Toshiba surprises with firmware 4.0 HD DVD player update
by Richard Lawler 
posted Sep 27th 2008 at 7:44PM
[Via Slashgear]
Read - AVS Forum
Read - Resource for : Firmware Update Information for Owners of Toshiba HD DVD Players:
HD-XA1 posts
[Via Slashgear]
Read - AVS Forum
Read - Resource for : Firmware Update Information for Owners of Toshiba HD DVD Players:
Toshiba pushes firmware 3.0 update to first-gen HD DVD players
by Richard Lawler posted May 8th 2008 at 2:01PM
[Via DVD Town]
Toshiba HD DVD firmware updated again? Version 1.3
by Richard Lawler posted Jun 10th 2006 at 7:22PM
Oddly, contrary to some reactions around the net regarding updates and bugfixes becoming commonplace in consumer electronics, many posters in the thread are encouraged by the indication Toshiba will provide frequent updates for issues discovered by the community. This isn't that surprising when you think back to the many problems early adopters often have to deal with without an official response or fix (anyone remember many of the early DVD players? Ouch.)
Earlier news on HD-A1/HD-XA1 firmware updates:
Problems with Toshiba's HD DVD player
Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD player firmware upgrade leaked
Toshiba HD-A1/HD-XA1 firmware update(officially) released
Thanks for the tip WiFiSpy!
Toshiba HD-A1/HD-XA1 firmware update (officially) available
by Richard Lawler posted Jun 6th 2006 at 10:16PM
Now that you can download it over the ethernet port feel free to upgrade without fear, but tell everyone you burnt a CD from a guy on AVS Forum anyway, it makes you sound more hardcore. Some have remarked on how disturbing this trend is, I'm just glad these issues are being resolved, through whatever means necessary. Early adoption is not for the faint of heart, whether it is a car, computer or washing machine, the first few revisions are rarely bug-free.
Update 2.0: The link does work now, thanks cassiusdrow!
Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD player firmware upgrade leaked
by Richard Lawler posted Jun 2nd 2006 at 9:19PM
Early adopting Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD player owners may be in for a special treat this weekend, as a poster on AVSForums has obtained a copy of a firmware upgrade early and posted it for download. Rumors on the board indicate Toshiba may release the update for owners to via disc or download next week, but if you just can't wait, all you need is a CD-R and a copy of Nero and you should be in business.
So what does the update do other than flipping your firmware number over to 1.2? Early reports from posters yorkie2k and sspears indicate reduced load times, no freezing when searching/skipping around movies and fixes for HDMI connection problems. Although the update is labeled for the HD-XA1 premium player, users have not reported any problems with the HD-A1 after upgrading. As usual, applying as yet unofficial updates could void your warranty, brick your player or kick your cat, so proceed with caution. Fortunately, as an early adopter, we know you're used to throwing caution to the wind, so update your player and let us know how it goes. Increased performance and stability may just be what Toshiba needs to lure the cautious off the fence and into buying.
[Thanks for the tip WiFiSpy!]
Toshiba reloads HD DVD players
by Richard Lawler posted Jun 2nd 2006 at 7:15PM
Not only is the RCA HDV5000 available now, the Toshiba HD-A1 may be a little easier to find in your neighborhood as they have announced they are shipping "to an increasing pool of retailers on a weekly basis". Much like the Xbox 360 last fall, the Toshiba HD-A1 and HD-XA1 have been almost totally sold out since release, but with such a limited quantity available it is impossible to know how much demand really exists. Also of note is that retailers share our frustration with constantly-shifting release dates, but remark that the few who have HD DVD players are buying nearly every copy of the titles that are available. We'd love to see the sales numbers of Rumor Has It. So if you need high-def DVD right now, keep calling retailers near you, even if they originally didn't stock it as Toshiba also claims they will be in more than 5000 storefronts nationwide by the end of the year.Toshiba's HD DVD players almost sold out
by Matt Burns posted May 22nd 2006 at 12:32PM
Apparently not everyone is disappointed with Toshiba's initial HD DVD players; that is the cheaper HD-A1. They are sold out across the web at retailers like Amazon, BestBuy, Crutchfield, and Walmart. These are not small town retailers here and if they are having stock issues with the HD DVD players, who else is? The first shipment from Toshiba in early April was estimated to be close to 10 to 15,000 that reached 3,000 stores. A Best Buy spokeswoman has said though that it is kind of hit and miss for the player in their stores; some have it, some don't. The more expensive HD-XA1 isn't having this problem though and seems to be in good supply everywhere as this stock issue is just for the $499 HD-A1.
