HD DVD Player Slated for US Release

[NoName]

As it seems to be the day of next gen media, Toshiba is announcing (http://www.aviransplace.com/index.php/archives/2006/01/04/toshiba-introduces-line-up-of-first-hd-dvd-players-for-the-us-market/) it's first two HD DVD players to be released in the US. The two are priced at 500 and 800 dollars.

Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. (”Toshiba”) unveiled today the market launch details for its line-up of the first High Definition DVD players for the U.S. market. The new HD DVD players, models HD-XA1 and HD-A1, will take advantage of the superior capabilities of the HD DVD format, including outstanding visual quality supported by leading-edge video compression technologies, the high resolution audio specifications and the capability for enhanced functionality including, Advanced Navigation, also referred to as “iHD.”
So, for 500 dollars I can either buy a HD-DVD player which does nothing but movies, or I could get a PS3. I'm not a big fan of Sony but I think they have the right idea at the moment...

Thanks to Slashdot (http://slashdot.org/).

[Tia]

I wouldn't be either HD-DVD or Blue Ray for at least a year. Or you might end up with a "Laser Disc" all over again.

[The Iron Weasel]

[I]So, for 500 dollars I can either buy a HD-DVD player which does nothing but movies, or I could get a PS3. I'm not a big fan of Sony but I think they have the right idea at the moment...

Yeah, I reluctantly agree, its going to get Blu-Ray into homes, I'm still standing firm with not going to support either until one of them is edged out. I personally think that Blu-Ray will more then likely be the victor, even if the cases for the movies are hideous.

[Cubfan]

I'm interested in neither. I predict people will use their PS3's to play good ol' DVD's. Blu-Ray or HD-DVD might catch on, but it won't be for quite some time.

[Ridlin]

They'll drop the price when the PS3 comes out. They're just after the early adopters here, and they'll pay anything.

[Morratut]

Wow $500 and $800 is a lot of money. I also would rather buy a PS3 so I can play games too :D

Or I could get the much cheaper HD-DVD drive for my 360. I assume it's cheaper anyways :confused:

[Blade]

Intro-level is $500? They couldn't shave a little off?

[Kelegacy]

They'll drop the price when the PS3 comes out. They're just after the early adopters here, and they'll pay anything.
Early adopters were weened on moron juice.

[Valkyrist]

Early adopters were weened on moron juice.
AHAHAHAHAHAH....

Ya I'm agreeing with you guys though, with a $500-800 price, a LOT of ppl will just grab a PS3 instead.

[The Iron Weasel]

Alot of people that will be picking up a HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player will have no interest in video games, so they won't get a PS3. But for me personally, I've never used a console to play a DVD and my PS3 will not be seeing any Blu-Ray movies.

[Salesmunn]

Alot of people that will be picking up a HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player will have no interest in video games, so they won't get a PS3. But for me personally, I've never used a console to play a DVD and my PS3 will not be seeing any Blu-Ray movies.

So you're telling me an everyday consumer won't see the value in the PS3 playing Blu-Ray for $399 AND plays top-notch games versus a $500 toshiba hd-dvd player that doesn't do anything else?

[The Iron Weasel]

So you're telling me an everyday consumer won't see the value in the PS3 playing Blu-Ray for $399 AND plays top-notch games versus a $500 toshiba hd-dvd player that doesn't do anything else?

Alot of people have no interest in video games, so they wont see the value, and Sony has been saying that the PS3 is going to be expensive anyway, so that probably means more then 400 dollars.

[Zawath]

So you're telling me an everyday consumer won't see the value in the PS3 playing Blu-Ray for $399 AND plays top-notch games versus a $500 toshiba hd-dvd player that doesn't do anything else?

Movie playback in PS3 will most likely suck hard.

[Demo_Boy]

There are several editorial assumptions in the comment that are false and are leading.

a) "cheaper to pick up a ps3 instead of one of these players" - ps3 is not presently available in the market
b) "that the ps3 is going to be 399" - intial pricing of the PS3 is likely to be driven higher than this price point, driven by market demand.
c) "that Blu the players available at the launch of the ps3 will remain at the price points listed" - plain Blu players are likely to drop in price like mp3 players have over the last year.

