Toshiba A2 HD DVD Player for $200 at Circuit City
[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
Filed under: HD DVD
[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
h4ldol @ Oct 27th 2007 4:29PM
No surprise there. Toshiba is evidently having a hard time getting rid of their problematic 2nd gen players, and with the new problematic 3rd gen players newly arrived, it's going to take bigger price cuts than this to deplete those inventories. Good luck Toshiba! A $399 PS3 is worth 10x that of a $200 HD DUD player.
Dave @ Oct 27th 2007 4:44PM
The h4ldol-bot strikes again. Nobody wants a PS3. The games stink and there's no guarantee it'll do Profile 1.1 or 2.0.
Ben Nolen @ Oct 27th 2007 4:57PM
Problematic 2nd gen player?!
My HD-A2 is rock solid. And it's compatible with all the movies currently out and coming out in the future.
Too bad the PS3 has no games and is an average BD player. Do the new ones even have an IR receiver on them yet or do you have to use the lame bluetooth remote? Makes it kind of hard to use a nice Harmony remote.
Ed @ Oct 27th 2007 5:27PM
Holy snikies, h4Idol, you got the first word in. I'm very proud of you. You deserve a sucker. But you forgot the obligatory "J6P" reference, you slacker!
smee @ Oct 27th 2007 7:52PM
@h4idol
Yo really are just a complete tool with nothing but negative lies to spin every time you post.
Get a life fool.
h4idol=dickhead
Franssu @ Oct 27th 2007 8:22PM
Can you please send your face pic to Wikipedia ? They're looking for something to illustrate the articles about fanboys and trolls.
TrentD @ Oct 29th 2007 9:32AM
Just ignore and report...ignore and report.
Asterra @ Oct 27th 2007 5:15PM
You guys are still replying to this joker? If he wasn't already making a buck fifty an hour from Sony for his trolling services, he probably is now. Too bad for him that all it does is backfire and engender heavy correction (and free advertising, for that matter).
FrankTheCrank @ Oct 27th 2007 5:43PM
I'll wait till there $50. Plus, who would buy one now? You've got to be brain dead to buy into the next betamax.
Dave @ Oct 27th 2007 5:57PM
BetaMax was a Sony product--so I'll assume you're talking about Blu-Ray.
smee @ Oct 27th 2007 7:52PM
frank the wank, he is one of h4idols bum buddies.
They have teeny bopper parties and all drink blu cool aid together.
Just another negative blu troll who has nothing but pubescent negative slander on this and other sites, he cant say anything positive about his own preference, which i am guessing is men, since he is so close with h4.
If you don't have anything reasonable and anti inflammatory to say,and cant add anything to debate without pathetic immature tirades, why don't you and h4idol just grow up or go away.
All though, with quality HD DVD players selling at WM for $198, I guess you idiots are getting worse because you can see the end now.
Mitchell @ Oct 27th 2007 7:34PM
now if we can only get deals on a 1080p player that would be great!
shawnmos @ Oct 27th 2007 10:59PM
There is no advantage of buying a 1080p player over a 1080i player for movies. They are filmed at 24fps. The player sends out a 1080i signal at 60fps. Frames are duplicated to fill the 60fps, and thus no loss of quality.
HD @ Oct 27th 2007 8:28PM
Both sides have their idiots, but why is it that the blu ray fanboys are always the worst ,the most negative, and the loudest? eg h4idol and frank the crank.
Are they more aggressive because their product of choice has no advantages and is double the price?
They must figure, negative slander is the only way they can hope to influence people, rather then suggesting why BR is better than HD DVD, and I guess there in lies the answer.
BR is not any better, and they are getting angry and aggressive as a result.
Maybe i would be too if I had parted with $800-$1000 for a BR player and it's being trumped by the little Tosh A2 upstart @ $198 :)
Jeff @ Oct 28th 2007 8:51PM
I couldn't agree more! I liken BR fanboys with apple fanboys
HD @ Oct 27th 2007 9:09PM
The only reason we have a format war is because of Sony.
The green light was given to Toshiba by the DVD forum to make the next standard, HD DVD.
Sony went out on their own with a much more expensive format, signed up movie exclusivity because they wanted to keep profits high.
We now have the current mess.
As I said on a previous post though, this war can end quickly.
I am a HD DVD supporter, but I would gladly buy a BR player for $198.
Both sides can co exist and mass HD adoption can happen if prices are cheap enough.
