking with the announced launch range which is excellent news as it has some must have titles IMHO. The BluRay lineup is very lacklustre.

[Avi]

i saw this on AVS forums...

"Toshiba is moving ahead with the March 28th launch of the HD-XA1. Chronos HD DVD is also scheduled to release on March 28th.

The HD-A1 will be released on April 10th


Yea I read this as well. So in reality it's going to be a least a couple of weeks after these dates that we are will see units in the UK. Might just be able to have the initial titles delivered in time for when the unit arrives. I guess the XA1 guys will be stuck with Cronos for a few weeks !

AVI

[gandley]

Personaly unless it has HDMI 1.3 as part of the spec. then buying a HD player now is the equal to screwing yourself over.:suicide: and that goes for both formats

[Dutch]

The Toshiba players have built-in Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD (includes DTS) and Dolby TrueHD (2 channel) decoders which can then pass LPCM via the HDMI 1.1 port to a suitably equipped HDMI 1.1 receiver for up to 7.1 channels.

Steve

[Avi]

Personaly unless it has HDMI 1.3 as part of the spec. then buying a HD player now is the equal to screwing yourself over.:suicide: and that goes for both formats


Yea but what about HDMI 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1080p, SED, 3D....:confused: Until we reach a point were technology will not progress any further there will always be a "newer/better" version just on the horizon. Enjoy today and be happy ! :devil:

Avi

[Rasczak]

Personaly unless it has HDMI 1.3 as part of the spec. then buying a HD player now is the equal to screwing yourself over.
Why? The top of the range ($799 model) Toshiba has onboard decoding so you can feed your receiver via the analogue multi channel audio ouputs. This will give the user immediate access to the full joys of the new audio formats. Output via the HDMI interface would be nice - but how many receivers actually support the new codecs yet? None. And how long will it be before it filters down to the 'mid' range circa-£1000 receivers that so many users here have? You'll be after a new player before then!

The only people who "screw themselves over" are those who wait and wait and wait. There will always be something better on the horizon...

[Grubert]

What makes you think that the codecs are causing the problems? Every indication I've read is that is has been AACS that has caused the issue. Indeed I'm sure I've read a dfinitive denial by Warner that the delay has been caused by the codecs.



From thedigitalbits (posted as early as 6 March):

I've spoken with a number of my contacts within the industry - at various production and authoring houses, as well as the studios - and nearly all of them expect that the titles will end up getting delayed. I'm told that the authoring is just a mess right now - the format is being pushed to launch too quickly, and there are many problems getting the movies to work properly. Part of the problem is that the software used to author discs is still in the beta stage - not surprising given that the AACS portion of the HD-DVD spec was only finalized last month. Even IF Toshiba and Warner are able to get both hardware and software titles out on 3/28, they'll basically just be ports of existing DVD releases, with HD video and maybe a few new special features at the most. The iHD interactivity isn't really going to be a factor on the software releases until later in 2006 (after the authoring software is finalized and functioning, and HD-DVD check discs can be vigorously tested on actual player hardware).

Me, I'm getting a PS3 as well just like Evil Engineer, whose opinion I totally agree with.

[Rasczak]

From thedigitalbits (posted as early as 6 March):


I've spoken with a number of my contacts within the industry - at various production and authoring houses, as well as the studios - and nearly all of them expect that the titles will end up getting delayed. I'm told that the authoring is just a mess right now - the format is being pushed to launch too quickly, and there are many problems getting the movies to work properly. Part of the problem is that the software used to author discs is still in the beta stage - not surprising given that the AACS portion of the HD-DVD spec was only finalized last month. Even IF Toshiba and Warner are able to get both hardware and software titles out on 3/28, they'll basically just be ports of existing DVD releases, with HD video and maybe a few new special features at the most. The iHD interactivity isn't really going to be a factor on the software releases until later in 2006 (after the authoring software is finalized and functioning, and HD-DVD check discs can be vigorously tested on actual player hardware).
Nothing in the paragraph you list suggests or implies a problem with the codecs used in the new format. Indeed it suggests AACS is the cause of the delay which is what I stated.