[ackbrack]

How many "everyday consumers" are even aware that there is a format war on the horizon? I seriously doubt that the "I don't religiously read news sites on the internet to keep up with the latest technology" crowd is going to be informed enough--or will even care enough about--to wiegh the differences between the two or what the cheapest way to get one into their house is. All that will really matter is which side has the loudest and easiest to digest marketing; common sense never prevails.

[jpublic]

*Bad* play by Toshiba. They should have priced this at $200 and $300.

By almost all analyses, the PS2 was a key factor in the adoption of the DVD into the popular marketplace. So while Weasel says most consumers don't care about video games, there are a large proportion who down the line will fork out a few extra bucks to get a Blu-Ray player *and* game system over a simple player for a comparable price. This is exactly what happened with the PS2, I see no reason to expect it won't happen with the PS3.

[Paranoia]

PS3 will be a lousy Blu-ray player. After, you get what you paid for.

[Zawath]

*Bad* play by Toshiba. They should have priced this at $200 and $300.

By almost all analyses, the PS2 was a key factor in the adoption of the DVD into the popular marketplace. So while Weasel says most consumers don't care about video games, there are a large proportion who down the line will fork out a few extra bucks to get a Blu-Ray player *and* game system over a simple player for a comparable price. This is exactly what happened with the PS2, I see no reason to expect it won't happen with the PS3.

There is no need for Bluray or HD-DVD yet. Normal DVDs are still fine for years and it wold be foolish for the regular people to even buy the advanced formats because of the higher cost and the fact that their TVs aren't good enough.

[UnderHero5]

I honestly can't believe people want a new format already.
I'm perfectly content with regular old DVDs at this point.
Hell, I didn't even start REALLY buying a lot of DVD's until probably a few years ago.
There's no way I'm going to start replacing my collection with Blue-Ray or HD-DVDs already.

Not to mention I don't have an HDTV, so yeah, heh.

[NoName]

There are several editorial assumptions in the comment that are false and are leading.

a) "cheaper to pick up a ps3 instead of one of these players" - ps3 is not presently available in the market
b) "that the ps3 is going to be 399" - intial pricing of the PS3 is likely to be driven higher than this price point, driven by market demand.

If the PS3 ends up being more than 400 in stores, I'm just going to laugh. Since Sony wants to push Blueray so much, they're going to take an ungodly hit in selling the PS3 (imho).

[bapenguin]

*Bad* play by Toshiba. They should have priced this at $200 and $300.

By almost all analyses, the PS2 was a key factor in the adoption of the DVD into the popular marketplace. So while Weasel says most consumers don't care about video games, there are a large proportion who down the line will fork out a few extra bucks to get a Blu-Ray player *and* game system over a simple player for a comparable price. This is exactly what happened with the PS2, I see no reason to expect it won't happen with the PS3.

The set top blu-ray players are currently expecting to launch at $1000. That's who they are competing with, not the PS3.

[Nite_Moogle]

How does Sony expect the PS3 to be under $500 if the blu-ray players alone are $1000? Something is fishy here. There is no way that Sony will take that monstrous of a cost absorption, and the only way to keep them cheaper is to cut out functionality which defeats the purpose of putting blu-ray in them in the first place (other than storage capacity).

[Furious Wang]

Remember how shitty a dvd player the PS2 was? The PS3 will be a blueray player of similar quality. The videophiles most interested in BRay will be buying the higher end players, not the bottom of the pack. I'd rather have a 300$-400$ game system than a 500$+ game/movie system whose video format isn't even a sure thing.

[Cha-Ka]

Not to mention I don't have an HDTV, so yeah, heh.

You, me, and most of the world are in this boat.

[Reanimated]

*Bad* play by Toshiba. They should have priced this at $200 and $300.