So what happens when stores are sold out of an electronic (think XBOX 360) Ebay has 'em but for a price. The average selling price for the $499 HD-A1 on Ebay has a $50 premium on it bringing the cost up to $550.
So has any of our readers gone to a store with the thought of buying one only to be sent away because the store didn't have any?
[via Home Theater Blog]
Problems with Toshiba's HD DVD player
by Matt Burns posted May 12th 2006 at 1:21PM
So, has anyone been having issues with their HD DVD players. There are only two of them out there, the Toshiba HD-A1 and HD-XA1 and they both seem to be having "issues." Most of the problems have involved freezing up during the movie. To solve this, a user would have to hit pause in order for the audio and video to sync back up. It seems that this happens on every movie and sometimes more then once. The bad units seem to have a common thread however; all seem to have been made in March.
Are any of our readers experiencing this?
USA Today's take on Toshiba's HD DVD player
by Matt Burns posted May 11th 2006 at 12:54PM
So the HD DVD player has been out about a month now and people are starting to take notice. USA Today's Edward C. Baig has a review up of the higher end model - the HD-XA1. This is the $800 unit that includes the motorized front plate and backlit remote. His take on it: he doesn't give one. In fact the only thing he says about the player is that Apollo 13 got stuck in it and he had to swap it out with another one. There is little information about the picture quality and took us sometime to locate where he talked about it; it is on the left hand side bar. While it is nice to see HD DVD in the mainstream, articles that don't talk about the picture quality is not going to help HD DVD or Blu-ray.
HD-DVD reviews: They like, not like, LOVE it
by Richard Lawler posted Apr 27th 2006 at 10:45AM
That's what Reuters is saying and if the poll Ken pointed out in AVS Forums is any indication, they are correct. Toshiba's HD-XA1 has, despite limited content, poor demos, massive
size and little public awareness, found acceptance with initial buyers and reviewers. I know many of our readers will be shocked to
hear this, but apparently there is a considerable audience waiting for high definition content free from nasty
compression artifacts and limited television broadcast schedules.More interesting to note is that some buyers are expressing hesitance towards Blu-ray, with its players starting at $1000 and going up from there. Did they just interview some HD-DVD fanboys (Odds are high they did, with only 10,000 units in stores.), or is there a possibility even the early adopting home theater community won't spend that much on movies?
Whatever the case may be, we know two things for sure. HD-DVD is currently the absolute best format with <7 titles available on the planet; and Blu-ray, the clock is ticking, better get in the game.
[Updated (working) link]
Toshiba's HD DVD now on sale! (in Japan)
by Matt Burns posted Mar 31st 2006 at 10:33AM
The day is finally here! High definition DVDs are moving in and those ol' DVDs are gettin' kicked to the curb. (just joking) Toshiba has officially started selling their first HD DVD player...too bad it is only in Japan. The HD-XA1 is selling for 93,436 yen ($795) but it comes packaged with high-def copies of Resident Evil and Moonlight Jellyfish (an extra star goes to anyone that has seen this.) Unfortunately, the cheaper HD-A1 is no where to be seen.
Toshiba Takes HD-DVD on the Road
by Ben Drawbaugh posted Mar 3rd 2006 at 11:07AM
Toshiba is ramping up their marketing campaign in
anticipation of their late March release by continuing to
take HD-DVD on the road. Toshiba is bringing the HD-XA1 to 40 cities and over 130 stores thought the US and PC
World took a look.The demo includes some movie trailers as well as a HD vs SD comparison. My friend at the local Tweeter store is supposed to call me when he find out what day they are coming so that I can go check it out first hand. If we get our peepers on this, we'll check in with an update.