[didsmith]

chaps...check out the thread titled hd-dvd films now available...might be of interest

[Grubert]

Nothing in the paragraph you list suggests or implies a problem with the codecs used in the new format. Indeed it suggests AACS is the cause of the delay which is what I stated.

True, AACS is one of the causes, but not the only one, as confirmed here:

Warner Senior VP for Market Management Stephen Nickerson, added that they are simply trying to work out some technical issues. “Everything we do is new. We're using new copy protection, new compression, new CODECs, and we want to make sure the product that goes out is flawless.”

http://dvdfile.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5364

[nutrut]

Hi,

Has anyone found out , what the wattage of the AX1 is in relation to the stepdown convertor or can somebody point me in the direction of a good quality affordable one thats up for the job.

Thanks

[Avi]

Hi,

Has anyone found out , what the wattage of the AX1 is in relation to the stepdown convertor or can somebody point me in the direction of a good quality affordable one thats up for the job.

Thanks


I've been unable to confrim the wattage of the either units but I used the following as my guide. I have a Denon 3910 which is a pretty meaty machine and also has a bit of processing to upconvert to 1080i. This compares to a 29w of a 2910. So I figure 75w should do the job and bought a unit for £7.99 from Ebay.


Some people have commented on the HD needing more processing = more watts. Whilst I see the logic I don't think this will be signifiaclty more that the upconvering of say the 3910. In addition my Lumagen HDP is only rated at 25w and this does alot of processing.

AVI

[add46.88]

any news when the exact release date is??

is the HD-XA1 out tomorrow in America???

[shaithis]

I have a Denon 3910 which is a pretty meaty machine and also has a bit of processing to upconvert to 1080i. This compares to a 29w of a 2910. So I figure 75w should do the job and bought a unit for £7.99 from Ebay.

If its ANYWHERE near 75w, you won't be watching much HD-DVD content during the summer unless you have a good aircon unit :grin:

[Theriomophic]

Hi,

Just spoken to Toshiba UK to get an ETA on the HD DVD Player and they told me November. I couldn't believe it when they told me.

One thing they did say is "it will not play region 2 DVD's". I was wondering if there will be away around this other than having 2 player side by side? :rolleyes:

Also, Toshiba UK said they will honor the warranty which is awesome - A big thumbs up to them. :clap:

Regards,
T

[Retronana]

any news when the exact release date is??

is the HD-XA1 out tomorrow in America???

Nope, I wish :(

I'm flying out to Chicago of Friday morning and a launch this week would have been brilliant....seems both Toshiba players won't be released until Warner Bros launch the software, which is a few weeks away yet :(

I'll just have to buy a few DS/PSP games instead:smashin:

[Rasczak]

Just spoken to Toshiba UK to get an ETA on the HD DVD Player and they told me November. I couldn't believe it when they told me.

One thing they did say is "it will not play region 2 DVD's".
Can I just confirm - Toshiba UK said that the UK release of their HD DVD player here would not play UK DVDs?

[Theriomophic]

Can I just confirm - Toshiba UK said that the UK release of their HD DVD player here would not play UK DVDs?

Sorry for the confusion. :oops: If you purchase the American HD DVD player it will apparently not play region 2 DVD disks.

Not sure about HD DVD disks as they are region free :confused: aren't they :god: .

[Avi]

Sorry for the confusion. :oops: If you purchase the American HD DVD player it will apparently not play region 2 DVD disks.

Not sure about HD DVD disks as they are region free :confused: aren't they :god: .


HD-DVD appears to be region free at the momment.

Until proved otherwise the US HD-A1/XA1 appear to be region 1 only for DVD.

AVI

[shaithis]

HD-DVD appears to be region free at the momment.

Until proved otherwise the US HD-A1/XA1 appear to be region 1 only for DVD.

AVI

As has been stated before.......they can't break regulations just because its a HD-DVD player.....they still have to conform.

A lot of Toshibas are handset-hackable though, lets hope these are........if they are I might be tempted but as it is I am waiting for some of the dust to settle.

[berserkgoose]

Has anyone heard anything from Movietyme about expected despatch date/ allocation etc? Or even if they are actually gonna have any stock on release? I mailed them a couple of days ago but not heard anything.