If everyone, including blu trolls like h4idol and frank the crank buys a $198 HD DVD player and the movies they cant get on BR, Sony has to price match.
It's so simple, Sony will NOT give up and neither will Tosh, so we the consumer should, and can, force an end to this war.
People everywhere, buy these $198 players and movies in droves, BR will respond in kind, and we the consumer win.
It means we have 2 players, no biggie, they are both cheap and we all watch every movie ever made in glorious HD.
What do you say to that h4 & FtheC?
A simple answer to the format war, but I guess you 2 will only have the normal negative responses associated with most BR supporters.Must be true, how much is Sony paying you?
Kevin Murphy @ Oct 28th 2007 3:17AM
And the sad fact is that Sony BOUGHT those studios after losing the Betamax war, announcing their intention to use content to support their products exclusively. This war was premeditated.
JeffDM @ Oct 28th 2007 5:29PM
Uh, no, that's not the reason 1080i is good enough. It's because most TVs are small enough, don't have enough resolution or the user is still watching too far away. Otherwise there would also be no functional difference between 480i and 480p - but there is and that's why there's quite a bit of work put into trying to piece together 480p out of 480i when the fields aren't right or there was some editing problem. Some TVs just "bob" the fields into frames and it adds blurriness or combing.
mirosco @ Oct 27th 2007 11:13PM
I have a PS3 primarily as a Blu-Ray player. But, I really like all of its other features, too!
I just bought a Toshiba HD-A2. It is a good deal, especially considering the 5 free movies.
Coupled with my Netflix Subscription, I can now enjoy any HD movie out there.
I plan to buy the Transformers HD-DVD and Spiderman Trilogy Blu-Ray Set. But, not much more.
I rather rent from both formats rather than get a huge collection of either or both formats. I'll wait till there is a clear winnder.
HD @ Oct 28th 2007 2:47AM
@mirosco
Good on you, I have the A2, and as much as I hate sony, i will still buy a BR player when they are cheap enough.
It's a simple answer to end this dumb war, JUST BUY BOTH WHEN THEY ARE CHEAP ENOUGH AND SHUT UP !
Michael @ Oct 28th 2007 1:02AM
Very good deal - going to be a fun Black Friday :)
All the BF info you need: http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com
locke6854 @ Oct 28th 2007 2:32AM
seems like h4ldol just posts then leaves. it seems like he never comes back to read the responses nor does he ever reply back. I'm thinking he has no idea we all think he's an idiot.
Nate the Prophet @ Oct 28th 2007 2:51AM
I want both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD :)
My wife's getting me a PS3 for my birthday soon (the new 40GB model for only $299 on the Sonystyle website).
And I''ve been saying since July that we'd see an HD-DVD player for $150 this Christmas. We may even see a $99 Black Friday sale.
But even at $150, that would mean I'd have BOTH formats, plus a next-gen game system, plus 11 free movies all for $450.
Now, who was it who said the "format war" was a bad thing...?
Kevin Murphy @ Oct 28th 2007 3:20AM
In the end we'll have cheap dual-format players. My only problem with that is Sony won't lose.
HD @ Oct 28th 2007 3:33AM
If sony is forced to price match, they will loose plenty!! :)
Jakob @ Oct 28th 2007 12:18PM
I will agree with you all, that h4Idol is not exactly the best writing person in the world. His comment is not helpful in any way. Neither are the following comment by Dave, about nobody wanting a PS3 - given that it has sold around 5-6 million, I would say that there are actually more people that have a PS3 than the combined number of standalone HD-players. So by that measure we could also say that people in general do not want HD-movies (regardless of format)? Some people want a PS3 and some people want HD-movies (regardless of format), but if a high price (> 200$) luxury (= not really necessary, but nice to have) product does not sell 100 million in 2 months, does that make it a failure?
On a another note: Dave talked about the PS3 may not be able to be updated to become a Profile 1.1 compliant Blu-ray player. I know that some Sony executive have claimed that there would be released a firmware update around the time that Profile 1.1 is mandatory, which would make the PS3 Profile 1.1 compliant. I am sorry that I can not provide you with the link, but it have been somewhat reported, at least on the web. Second of all, if the PS3 would become Profile 1.1 compliant, the step to become Profile 2.0 compliant is already available in the PS3 - all that Profile 2.0 requires is a network connection and 1 GB of persistent storage - both of these requirements is within what the PS3 can handle. And from what I have read, the PS3 is not an average Blu-ray player, but should be ranking among the top, primarily because of the way it handles audio decoding and the video quality, both from Blu-ray and DVD up-conversion.