By almost all analyses, the PS2 was a key factor in the adoption of the DVD into the popular marketplace. So while Weasel says most consumers don't care about video games, there are a large proportion who down the line will fork out a few extra bucks to get a Blu-Ray player *and* game system over a simple player for a comparable price. This is exactly what happened with the PS2, I see no reason to expect it won't happen with the PS3.





PS2 did help to drive DVD, but the PS3 isn't going to drive Blu Ray as much as you think.

Blu Ray is going to require some things that DVD did not - An HDTV, and an HDMI or other digital input on said HDTV. HTDV currently has less than 10% market penetration, and of that 10%, only around 15% of the televisions sold actually have digital inputs.


The potential market for Blu Ray does not equal the number of Playstation 3's sold. The cost of entry to HD movies is FAR more than just buying a PS3. And even for people who already own an HDTV, about 85% of those people won't be able to watch Blu Ray/HDDVD movies on them because they don't have digital inputs.

Not to mention the fact that DVD was a far more significant upgrade over VHS than HDDVD/Blu Ray is over DVD. Most people just won't give a shit. I don't think people are going to be convinced to drop loads of cash on rebuying their movies and getting the needed equipment just for a resolution increase.

[doubtingthomas]

There are several editorial assumptions in the comment that are false and are leading.

a) "cheaper to pick up a ps3 instead of one of these players" - ps3 is not presently available in the market
b) "that the ps3 is going to be 399" - intial pricing of the PS3 is likely to be driven higher than this price point, driven by market demand.
c) "that Blu the players available at the launch of the ps3 will remain at the price points listed" - plain Blu players are likely to drop in price like mp3 players have over the last year.

I got to agree here. Where is the PS3, and how much does it cost?

[Steele Johnson]

I'll either wait for a hybrid player or just wait and watch one of the formats fall flat. I'm not going to be the sucker to buys the unit that plays only one format.

[normyk]

PS2 did help to drive DVD, but the PS3 isn't going to drive Blu Ray as much as you think.

Blu Ray is going to require some things that DVD did not - An HDTV, and an HDMI or other digital input on said HDTV. HTDV currently has less than 10% market penetration, and of that 10%, only around 15% of the televisions sold actually have digital inputs.
And here is where my issue with these new warring formats is. I was an early adopter with hdtv and only have component in for hd content. If they downconvert the hd content because I don't have a hdcp compliant set then I would appear to have little reason to be excited without buying a new hdtv with hdcp. Which I don't want to do because my set is beautiful and has a lot of life left in it.

Of course I haven't really seen any of these releases address what these players mean to those of us with earlier hd sets. The closest I've seen is discussion of analog to digital but not the other way around.

[jeffbax]

While blu-ray may or may not bomb, its still a feather in PS3's cap to have a high capacity disc format for games vs 360's DVD9.

[Kamalot]

Here is an abbreviated list of HD-DVD movies along with some pics of the players...

http://www.audioholics.com/ces/CEStechnology/HDDVD2005MovieTitles.php

The players are damn sweet looking.

Also, even though the Bluray discs hold more data, the movies are still compressed in the poor, bloated MPEG-2 format and therefore need about 4x more space to fit the same movie on the disc as compared to MPEG-4 video.

[Schnoogs]

There is no need for Bluray or HD-DVD yet. Normal DVDs are still fine for years and it wold be foolish for the regular people to even buy the advanced formats because of the higher cost and the fact that their TVs aren't good enough.

No need my ass....I have a DLP projector and let me tell you that DVDs look like ASS when projected at 120".

I cannot freaken wait for HD movies so I can finally take full advantage of my DLP. In the meantime I play PC games at 120" in full HD splendor!!! ;)

[agentgray]

I honestly can't believe people want a new format already.
I'm perfectly content with regular old DVDs at this point.
Hell, I didn't even start REALLY buying a lot of DVD's until probably a few years ago.
There's no way I'm going to start replacing my collection with Blue-Ray or HD-DVDs already.

Not to mention I don't have an HDTV, so yeah, heh.
I have an HDTV and I could care less. I don't want a new format and I don't know anyone else who does.