[Avi]

Has anyone heard anything from Movietyme about expected despatch date/ allocation etc? Or even if they are actually gonna have any stock on release? I mailed them a couple of days ago but not heard anything.


Not seen anything other than the original street date of 11/4.

AVI

[add46.88]

guys what do you think of bhphotovideo.com?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=RootPage.jsp&A=getpage&Q=RootPage.jsp

they ship to the uk!:smashin:

[lfletcher]

Been to their store in New York and they seem good enough. Never ordered from the website though.

[Retronana]

I've also been to their shop(s) in NYC, very good store...not sure about websales mind you :)

[add46.88]

just saw on AVS forum that somone has used them before

he said it took 3 days for there items to get delivered to the UK:thumbsup:

[PaulB]

Hi,

Has anyone found out , what the wattage of the AX1 is in relation to the stepdown convertor or can somebody point me in the direction of a good quality affordable one thats up for the job.

Thanks

79w according to the specs published here http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2006_03/pr3101.htm Note also the free movies included, Resident Evil and Moonlight Jellyfish!

Paul

[Avi]

79w according to the specs published here http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2006_03/pr3101.htm Note also the free movies included, Resident Evil and Moonlight Jellyfish!

Paul

Anybody know if I would run into big problem using my 78w stepdown trasformer ?

AVI

[Likvid]

I am thinking of buying the HD-AX1 from my friend who lives in Japan, but the menus are in Japanese.

I asked the store mentioned in this thread in New York but they only stock the HD-A1 model as i asked them thru email last week.

Is the Japanese the same model as the U.S models when it comes to region-free versions and so on except the menu language?

[AML]

I saw this player in a shop called "Yodobashi" in Akihabara. However it was already sold out and they dont know when its coming back in.

Cost is also pretty high. 100.000 yen or about 500 quid. It was only supposed to be half that much...

Also only plays region 2 HD DVDs and DVDs.

(I thought both new HD formats were supposed to start off as Region 1 since Japan is supposed to be joining R1?)

And no 1080p only 1080i and 720p.

Another bad point is that there is no actual HD content out for that player yet. So really its a waste of time and money.

Better wait for better players that can do MR and 1080p

Only good point is that the pictuer quality was pretty amazing. They had some sort of demo disk showing video footage taken in "Greece" that showed some nice scenery.
Thats about it really.

I wouldnt recomend this player, even for early adopters. Better wait for some decent players that can do more than this current model.

[Likvid]

Also only plays region 2 HD DVDs and DVDs.

(I thought both new HD formats were supposed to start off as Region 1 since Japan is supposed to be joining R1?)

And no 1080p only 1080i and 720p.

Another bad point is that there is no actual HD content out for that player yet. So really its a waste of time and money.

Better wait for better players that can do MR and 1080p



They changed the region coding from six it was for SD-DVD regions to four regions for HD-DVD

1080i is really 1080p also, it's just that the HD-DVD labelling guidelines define 1080i for both 1080i/p.

Of course there is contents, it will be released this month with about 20 releases and more coming rapidly.

I would not call it waste of money, most people who needs a new DVD player would see this as a viable alternative.

I will have one on order from Japan next week, will report back when i received it.

Here is a review already out in Japan, they are pretty thrilled about it connected to a Sony Ruby projector.

http://www.phileweb.com/news/d-av/200603/31/15216.html

[Stephen Neal]

1080i is really 1080p also, it's just that the HD-DVD labelling guidelines define 1080i for both 1080i/p.


Think AML means that the player will only output 1080i - which is a limitation of quite a few low cost HD disc players. I think the lack of 1080p referred to is a lack of 1080p outputs. Initially there aren't many displays with 1080p HDMI/DVI compatible displays though.

Sure you can contain a 1080/24p or 1080/25p in a 1080/60i (using 3:2) or 1080/50i (using 2:2) - though if it is a decent interlaced signal it should be vertically filtered to avoid interline twitter and will thus be lower resolution vertically, even when de-interlaced back to 1080/60p or 1080/50p (or 1080/48p or 72p) in the display.

