How to connect HD DVD player to your A/V receiver

[cebbigh]

Ah, the curiosity factor. Yes, I'm curious too, but while I've seen demos and like what I see, I'm still not ready to plunk down the funds and try it out. There's not enough media available yet that I'm interested in yet either. And, as you said, it's going to take a lot to supplant existing DVD as the dominant format, leaving the HD formats as pretty much a niche format for probably 2 years or more.

With over 700 titles in my library, I'm not about to embark on replacing all but a few of my most favorite titles whenever I do take the plunge into the HD format anyway.

That's a huge DVD collection. I haven't counted mine, but I'd suspect I have 200-300. Quality and durability and easy storage make DVD's a keeper. Different thing from VHS tapes. I hope to keep my existing collection for a long time. I'll opt for HD on the special movies that I want to purchase as they become available.

If nothing else, the HD-A1 is an excellent upconverter. The 499 price was right at the edge for me. But I don't think it was that big a gamble. So far I'm very happy with the HD-A1. Sure the prices will drop over time. Quantifying the value of enjoyment now versus waiting for a price drop is kind of a messy process. But I can always recap some of the cost by selling it on Ebay if I decide to opt out.

 

[long_time_DNC]

I had to put it all in a database - that was the only way I could manage it after it got past 300 or so. Co-workers borrow movies from me on Fridays and return them on Monday! Gee, maybe I should charge $1/movie and recoup some of my investment?

$499 would be right at the price-point edge for me too. So, how does HD-DVD look?

 

[cebbigh]

It looks great on my 1080i 53" Panasonic RPTV that I got a Costco a few years ago. I suspect that this is about the best picture I can possibly get with my setup. And I don't intend to replace this monitor for a long time (hope CNT technology comes into play before I have to replace it.)

The HD image is superior to anything I've seen on Dish. Of course the library of available HD titles consist mostly of movies that have been available for a while. Hopefully when HD is available on brand new releases the PQ will even be better. The picture on all of the SD DVD's I've played has been better than what I was seeing on the OPPO and the OPPO at 1080i is very good. But not having a 720p monitor, I might not have been getting full advantage from the OPPO. The HD-A1 is one huge machine compared to most DVD players. I think the only way they can justify selling them for under 500.00 is manufacturing in China. A few years ago I would have hesitated on that for quality concerns. But after having good results with the quality of manufacture of Harmon Kardon and OPPO, I've gotten over that barrier.

 

[long_time_DNC]

Sounds like a fairly happy early adopter then. I have rear-projection 50" DLP TV and really like the picture in-general. My next set will be larger...57-65"...somewhere in that ballpark. I've had my current set for nearly 4 years. Looking at replacing it in the next year to 18 months.

I'm sure the HD image is better than anything you've seen elsewhere. It's supposed to be entirely uncompressed HD...it can't get better than that. You echo a complaint I'm reading from a lot of the early adopters: "Where are the good titles?" From what I've been reading, some are on the way, but the pipeline is moving slowly and some studios are reluctant to release big titles in the new formats until sales of the players pick up. That's more-or-less a "chicken or egg" position, in my opinion, and isn't going to help push the format into more homes. The players are larger because they are, essentially, a PC running some flavor of Linux (I forget which one now). I'm sure, like the first generation of DVD players, they'll eventually slim-down in a couple of years to where they're 2-3" tall and 17-19" deep, which is pretty much the standard for CD and DVD single-disc players.

I'm glad you're pleased with it! Any problems/issues with it so far?

 

[cebbigh]

No real issues besides lack of titles. No freezes or sound issues. Does a good job on any standard DVD's too. Who knows, maybe BluRay will turn the corner and live up to expectations? I'd not want to be the one who leads anyone to a decision they may later regret.

 

[Ilya]

Update 08/25/06: With the latest 2.0 firmware update, all Toshiba players are now able to decode 5.1 channels of Dolby TrueHD. So, what I wrote in the first post of this thread about DD+ now equaly applies to Dolby TrueHD!

 

[rmmrph]

I get all of my cables (video and audio) from vampirewire. They have top notch quality & have 1/2m audio cables which are perfect if you have your dvd player and revc'r on adjacent shelves. Prices are very reasonable.