Toshiba's HD-XA2 HD DVD player delayed until January
by Richard Lawler 
posted Dec 28th 2006 at 12:57PM
Toshiba has launched its first second generation HD DVD player, the HD-A2, but the more fully featured HD-XA2 will not see daylight until 2007. We had expected to see the player this year, but a dealer's post on AVS Forum indicates the first shipment isn't expected to hit until January 3rd due to production delays. AV Watch confirms the player has been pushed back to January in Japan as well, while the rest of the world should still see this hardware later on in the year. DTV Tivo Dealer on AVS Forum also noted that while 1080p/24 playback -- currently only an option in a couple of Blu-ray players -- won't make launch, he is "100% sure" a future firmware upgrade within a few months will add it as an option. That puts the $999 HD-XA2 on the long list of next gen players with future firmware updates on the way, but we'd settle for it actually being available in the first place.Read - AVS Forum
Read - AV Watch
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
hmurchison @ Dec 28th 2006 1:03PM
I'm sure people can live with waiting for for a week to get this excellent player. Forget the 1080p/24 output. It's a non factor for %90 of the HDTV market which doesn't support 24/48/72 input.
The big news is the Silicon Optix Reon VX processor. Confirmation is in that thread about this feature and for those that don't know Silicon Optix Realta ($$$$) and Reon are the new darlings of movie playback processing.
For those people that though the HD-XA2 was just about 1080p outputs you can now rest assured that the XA2 is "Turbocharged" and will have plenty of benefits for the higher end home theatre.
NNTPgrip @ Dec 28th 2006 3:20PM
Would be nice if we could get a 2.1 or 2.5 update for the HD-A1 to improve loading times and allow you to do a lot more option-wise without having to restart the movie + other bug fixes. (HDNet release compatibility issues etc.)
But why would they, they're trying to sell 2nd gen now. Say hello to the 6-month product life cycle.
Robert @ Dec 28th 2006 3:25PM
Thats what happens when you're an early adopter. How do you think I feel? The DVI on my HDTV is a very early version and isn't HDCP compliant. So, if I buy and HDMI 1.3 device I need a new TV! ...this DRM crap has got to stop.
Robert Zohn @ Dec 29th 2006 12:58AM
I am DTV TiVo Dealer that you accurately quoted. However, I did want your readers to know that the HD-XA2 full featured HD DVD player will be shipping from http://ValueElectronics.com on 01/03/07. Yes, the flagship HD-XA2 ships in 2007, but only misses 2006 by a few days, mostly due to the holiday schedule.
Enjoy,
-Robert
Tauron @ Dec 30th 2006 10:44PM
HD DVD will win the format war. I already pre-ordered an HD-XA2 because I'm that positive about this particular format. I've seen a Blu-ray demonstrated at a local electronics store, and the criticism is accurate. Blu-ray doesn't look much better than an upconverted DVD. An HD broadcast via satellite looks better. I have not seen an HD DVD, but, the vast majority of the consumers are behind it, and they all confer that HD DVD looks better than a Blu-ray. Sorry SONY, but history repeats. (remember Beta?) The only thing is, $999.99 for this player won't help Toshiba. Another reason HD DVD will win this war is Toshiba's prices. All prior models are available for about $500 if you know where to look. But, eventually this model's price will drop too. Just like standard DVD players when they first came out.
Thierry @ Dec 31st 2006 5:01PM
$1000 MSRP is not the entry point price, you could always get the A2 for $500 MSRP...
XA-2 is looking better every day. The way I see it even if HD-DVD fails, I will have a great upconverting player for SD DVD and I will still be able to enjoy my collection of HD-DVDs.
I have both BD and HD-DVD currently and I totally prefer HD-DVD. They definitely deliver, which is not so with BD. HD-DVD has many more good transfers as a whole than BD, and the misinformation and arrogance that Sony and Fox have blabbered in the recent past make me wish they will eat their words.