On another note: Sony developed the Blu-ray disk, as Toshiba developed the HD-DVD. Both presented their technologies to the DVD-forum and Toshiba was selected. I just have a question - why is it only the DVD-forum that is allowed to choose the future direction of optical discs? May others not do some research and gather support for something they believe is a better product? BDA is not exactly a small organization anymore, I believe that more than 100 companies, including at least a dozen of the big CE-companies, are onboard, just as with the DVD-forum. These forums are nothing more than that, just forums, not a completely authority on all future optical disc formats. As for purely data storage, I would personally prefer Blu-ray, and I am sure that in the future will we able to see what difference the higher specifications of Blu-ray can give.
As for Sony (or the Blu-ray Disc Association) buying of movie companies, I am guessing that they have, as have Toshiba (or the HD-DVD forum). Neither of these companies (or associations or forums) are saints, and I am guessing the European Commission is going to have a field day with this, given that Toshiba complained about bribes being handed out from the competetion. If the EU acts fast, we can be sure to have no HD-format in the EU, because both companies (or associations or forums) have been handing out money. I do not care about which company, association or forum that started it, because I do not think that there is any evidence which is solid enough to be credible as to who started it. And the European Commission, would probably come to the same conclusion - meaning that neither format would be allowed or both companies would get slapped seriously.
This came out as a commercial for Blu-ray. That was not my intent, but I hope that I have brought something worthwhile to the discussion. And please spare me for the personal attacks because of my opinion - personal attacks belongs in a kindergarten and not amongst adults. And sorry for the long post.
Dave @ Oct 28th 2007 1:05PM
Jakob, I believe the quote you are referring to stated that there would be a firmware update that would add additional interactive capabilities. That person did not state that the update would upgrade the PS3 to a full 1.1 compliant Profile Blu-Ray player. That's why I said there was no evidence that it would be upgradeable. As far as I know, no Sony representative has ever said the PS3 would ever be fully 1.1 or 2.0 compliant. Personally, I think it's possible that it will be upgradeable to 1.1 and/or 2.0--but nobody knows that for sure yet. It's possible that it is upgradeable but that they're keeping a lid on it so that people continue to buy stand-alone players from other manufacturers as well. I don't know...and neither do you.
JeffDM @ Oct 28th 2007 5:47PM
I think there's evidence that the hardware is upgradeable, that's not really the question. The real question is whether or not Sony will offer such an upgrade.
Andy @ Oct 28th 2007 5:16PM
Jakob, FYI Sony never submitted the Blu-ray standard to the DVD forum.
JeffDM @ Oct 28th 2007 5:40PM
"Jakob, FYI Sony never submitted the Blu-ray standard to the DVD forum."
I could have sworn they did submit an early version of Blu-Ray, but were rejected for Toshiba/NEC's Advanced Optical Disc.
TrentD @ Oct 29th 2007 9:36AM
I've heard they did, but early BD was rejected as an imcomplete format. Ironic how some things never change...
TrentD @ Oct 29th 2007 9:37AM
I've heard they did, but early BD was rejected as an incomplete format. Ironic how some things never change...
smee @ Oct 28th 2007 6:15PM
Blu Ray 1.1-2.0 specifications.
A very interesting little read.
http://www.audioholics.com/news/industry-news/sony-blu-ray-specification-deadline
Josh4417 @ Oct 28th 2007 6:25PM
@smee
WOW! I just followed that link you supplied above. OMG !!
Anyone considering purchasing a BR player, PS3 included, needs to follow that link!
Jakob @ Oct 28th 2007 10:01PM
@Andy
Blu-ray was suggested to the DVD-forum - http://www.dvdforum.org/press-112702.htm
Jakob @ Oct 28th 2007 10:02PM
I took me a while to find the original article regarding the decoding of H.264 on the PS3. It is in Japanese, as it is an interview with an Sony engineer on the firmware for the PS3 (http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2006/1130/mobile358.htm) and a rough translation from Xbox-scene.com (http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=567507&st=0&p=3781041&#entry3781041 - part 2 is concerned with the video decoding part of the PS3)
To paraphrase the article:
The intent was to have the PS3 do decoding of 2 x 40 Mbps 1080p H.264 decoding, and the article states that decoding a 40 Mbps H.264 stream requires 3 SPE units. This is from the article from 30. november 2006, and Sony can have improved on the efficiency with which the PS3 decompresses video. The PS3 has 7 SPE units, with 1 unit dedicated to the OS and using 3 SPE units for decompression of 40 Mbps 1080p H.264 video. That leaves 3 SPE units for sound decoding and second video track and audio track decoding.
