Toshiba HD-A1/A2-Us or UK player?

[carl15]

Is there a difference between the Toshiba HD-DVD players(HD-A1or A2) bought from the states or here in the UK.
Apart from the fact that I can buy one from the states for $499 or cheaper and over here in the UK it is about £499, nearly twice the price.
I realise that one will only plat region 1 for SD DVD and the other Region 2 but other than that are they identical?

Carl

 

[Nic Rhodes]

We haven't seen the E1 one yet so we really don't know. What we know from the A2 is different from what we were expeting. I suspect the differences will be to the region and PAL / NTSC on DVD discs side as opposed to differences in the HD DVD bit but that is a guess.

 

[Likvid]

Yes the only difference i know of about as of today is that you can not play your PAL DVDs with the HD-A2, only NTSC.

The european HD-E1 will play both PAL/NTSC for your DVDs but is region locked for DVDs to R2.

That doesn't help so much either as there isn't any region crack for the Toshiba out.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

Actually we don't know the E1 will play PAL / NTSC yet. When you ask Toshiba they tell you it is a r2 player despite the fact I have loads of PAL and NTSC R2 discs!! Panasonic are no different with their BD player info on this. You will have to wait until they arrive.

 

[Avi]

What we know from the A2 is different from what we were expeting.

Nic

What was different to what was expected out of interest on the A2 ?

AVI

 

[Nic Rhodes]

No Broadcom chip
No SHARCs
New NEC chip
less memory
Intel 'still' inside
Toshiba drive......

 

[Likvid]

Actually we don't know the E1 will pay PAL / NTSC yet.

It says PAL/NTSC compatibility for standard DVD in the specification sheet for both the E1 and XE1.

Anything else would not be true.

 

[Likvid]

No Broadcom chip
No SHARCs
New NEC chip
less memory
Intel 'still' inside
Toshiba drive......

You seem to start trolling for BD at last.

It would be good if you posted your opinion AFTER you reviewed the player and not now and according to the US forum the A2 gets great reviews.

Nothing wrong with Intel, best consumer CPU in the world and its also a core 2 duo mobile CPU to reduce heat and raise the performance from the old P4 in the HD-A1 and XA1 units.

The rest is just waste of time to comment because it's just trolling with no backup for it.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

It says SHARCs, do we have any?

We know things have changes in the recent past, because of the delay, but we don't know what. Nothing is confirmed until we get the UK players.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

You seem to start trolling for BD at last.

It would be good if you posted your opinion AFTER you reviewed the player and not now and according to the US forum the A2 gets great reviews.

Nothing wrong with Intel, best consumer CPU in the world and its also a core 2 duo mobile CPU to reduce heat and raise the performance from the old P4 in the HD-A1 and XA1 units.

The rest is just waste of time to comment because it's just trolling with no backup for it.

Are you serious? I was asked what was different on the A2 and I give a list of the known differences. I have made NO review, only a statement of the facts as known at this stage.

Amazing

 

[Likvid]

Here is the spec sheet for HD-E1 and it supports PAL and NTSC for DVDs.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

and we get these in march as you predicted?

so we have SHARCs on the front panel but if we look at the motherboard, wow they are not there, neither is the broadcom and all the other things, in fact just as I said .

http://www.cstone.net/~dk/a2highrez1.jpg

http://www.cstone.net/~dk/a2highrez2.jpg

Incredible

 

[Nic Rhodes]

Here is the spec sheet for HD-E1 and it supports PAL and NTSC for DVDs.

If you actually read what I have said it is that until we we have tested the device, we don't know what it will deliver as many of the previous promises haven't been delivered. I guess we will have to wait until someone gets to see a E1, I wonder who that will be

 

[Likvid]

and we get these in march as you predicted?

so we have SHARCs on the front panel but if we look at the motherboard, wow they are not there, neither is the broadcom and all the other things, in fact just as I said .

http://www.cstone.net/~dk/a2highrez1.jpg

Incredible

That is worrying when it got Sharc at the front display but no chip inside.

That would be like buying a Toyota and putting the Honda badges on it.

 

[MI55ION]

You seem to start trolling for BD at last.

No offence mate but I think if anyones a BD troll it's probably you (undercover) or you're being paranoid. There's nothing in Nic's post to suggest preferential treatment for either format and somehow you've managed to extract this from his statement. Seriously, if you consider yourself a HD DVD advocate then please stop it with these silly remarks cos you're giving us a bad name.

 

[richard plumb]

What are they using instead of the broadcom? I thought that was a pretty nice video decoder?

 

[Nic Rhodes]

http://www.necel.com/digital_av/en/mpegdec/d61133_d61135.html

I like the Broadcom but don't know this baby. I am really not too sure what is does yet....

 

[cybersoga]

Maybe these things will turn up in the HD-XE1 / HD-XA2?

 

[Pecker]

For me, the biggest difference between the the US and European players is that, if I buy a US player and it goes wrong, I'm knackered.

It's nice to get things cheaper, but the E-1 can be had for sub-£400. This is the first machine in a brand new format - how cheap did anyone expect it to be?

99% of people who'd like HD-DVD can afford the extra £100 or so for a European player. How skint can you be? Are you sat watching your HD Plasma/LCD/projector on a cardboard box eating tins of baked beans for tea every night?

But forking out hundreds of pounds to return a player to the states (if your warranty isn't invalid, which it probably is), and doing without the player for several weeks, would surely be a major pain the backside for all of us.

Steve W

 

[carl15]

For me, the biggest difference between the the US and European players is that, if I buy a US player and it goes wrong, I'm knackered.

It's nice to get things cheaper, but the E-1 can be had for sub-£400. This is the first machine in a brand new format - how cheap did anyone expect it to be?

99% of people who'd like HD-DVD can afford the extra £100 or so for a European player. How skint can you be? Are you sat watching your HD Plasma/LCD/projector on a cardboard box eating tins of baked beans for tea every night?

But forking out hundreds of pounds to return a player to the states (if your warranty isn't invalid, which it probably is), and doing without the player for several weeks, would surely be a major pain the backside for all of us.

Steve W

I hear you loud & clear.
Guess the other reasoning was my impatience having to wait for the UK release.
Guess Ill just have to keep watching those HD Trailors I have for the time being.
Hopefully there will be some decent players at the Bristol-Sound & Vision Show in February at the Marriot Hotel next year.

Carl

 

[davisa]

For me, the biggest difference between the the US and European players is that, if I buy a US player and it goes wrong, I'm knackered.

The main difference (for me) is that the US player will play region 1 SD DVDs and the UK player won't. Since 95% of my DVDs are region 1, that's a BIG positive for me.

All I need is somewhere good to import it from...?

 

[carl1010_1]

hi m8

got myself an XA1 off ebay for £440 inc 2 films and next day delivery,
the seller did it privatley so no fees for her and a cheaper deal for me

not really got many region 2 dvds so impatience got the better of me and having watched riddick was blown away by the PQ.
will probably import my hd dvds as they are cheaper for a start and if we ever do get region coded the american market usually get there releases first
.
having said that the disk trading on these forums are a fantastic idea and will make sure you get to watch all the films available..