[AML]

Tech specs aside, im still a little disapointed with the asking price. It really was only supposed to be about $500 US. or 50.000 yen. I cant beleive they are now asking twice that.

If they start off on that note, it wont be long before the PS3 with its blu ray drive costing roughly 50.000/$500 starts to get popular.

After all, the PS3 can play games as well as play 1080p movies. All for a decent price tag.

If Toshiba expect the masses to adopt a 1080i player at that price range, they are going to be sorely disapointed.

[Likvid]

Tech specs aside, im still a little disapointed with the asking price. It really was only supposed to be about $500 US. or 50.000 yen. I cant beleive they are now asking twice that.

They never raised the price and the price is still $499 for the HD-A1.

HD-XA1 is their highend unit and will also cost more, they never raised that price either.


If they start off on that note, it wont be long before the PS3 with its blu ray drive costing roughly 50.000/$500 starts to get popular.

PS3 is a console, you can't compare the quality with a cheap console unit with a true Blu-ray unit.


If Toshiba expect the masses to adopt a 1080i player at that price range, they are going to be sorely disapointed.

You must be alone having that opinon, HD-DVD is cheap for what you get, you can buy today a HD-A1 for $499, i would not call that expensive.

I would call $999 expensive for a Blu-Ray unit which the Sony will cost.

[DanielTS]

They changed the region coding from six it was for SD-DVD regions to four regions for HD-DVD
My understanding:
. HD DVD Region coding is still being discussed. I guess Japanese HD-XA1 are HD DVD region-free coded like American HD-XA1
. DVD movie playback is restricted to Region 2 DVD for Japanese HD-XA1 as usual
. it seems there are 3 regions for Blu-ray:
.. Region 1: N. America, S. America, Japan, Korea and most of Asia (but not China)
.. Region 2: Europe and Africa
.. Region 3: China, Russia and other "pirate" countries
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7274292&&#post7274292

[DanielTS]

Think AML means that the player will only output 1080i - which is a limitation of quite a few low cost HD disc players. I think the lack of 1080p referred to is a lack of 1080p outputs. Initially there aren't many displays with 1080p HDMI/DVI compatible displays though.

Sure you can contain a 1080/24p or 1080/25p in a 1080/60i (using 3:2) or 1080/50i (using 2:2) - though if it is a decent interlaced signal it should be vertically filtered to avoid interline twitter and will thus be lower resolution vertically, even when de-interlaced back to 1080/60p or 1080/50p (or 1080/48p or 72p) in the display.
According to Stacey Spears, there is no more vertical filter :

Major features for SD DVD today are not being filtered anymore. The truth is you do not need to filter film content and they now realize this and have, for the most part, stopped doing it.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7268929&&#post7268929

The VC1 encoder that I work on, which is being used by the Studios to encode HD-DVD, encodes 1080p24 as 1080p24. It does not apply any vertical filter, the players coming out do not apply any vertical filter and the features I have worked with have not been vertically filtered. None of it flickers on my CRT when running 1080i. The Windows desktop flickers when I don't have the video in full screen mode.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6866528&&#post6866528

[RunDMC]

My understanding:
. HD DVD Region coding is still being discussed. I guess Japanese HD-XA1 are HD DVD region-free coded like American HD-XA1
. DVD movie playback is restricted to Region 2 DVD for Japanese HD-XA1 as usual
. it seems there are 3 regions for Blu-ray:
.. Region 1: N. America, S. America, Japan, Korea and most of Asia (but not China)
.. Region 2: Europe and Africa
.. Region 3: China, Russia and other "pirate" countries
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7274292&&#post7274292

I think that is correct. Notwithstanding all the current confusion over HD DVD vs BluRay, if they both end up with differing regions, it will open up a whole new can of worms for the consumer confusion. May end up biting Hollywood right on the arse...

And is it not the case that a lot of US DVD players cannot output a 50Hz signal, as they have no need to (unlike ours which required NTSC for Japan R2 releases)?
If this is the case with the Toshiba, what does this imply for playing upscaled R2 DVDs (which I assume will be 720/50p)?