[agentgray]

No need my ass....I have a DLP projector and let me tell you that DVDs look like ASS when projected at 120".

I cannot freaken wait for HD movies so I can finally take full advantage of my DLP. In the meantime I play PC games at 120" in full HD splendor!!! ;)
But you are not the norm. Yeah, it'll work in your case, but not the Wal-Mart consumers.

[agentgray]

I'll either wait for a hybrid player or just wait and watch one of the formats fall flat. I'm not going to be the sucker to buys the unit that plays only one format.
Which is why you'll start to see units that do both.

[Pigeon]

Isn't holo-disc supposed to obsolete hd-dvd and bluray anyway?

[1FSTCAT]

Several points you guys aren't getting. Sure, HD-DVD's will come out at 500-800. It took less than a year for component CD Recorders to go from $1000 to less than $200.

The PS3 isn't slated to be released until late in '06. That's at least 6 months for HD-DVD's to come down in price, and Sony to release Blu-Ray, which will also drive the price down.

[jBusy]

Also, even though the Bluray discs hold more data, the movies are still compressed in the poor, bloated MPEG-2 format

Blu Ray discs have the choice to use either MPEG-2, MPEG-4 or VC-1 (Similar to WMV)

[askheaves]

The launch of the PS2 had far less impact on the mass market adoption of DVD than the $50 DVD player at Walmart.

[Heretic Machine]

What's the number of HD owners again? Something like 10%? What are the advantages of Blu-ray and HD-DVD as movie formats for standard def owners?

Oh yeah, there aren't any advantages for standard def owners. This sounds like a really GREAT time for a format war.

[Heretic Machine]

Isn't holo-disc supposed to obsolete hd-dvd and bluray anyway?

Yes... and that's what I've been saying all along. This is just a cash-in on early adopters, just like the Laser Disc was. Technophilles and rich people will eat it up, but it's going to be lost on the average consumer.

[Jukey]

So, for 500 dollars I can either buy a HD-DVD player which does nothing but movies, or I could get a PS3.
As several others have already pointed out, there is no PS3 on the market yet, and cost still hasn't been announced.

I have an HDTV and I could care less. I don't want a new format and I don't know anyone else who does.
I think the phrase you're looking for here is "I COULDN'T care less", which would imply that you don't care at all. (/pet peeve)

[bapenguin]

No need my ass....I have a DLP projector and let me tell you that DVDs look like ASS when projected at 120".

I cannot freaken wait for HD movies so I can finally take full advantage of my DLP. In the meantime I play PC games at 120" in full HD splendor!!! ;)

You must have something setup wrong or either have a crappy projector that downsamples or a crappy DVD player. DVD's look nice and crisp on my 96" screen with a Denon 1600 DVD player and the Panasonic AE700 projector.

[GrinR]

This is mostly out-of-my-ass, but I think there will be more UMD movies out by this time next year than there will be HD-DVD movies. I would strongly recommend turning off your HD-DVD radar for at least a year.

Meanwhile, get the most inexpensive and best quality upscaling player - from OPPO digital! (http://www.oppodigital.com/)

I researched the hell out of this, bought one, and I can tell you that on my 40" LCD it is f'n perfect. Perfect, I said.

[SuperKRad]

Am I really believing my eyes here? "They should have priced it at $200"?

That's like saying my high def plasma TV should have been $500 because there are other techs that are that cheap. Or that those nice $10,000 speakers for audiophiles should really only be $2000. This is a HD player for VIDEOPHILES. Not game players. Im sure you get what you pay for - lots of options, smooth playback, tons of output ports - and this one isn't meant to compete with a game machine. You can buy a DVD player for $29 at Wal-mart and for $499 at Wilshire, and the two players aren't even in the same league.

[Reanimated]

95% of PS3 games will be on DVD due to the prohibitive cost of pressing Blu Ray discs. For the first few years, you'll only see the top tier games ship on Blu Ray. As production costs come down for Blu Ray and more lines open, THEN you'll see more games ship on BRD.

