AVForums

Our philosophy in our forums, reviews, podcasts and feature videos is to promote audio and visual excellence by gathering and sharing the best information and resources available.

Help

To begin please visit our help section »

Not a Member Yet?

It only takes a minute to start enjoying the benefits of AVForums membership, and it's free!

Member Log in

Going Back To HD-DVDS

Post Reply
Old 21-09-2009, 8:08 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
retrogameman's Avatar
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: motherwell
Experience Points:
3,598, Level: 14
Points: 3,598, Level: 14 Points: 3,598, Level: 14 Points: 3,598, Level: 14
Activity: 2.4%
Activity: 2.4% Activity: 2.4% Activity: 2.4%
Thanks: Gave 107, Got 156
Posts: 2,275
Going Back To HD-DVDS

Decided to either sell or trade my jvc xv-bp1 bluray player and go back to hd-dvds.Dont get enough of a chance to use the bluray to warrant keeping considering the cost.

So i plan on getting a standalone player to use as the main player downstairs and still have the option of using the 360 hd-dvd drive upstairs.

Looking for opinions on the best machine that can output 1080p,upscale dvds well and hopefully be a good reliable machine.Not too bothered regarding multi region for dvd as i only have a handful of region 1 dvds left and i plan on selling them on.

All recommendations welcome even those regarding 1st gen machines that cant output 1080p if you think they are a better option.

Are the standalone machines able to produce a better quality image than the 360 hd-dvd drive.

Last edited by retrogameman; 22-09-2009 at 5:55 AM. Reason: forgot to ask about the 360 add on
  Quote
Old 21-09-2009, 8:38 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
mannyjarnail's Avatar
Join Date: Apr 2007
Experience Points:
2,496, Level: 11
Points: 2,496, Level: 11 Points: 2,496, Level: 11 Points: 2,496, Level: 11
Activity: 0%
Activity: 0% Activity: 0% Activity: 0%
Thanks: Gave 98, Got 104
Posts: 1,720
Re: Going Back To HD-DVDS

The Toshiba EP35 or EP30 are both really good machines.

The best player is a Toshiba XE1
  Quote
Thanks from:
retrogameman (22-09-2009)
Old 22-09-2009, 4:42 PM   #3
Member
 
a4lloxo's Avatar
Join Date: May 2005
Location: the city or town where you live
Experience Points:
4,216, Level: 15
Points: 4,216, Level: 15 Points: 4,216, Level: 15 Points: 4,216, Level: 15
Activity: 0.8%
Activity: 0.8% Activity: 0.8% Activity: 0.8%
Thanks: Gave 100, Got 66
Posts: 862
Re: Going Back To HD-DVDS

depends what you want really,sound wise.if you connect to an amp via optical only id go for a HDEP-10,its one of the second gen machines,does 1080p, can be made region free,upscales well, and is better built than the 35/30.
if your connecting via HDMI to your amp then id go for the XE-1.they still command a premium over other players,however prices have come down of late.it has the reon chip for upscaling duties and can bitstream the audio direct,so your amp can do the decoding,alternatively it will pass LPCM via the analogue outputs,allowing HD sound from a legacy amp.its also built like a tank.
  Quote
Thanks from:
retrogameman (22-09-2009)
Old 22-09-2009, 7:04 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
scartlead's Avatar
Join Date: Apr 2006
Experience Points:
4,163, Level: 15
Points: 4,163, Level: 15 Points: 4,163, Level: 15 Points: 4,163, Level: 15
Activity: 0.4%
Activity: 0.4% Activity: 0.4% Activity: 0.4%
Thanks: Gave 26, Got 103
Posts: 1,419
Re: Going Back To HD-DVDS

Regarding first gen machines, the A1 I use may well be only 1080i, but dont let that hold you back. 1920 * 1080i looks damn good and has 6 channel out to boot, which means you can use the older non hd amps, which I do, to get hidef audio. Also it's built like a tank, mine have never once failed me and is now cheap as chips. As far as I'm aware only R1 sd. Other than that a great machine and welcome back to the fold.
  Quote
Thanks from:
retrogameman (22-09-2009)
Old 22-09-2009, 7:07 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
retrogameman's Avatar
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: motherwell
Experience Points:
3,598, Level: 14
Points: 3,598, Level: 14 Points: 3,598, Level: 14 Points: 3,598, Level: 14
Activity: 2.4%
Activity: 2.4% Activity: 2.4% Activity: 2.4%
Thanks: Gave 107, Got 156
Posts: 2,275
Re: Going Back To HD-DVDS

Still got an amp to purchase but the plan is to get one that accepts audio over hdmi.

