Toshiba HD-A1
Well, I figured I would give a little synopsis of the Toshiba HD A1 because it really is the first of its kind. It is an HD DVD player. It does absolutely offer great picture quality and superb surround sound, however, there are a few quirks that came with the package.
DVD players cabable of dealing with HD quality picture and sound are a whole new breed of DVD player. There are upscaling DVD players that essentially beef up the signal from regular DVD discs to the extent that when you play them, they appear to be HD picture quality.
The Toshiba HD A1 does just that, as well as play HD-DVD discs which are exactly what they sound like.(discs that have HD quality film written to them) I had some issues with this one though. First, let’s start with the design. I was not a fan of the design. It just seems so large a boxy, and not in a stylish “new-aged” boxy style. The second is the remote. It’s long and enormous. Unfortunately, I don’t have super-human giant hands, so I had trouble getting at all of the keys up and down the interface. Its definitely a two hands-required monster.
I found the slow operating speeds to be a bit annoying, and you also cant connect this player up and use it in conjunction with your PC.
All in all, I would wait on the new, better versions that are coming out every day. These newer players are far more expensive now, but they will slowly come down in price eventually.
View Pricing and Product Details for the Toshiba HD-A1.
Reviewed by Peter Ensio 02.28.2007