So it's a pretty small feather if you ask me, and not worth the additional money the console will cost for having included the drive.

[Morrolan]

Remember when everyone said that the PSP was going to cost, like, a bajillion dollars?

Yeah, let's play that game again, do exactly what Sony has managed to make us do THREE TIMES already, and see the exact same we result we have each of those times: their product will be priced the same as every other compairable product on the market. Let insane Japanese dudes say whatever they want to say. The PS3 WILL NOT retail for more than $399.99.

[xanthome]

jeffbax is the only one that gets it. It's about capacity (I don't care about the HD vs BR). Movies will be there no matter what format. The fact that the 360 is DVD9 and PS3 will be BR is going to be a huge difference. DVD9 discs are FULL for todays XBOX games, now using the same disc with a slightly faster drive everyone expects gorgeous looking games and great audio. Well, guess what, there's not enough room on the disc for that! So we're gonna see a crapload of multidisc games out there on the 360 vs PS3. Not this first round of games, but three years from now...

[crashedout]

If you really don't see a problem with a 96" 480p picture, more power to you. I can see the limitations of 480p on a 32" set so I am looking forward to 1080i/p movies. That being said I will not buy this year. Regardless of format, first gen machines always have problems. Maybe I am in the minority (I see rainbows on dlp) but I have been awaiting a new format since 2000.

As for Holodiscs, I cannot imagine the price of the first gen players...at least with HD/Blu the technology is very similar to what is being produced now. Holo is all new, meaning expensive. Just give us HD vids we can download and streaming players to play them on the tv's, better technology in the long run.

[Reanimated]

DVD9 discs are FULL for todays XBOX games, now using the same disc with a slightly faster drive everyone expects gorgeous looking games and great audio. Well, guess what, there's not enough room on the disc for that!




Bullshit, smart guy. Almost all Xbox games ship on DVD5. Go check a pirate site. The ISO for GTASA on Xbox is 2.85GB.

Ever seen a game called Half Life 2? It takes up just a little over 3GB fully installed and unpacked on my PC hard drive. And that's with all the Steam shit.

We're not going to see games with great audio on the 360? Bullshit. I guess you haven't played CoD2. High quality 720p cinematics? DOA4 has a shitload of those.

So, in short, you don't know what the fuck you're talking about.

[GrinR]

Apparently nobody listens. Buy the OPPO DVI DVD player and your DVDs will look like you're in the damn theater. Simple.

[bapenguin]

The fact that the 360 is DVD9 and PS3 will be BR is going to be a huge difference. DVD9 discs are FULL for todays XBOX games...

Umm....no they aren't. Even with higher res texture (aka PC Games) we aren't even close to filling up a DVD yet. The whole DVD complaint started because japanese developers were having a hard time fitting their HD FMVs on the disc with the other content.

[bapenguin]

Apparently nobody listens. Buy the OPPO DVI DVD player and your DVDs will look like you're in the damn theater. Simple.

Can it upconvert over component? Right now my HDMI/DVI port is being used by my Satellite box. I suppose I could switch that to component instead of the DVD player...nevermind. But can it upconvert over component?

[GrinR]

Umm....no they aren't. Even with higher res texture (aka PC Games) we aren't even close to filling up a DVD yet. The whole DVD complaint started because japanese developers were having a hard time fitting their HD FMVs on the disc with the other content.

Oh, also, when we DO get to the point of "filling up" the DVD - we'll turn to compression for longevity. Same as every other media ever.

[Reanimated]

DOA4 has what? 16 2-3 minute 720p cinematics in it? One for every main character... I can't remember how many that is. Bottom line being that there's probably more than 30 minutes of high quality 720p cinematics with 5.1 sound on the disc.

Other games like shooters won't use CG cinematics. CoD2 and Quake 4 use the storytelling approach that I prefer - in-game & first-person.