Dont mind paying extra for a quality machine as hopefully i can get around £200 for my blu ray player.That should get me a good machine and a selection of films to start the collection.
  Quote
Old 22-09-2009, 7:10 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
retrogameman's Avatar
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: motherwell
Experience Points:
3,598, Level: 14
Points: 3,598, Level: 14 Points: 3,598, Level: 14 Points: 3,598, Level: 14
Activity: 2.4%
Activity: 2.4% Activity: 2.4% Activity: 2.4%
Thanks: Gave 107, Got 156
Posts: 2,275
Re: Going Back To HD-DVDS

I have seen the A-1 available for good money and it does get good reviews.The only issue is R1 for dvds as i have a collection of R2 Disney dvds for my girl so i might get grief.
  Quote
Old 22-09-2009, 7:54 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
scartlead's Avatar
Join Date: Apr 2006
Experience Points:
4,163, Level: 15
Points: 4,163, Level: 15 Points: 4,163, Level: 15 Points: 4,163, Level: 15
Activity: 0.4%
Activity: 0.4% Activity: 0.4% Activity: 0.4%
Thanks: Gave 26, Got 103
Posts: 1,419
Re: Going Back To HD-DVDS

Quote:
Originally Posted by retrogameman View Post
I have seen the A-1 available for good money and it does get good reviews.The only issue is R1 for dvds as i have a collection of R2 Disney dvds for my girl so i might get grief.
Thats the only downside to the A1, maybe an E1 would suit..Good machine, easily made multiregion for SD, but no 6 channel out and again pretty cheap to get a hold of as well.

On this very forum as well.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/dvd-b...-player-2.html

Last edited by scartlead; 22-09-2009 at 7:58 PM.
  Quote
Old 23-09-2009, 12:50 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Donnacha's Avatar
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: York
Experience Points:
9,115, Level: 22
Points: 9,115, Level: 22 Points: 9,115, Level: 22 Points: 9,115, Level: 22
Activity: 9.5%
Activity: 9.5% Activity: 9.5% Activity: 9.5%
Thanks: Gave 315, Got 127
Posts: 2,877
Re: Going Back To HD-DVDS

Quote:
Originally Posted by scartlead View Post
Regarding first gen machines, the A1 I use may well be only 1080i, but dont let that hold you back. 1920 * 1080i looks damn good and has 6 channel out to boot, which means you can use the older non hd amps, which I do, to get hidef audio. Also it's built like a tank, mine have never once failed me and is now cheap as chips. As far as I'm aware only R1 sd. Other than that a great machine and welcome back to the fold.
got one of these also. Its since been relegated to the TV room as opposed to the Projector room. In the PJ room I use the 360 add-on connected to a PC that drives the projector.

The HD - A1 sounds and looks great at 1080i. I bought it pretty early into HD DVD. its built like a tank, it has great sound via the analogs (if a little quiet, and no bass management for the sub) and is reasonably quiet.

Downsides are that's it's region 1 only for DVDs (the only HD DVD player from Tosh that can't be unlocked - won't even play region free PAL discs), its slow to boot (like a PC) and slow to load a disc. I'm not sure how the load times compare to the other Tosh players, but its definitely slow!

...still snap one up if you get a bargain.....oh and you'll need a step down transformer to power it as its a US machine!!
  Quote
Thanks from:
retrogameman (23-09-2009)
Old 23-09-2009, 1:10 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
retrogameman's Avatar
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: motherwell
Experience Points:
3,598, Level: 14
Points: 3,598, Level: 14 Points: 3,598, Level: 14 Points: 3,598, Level: 14
Activity: 2.4%
Activity: 2.4% Activity: 2.4% Activity: 2.4%
Thanks: Gave 107, Got 156
Posts: 2,275
Re: Going Back To HD-DVDS

Until i get the jvc blu ray player sold i am stuck for funds.Unless i can get a trade for a player and some films.

The A-1 does seem like a good option.I have a dvd player which i could connect up for the little ones Disney dvds.

Going to keep checking here and ebay to get an idea of prices and hopefully pick up a good machine.

Thanks for all the recommendations.
  Quote
Post Reply



Thread information and display options
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off