[Likvid]

Remember that the Toshiba players being sold in Japan now can be changed in the menu for English menu language from Japanese which is great news.

[Dutch]

According to Stacey Spears, there is no more vertical filter :

Major features for SD DVD today are not being filtered anymore. The truth is you do not need to filter film content and they now realize this and have, for the most part, stopped doing it.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7268929&&#post7268929

The VC1 encoder that I work on, which is being used by the Studios to encode HD-DVD, encodes 1080p24 as 1080p24. It does not apply any vertical filter, the players coming out do not apply any vertical filter and the features I have worked with have not been vertically filtered. None of it flickers on my CRT when running 1080i. The Windows desktop flickers when I don't have the video in full screen mode.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6866528&&#post6866528


That's great news. Only two more weeks to the US release, hopefully! :)

Steve

[gandley]

Just read some stuff from AVS on this player and i wasnt too impressed by what i read. its a slow slow unit to navigate for one thing and its PIC for SD-DVD is none to hot either, so sound like you will need to keep your exsisting dvd player for SD films if you wwant quality for them. (and this is the higher spec jap unit).

first software is also out on SL and not DL as first expected, so looks like there will be extra compression. Not good

But perhaps this will be sorted ready for the north american launch, but so far im not interested.

(actually that reads a tad harsh as it is a luanch product and there is always a few teething problems. So the pQ problems will probaly most definately be sorted for the USA launch)

[AML]

Despite my previous posts I ordered the XA1 today. :grin:

I think that the opprtunity to start watching HD DVDs now is to big a pull.
After all I did stop buying DVDs roughly 4 months ago in anticipation to this and im dying to watch something

And hey, as the borg like to say: "Resistance Is Futile"

[add46.88]

Despite my previous posts I ordered the XA1 today. :grin:

I think that the opprtunity to start watching HD DVDs now is to big a pull.
After all I did stop buying DVDs roughly 4 months ago in anticipation to this and im dying to watch something

And hey, as the borg like to say: "Resistance Is Futile"

where did you order from AML?

[Likvid]

Despite my previous posts I ordered the XA1 today. :grin:

I think that the opprtunity to start watching HD DVDs now is to big a pull.
After all I did stop buying DVDs roughly 4 months ago in anticipation to this and im dying to watch something

And hey, as the borg like to say: "Resistance Is Futile"

You can't go wrong mate....

I have my XA1 on the way from Japan any day now, i am so excited now. :grin:

[zAndy1]

I can understand getting a US machine but a Jap one? Aren't the menus in Japanese only? I just don't see the point when US machines are available imminently..

[Likvid]

I can understand getting a US machine but a Jap one? Aren't the menus in Japanese only? I just don't see the point when US machines are available imminently..

Because it's cheaper from Japan and when you have a friend over there you can write down the value of the item to avoid hefty customs fees also.

And Toshiba policy in USA prohibits all export outside the U.S so finding a dealer willing to ship outside is nearly impossible.

The Japanese player is supposed to have English menu also.

[ROBERTT]

Likvid,

www.crutchfield.com ships to the uk via a US forwarding address (bought for £10.00). I have one on order and so do many others here in the forums:thumbsup:

[AML]

I can understand getting a US machine but a Jap one? Aren't the menus in Japanese only? I just don't see the point when US machines are available imminently..

The menus are originaly set to Japanese but you can change them to English or French.
Almost all stuff made in Japan has multiple language menus.

The only thing thats got me worried is the region coding for HD DVDs.

I asked the guy in the shop if he knew and he said that its region 2 only. But im not sure he knew what he was talking about.

I do beleive that DVD playback will be limited to R2, but HD hasnt really been decided yet, so it could be that the player is MR for HD DVDs for now.

Besides, im sure it wont be long before we see some software/firmware upgrades for it.

Either way, since I live here (in Japan) its not like I wont have access to lots of R2 content.

I also still have my MR Denon 3910 I can use for DVDs so im not to bothered about DVD playback on the Toshiba.(ive heard its not that good, even when upscaling)

But like I said before, I stopped buying DVDs a while back so ill probably go exclussive to HD DVD and Blu Ray from now on.

Another good point about geting this player now is that you get 2 films free with it.