Toshiba demoed on 25. April 2005 (http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20050425/104149/) that a Cell CPU was able to decompress 48 streams of SD resolution MPEG2 compressed material. The decompression was handled by 6 of the SPE units and scaling, and further work was done by the last 2 SPE units (this Cell CPU unit was a version of the Cell CPU without the 8th SPE unit disabled). That would roughly mean that a single SPE unit is capable of decoding 8 streams of SD resolution MPEG2 compressed material.
Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray specifies that the second video track is in SD resolution, encoded with the same codec as the main material, and H.264 compressed material at SD resolution requires much less processing power than 1080p. PAL SD resolution (720x576) is 1/5th the amount of data compared to the 1080p resolution. This will of course not directly show as 1/5th the required amount of processing power, but 1/3th in required power would be a conservative bet (probably less computing power required, but 1/3th is a maximum), and it would therefore only require 1 SPE unit out of the 3 remaining available SPE units, and that would leave 2 SPE units either idle or available to be used, for example, in audio decompression.
nigel @ Oct 28th 2007 10:34PM
Wow, and what about the price of pork bellies?
smee @ Oct 28th 2007 10:36PM
Wow, and what about the price of pork bellies?
Dave @ Oct 28th 2007 10:56PM
Jakob, I agree that it's possible the PS3 can/will do Profile 1.1 or even 2.0. I also believe it's possible that it won't. Again, I did not read a claim in your quote stating that the PS3 will be upgraded to Profile 1.1 or 2.0.
smee @ Oct 28th 2007 10:37PM
What is that got to do with it Nigel?
Brian West @ Oct 28th 2007 10:53PM
BTW 1080i is not 60 frames per second.. its 60 fields per second/30 frames per second. I think you need to clarify that one. And you can clearly tell the difference between 1080p and 1080i in some cases but not all things benefit from it.
/b
Dave @ Oct 28th 2007 11:03PM
I think the point was that it doesn't matter if you're playing it on a 1080p television because the original source for most movies is 24p--so, if you're playing on a 1080p TV, nothing is lost as long as your TV can correctly de-interlace the image. Also, obviously, if you don't have a 1080p TV, it doesn't make a difference at all because you can only see the max resolution your television allows.
Read this:
http://blog.hometheatermag.com/geoffreymorrison/0807061080iv1080p/
Wes @ Oct 28th 2007 11:43PM
@Jakob
Sorry, but, your SPE calculations are incorect a bit. You mentiond 7 SPE - 1 dedicated to the OS = 6 left? Sorry its '5' left. 1 more is minused to increase PS3 production yields. 1 Defective SPE out of 7 = good enough for Sony's customers and still gets shipped to customers.
Jakob @ Oct 29th 2007 4:55AM
I disagree with you, because that is not what I have read. If you have got a source for your claim, I would like to see it - my source is this article from Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/06/20/news_6127799.html):
"In other words, Sony can ship a Cell chip with one defective SPE (out of its eight) as a working product, since the chip only uses seven SPEs to begin with."
So in other words, it starts with 8 SPE units, and to increase yields they disable 1 SPE unit from factory, thus leaving 7 SPE units available to the OS, which dedicates 1 SPE unit for itself, leaving 6 SPE units idle/available to games / Blu-ray.
Dave @ Oct 29th 2007 12:46AM
Wow! Here's an even better deal:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=929855
JeffDM @ Oct 29th 2007 2:14PM
At that time, I thought the only thing under consideration was the physical / hardwarestandard. The actual software specs weren't the point of the first-round consideration.
Jody @ Oct 29th 2007 9:40AM
Check out this link:
HD-A3 for $169 on black friday
http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/black-friday-867-ToshibaHDA3HighDefinitionHDDVDPlayer.html
Mr. Vela @ Oct 29th 2007 2:09PM
Wow! It just keeps getting better.
Wes @ Oct 29th 2007 7:31PM
@Jakob
True, I stand correctly about the original amount of SPEs being 8. Articles do indicate that the OS can use up to 2 in some cases. It needs at least 1 but in some cases can take up to 2 when needed(on-demand)