hd dvd players?

[taf1970]

i wonder if anyone can help me, iim looking into getting a hd dvd player later this year. what i'd like to know is if any of the players will play dvd+ discs as i own several.

 

[low-def.]

I recently bought the Toshiba HD-XE1, which is an amazing player.

So far, it has played all of my dvd+r and dvd-r discs without problem.

 

[taf1970]

thanku brown1, hopefully the toshiba will drop in price by the end of the yr, as i'm still gettin over buying a telly, hubby might let me have one for xmas.

 

[MisterEz]

Same here - was worried at first as the Toshiba specs only state dvd-r compatibility, and all my "backup" dvd's are dvd+r.

I contacted Toshiba online-support before buying a HD-E1 and they told me that it wouldn't play +r disks... however, several people on here told me that it did, so I bought one & it works fine - haven't had a single problem.

 

[taf1970]

the hd-e1 seems a lot cheaper than the hd-xe1 at the moment. i wonder if the quality is anywhere near as good, of course its got the 5.1 advantage. what else is there.

 

[city fan]

the hd-e1 seems a lot cheaper than the hd-xe1 at the moment. i wonder if the quality is anywhere near as good, of course its got the 5.1 advantage. what else is there.

XE1 has the ability to output 1080p. Also, has the new Reon chipset, which makes it a great SD-DVD upscaler.

I suspect the price difference will remain the same, so you've got to decide if you think all in all it's worth it. I did as I use the 5.1 outs and play a lot of SD-DVD. Also I've got 1080p if I get a 1080p compatable TV. I've been more than happy with mine.

 

[TrevorS]

the hd-e1 seems a lot cheaper than the hd-xe1 at the moment. i wonder if the quality is anywhere near as good, of course its got the 5.1 advantage. what else is there.

The primary advantages of the XE1 over the E1 are:

1) Upgraded SD DVD upscaling (though the E1 is ALREADY a VERY good upscaler, one of the better on the market).

2) 5.1 analog outputs (only important if your receiver/processor can accept multichannel analog inputs, but not HDMI LPCM audio -- though another possibility is to use the VERY GOOD Toslink DTS 1.5Mbps audio until you upgrade to an HDMI capable receiver).

3) 1080p60 output (only useful if you have or expect to have a 1080p60 input capable HDTV. FWIW - 1080p24 output is expected as a firmware update sometime during the summer).

Other advantages are a bidirectional RS232 port for remote computer player control and a coaxial S/PDIF audio port. I'm guessing neither of those would be important for most purchasers.

If it turns out the only feature you are concerned about is having 1080p60 (presuming that to be a concern) the upcoming E10 will provide that more affordably than the XE1.

The HD DVD picture is excellent on all three players, as is the audio.

 

[ur1d1um]

Can the XE1 be Multi-Region?

 

[TrevorS]

Can the XE1 be Multi-Region?

HD DVD is currently non regional (and no plan for that to change). There is currently no SD DVD region 0 HD DVD player -- perhaps there will be in time.

 

[ur1d1um]

HD DVD is currently non regional (and no plan for that to change). There is currently no SD DVD region 0 HD DVD player -- perhaps there will be in time.

Thanks. Sorry my post was too vague. It was the SD element I was referring to.

I won't be buying until my horde of R1 dvds can play ok....

 

[TrevorS]

Thanks. Sorry my post was too vague. It was the SD element I was referring to.

I won't be buying until my horde of R1 dvds can play ok....

I guess this is obvious, but a number of people have mentioned keeping two players in their system. One reason being for non-local region SD, another for purpose of reserving the HD player for HD only.

I've two players installed myself, one for CD/SACD/DVD-A and non-anamorphic SD, and the HD player for the rest of SD and, of course, HD.

 

[Churnobyl]

do any of these hd machines record too?

 

[TrevorS]

do any of these hd machines record too?

None of the standalones (either format).

 

[city fan]

Other advantages are a bidirectional RS232 port for remote computer player control and a coaxial S/PDIF audio port. I'm guessing neither of those would be important for most purchasers.

I believe most audiophiles would say to use the co-axial output of the XE1 to your amp rather than Toslink. I'm not sure you can tell the difference but I'm led to believe that technically it should be better, so that port is quite important.

 

[Nawty]

If it turns out the only feature you are concerned about is having 1080p60 (presuming that to be a concern) the upcoming E10 will provide that more affordably than the XE1.

Any idea when the E10 will be released? I assume that means the E1 will drop in price?

 

[bosque]

I've two players installed myself, one for CD/SACD/DVD-A and non-anamorphic SD, and the HD player for the rest of SD and, of course, HD.

Which DVD player do you use to play non-anamorphic discs ? I have to say that I don't understand why you would need a separate player to do this.

 

[TrevorS]

I believe most audiophiles would say to use the co-axial output of the XE1 to your amp rather than Toslink. I'm not sure you can tell the difference but I'm led to believe that technically it should be better, so that port is quite important.

It probably is important to some, but I find it hard to believe the majority of potential buyers will think twice about it. That majority is what the entry level machine is targeted towards (also true for the upcoming E10 relative to the XE1, but then it's a 1080p focus).

The only concern most will have is whether or not their receiver has an available Toslink input (IMO).

FWIW - My own listening with a good modern Toslink interconnect into a good modern receiver is the sound is comparable with coax S/PDIF. Just as with coax, Toslink interconnect quality varies.

PS. I suffer from audiophilia myself .

 

[TrevorS]

Any idea when the E10 will be released? I assume that means the E1 will drop in price?

I'm expecting it to be showing up in the next few months since the US version (A20) was released April 1st. I guess it's possible they'll allow a little time to react to any problems reported by US purchasers, but since it's largely the same player, I doubt that will slow things down too much. Hopefully it won't be too long before there's an announcement.

Regarding price, the target list price in the US was $100 higher than the A2 base machine. When it was released, both prices dropped $100, which was also the first price drop on the A2 (the XA2 dropped $200 at the same time). If you haven't already seen a price drop in the E1, then I expect you will when the E10 appears. If you have already seen one, then perhaps you won't.

 

[TrevorS]

Which DVD player do you use to play non-anamorphic discs ? I have to say that I don't understand why you would need a separate player to do this.

Well, I didn't plan things that way, it's just the way it worked out.

I use 1080i HDMI from my HD DVD player and that automatically forces a 16:9 frame on my 4:3 HDTV (DVI-D input). Since the non-anamorphic image is actually in a 4:3 frame, that 4:3 gets dropped into the 16:9 frame, resulting in a rather small usable picture.

Now, if one's HDTV includes zoom controls so the 4:3 image can be appropriately expanded, then no problem -- however, mine doesn't (not needed with 4:3 FF or PS on a 16:9 HDTV). Another solution is to change the player output to 480p, however, my 1080i HDTV does a better job upscaling 480i than 480p, and my player can't output 480i via HDMI.

So, my solution is to use my Denon 2900 via component to deliver 480i direct to the HDTV. (True, I could use component cables from the HD DVD player to the HDTV just for non-anamorphic discs, however, I need those outputs for my external scaler which drives my projector. In that situation, both anamorphic and non-anamorphic are fine since the scaler allows convenient adjustment between the two.)