Resi Evil and some Jp film. That should keep me busy for a wee while. :)

[adrianwright]

The menus are originaly set to Japanese but you can change them to English or French.
Almost all stuff made in Japan has multiple language menus.

The only thing thats got me worried is the region coding for HD DVDs.

I asked the guy in the shop if he knew and he said that its region 2 only. But im not sure he knew what he was talking about.

I do beleive that DVD playback will be limited to R2, but HD hasnt really been decided yet, so it could be that the player is MR for HD DVDs for now.

Besides, im sure it wont be long before we see some software/firmware upgrades for it.

Either way, since I live here (in Japan) its not like I wont have access to lots of R2 content.

I also still have my MR Denon 3910 I can use for DVDs so im not to bothered about DVD playback on the Toshiba.(ive heard its not that good, even when upscaling)

But like I said before, I stopped buying DVDs a while back so ill probably go exclussive to HD DVD and Blu Ray from now on.

Another good point about geting this player now is that you get 2 films free with it.

Resi Evil and some Jp film. That should keep me busy for a wee while. :)

AML,

Can you please post some impressions and pictures as soon as you have the Player?

Regards


Adrian

[AML]

Ill do that as soon as I get it but im sure somone else will beat me to it! :grin:

I do want to compare DVD playback with my Denon 3910 (which is a pretty good upscaling player) and see if this and im sure future HD DVD players will do a good job of upscaling DVDs or if its still best to stick to more recent high end DVD players.

I plan on using a few superbits I have. Fifth Element and The Fas and the Furious. Those two have a pretty good picture quality so if there is a problem it will be with the player.

The other thing i want to try is how HD DVDs will look on an older 1024X768 plasma (something which many people still own) and also what it will look like on a more recent 1280X720 display or even a 1920X1080 display.

Realisticaly speaking most people still dont have such high end displays and many dont even have HDMI so I wonder what the pic will be like through component/D4.

[ash]

AML, will we get some pics of it in flesh :)

[AML]

Im more than happy to take pics and even screen shots of the picture quality, but it might be hard to see.

I ordered it yesterday so it should arrive within a couple of weeks.

[AnnatarUK]

I contacted Toshiba regarding the release date in the UK, here is the response......

Thank you for you recent enquiry. In response to your query I can let you
know that HD-DVD has a tentative release date of September. this is subject
to change.

If you have any further queries please don't hesitate to contact us on
08704 424 424

David Lickers
Toshiba Customer Service Representative

[ash]

Im more than happy to take pics and even screen shots of the picture quality, but it might be hard to see.

I ordered it yesterday so it should arrive within a couple of weeks.
Sorry, I meant pics of the actual HD DVD player, like the finish etc. Also pics of the new interactive menus would be nice. Thanks!!!

[DrPepper]

Some pictures link here on avsforum
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=662867

[AML]

Damn, this player is harder to get than I thought!
The shop I initially ordered from just told me that the order I placed is actually a pre-order. :rolleyes:

Im going to try another company here and see if they have any stock.

In the end I may have to wait a while to get one...

Still, cant beleive the specs of that player, A 600mhz celeron? runing on linux? with 512mb Ram?

Is that really enough to run HD movies?

[DanielTS]

I guess the CeleronM CPU deals essentially with the HD DVD interactivity processes And the HD DVD playback is essentially managed by the Broadcom BCM7411D HD A/V decoder chip.

[shaithis]

Glad I haven't pre-ordered now......I will wait and see how others do theirs.

Celeron CPUs, Linux and 2 minutes loading + playing times seems very wrong to me.....

[nutrut]

Anyone tell me the best place to get the stepdown convertors from for it and which ones some of you guys have got.

Thanks

[filmman]

Anyone tell me the best place to get the stepdown convertors from for it and which ones some of you guys have got.

Thanks
try maplins,they carry a fair selection of step down transformers. they are doing a 300va unit for 19.99.

[bfrench]

Hi Guys,
Like some of you, I wish to import a Tosh HD-DVD.
I have my P2GO address and have noticed a couple of people
quoting £59 for shipping from DHL. Anyone know where this figure
com