So what are we looking at here? Maybe a couple of Japanese devs will have trouble fitting 2 hours of their cinematics in an RPG? Big fucking deal. FFVII, VIII, and IX were all multiple disc games on the PS1 and it didn't diminish the quality of those games. You don't ever hear anyone crying about how bad FFVII sucked because you had to change discs every 20 hours.

The HDD is more worthwhile to me as a console feature than a costly, and mostly worthless, "next-gen" disc format.

[normyk]

That Oppo looks nice if you have dvi or hdmi. From what I'm seeing on videohelp, though, it is ONLY 480i over component (boo!). Otherwise I'd be ordering it. Seems to be the serious quality shit.

Also, Best Buy, for some reason, is already offering pre-order on the tosh hd-dvd player. How silly is that?
Pre-order page @ Best Buy (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7652523&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat80500050007&id=1134699969167)

[bapenguin]

That Oppo looks nice if you have dvi or hdmi. From what I'm seeing on videohelp, though, it is ONLY 480i over component (boo!). Otherwise I'd be ordering it. Seems to be the serious quality shit.

Also, Best Buy, for some reason, is already offering pre-order on the tosh hd-dvd player. How silly is that?
Pre-order page @ Best Buy (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7652523&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat80500050007&id=1134699969167)

Crutchfield has it up as well for pre-order.

Man GrinR....now I want that DVD player. You fucker.

[ruceree88]

So...a new format war means that these companies want us to replace our current equipment, media, etc..with this new and more expensive stuff that we dont really need?

I know that I am a low man here but I must say...I will be hard pressed to replace my current collection of over 200 DVD's anytime soon....Also..wake me up when Netflix starts carrying these , and the recorders for whichever medium wins. Netflix+DVD burner= FTW!

AND A BIG P.S.
Watching movies on GAME CONSOLES sucks hard.

[crashedout]

Apparently nobody listens. Buy the OPPO DVI DVD player and your DVDs will look like you're in the damn theater. Simple.

This opens up another huge video debate, the garbage in = garbage out debate. 480p source only has some much information, you are guessing/interpolating the rest when you upscale...sometimes this looks good and other times it looks bad. It boils down to personal preference. In my opinion upscaled DVD's look a little better but no where near HD or even film. HTPC's seem to be the best at this while the cheaper DVD players actually seem to make the picture much worse (Samsung 841). Look at the players are you considering first before buying.

[GrinR]

No, the OPPO player is not for you if you want to go component. It still works, but it's pulling a plow with a Porshe. Through HDMI (all-digital, bitches!) you're going to get the sharpest (cleanest) picture that's possible - go get a HDMI switchbox if you need it, but go all-digital if it's at all possible.

I played a good sampling of my DVD collection (300-400 DVDs) on this player, from Lawrence of Arabia to The Matrix to Ren and Stimpy Collection to Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I can tell you the difference between the OPPO and my standard DVD player is night and day. There is no artifacting, smearing, blurring or any of that shit. I can see pores on Brad Pitt's face and the hairs on the poorly-mastered celluloid in Lawrence of Arabia. It is picture perfect - for what it is. Region-free and slimline, it's ONLY $200. Good luck finding something this good for that price. Oh, and they offer free firmware updates on their website.

Of course they don't look as good as HD-DVD, but then you don't have a HD-DVD collection or 2-3 times the money to blow on a player that doesn't have anything to play on it either.

[SMES]

Yes... and that's what I've been saying all along. This is just a cash-in on early adopters, just like the Laser Disc was. Technophilles and rich people will eat it up, but it's going to be lost on the average consumer.

Agreed.

Anyone who buys either a HD-DVD or Blu Ray set top set in 2006 is either rich, nuts, or probably rich AND nuts.

PS3 and 360 add on drives are unknowns at this point. If the 360 add on drive is less than $200, that would be ok. And, if the PS3 were $399 or less, that would be Ok.

However, EVEN AT THESE PRICES, these are not mass-market adoption prices. All they do is make geeks like us happier.

In truth it doesn't matter to the WalMart shopper if it's $200 or $600. Both prices are too high.

When you can go to walmart and buy a $50 player that plays the guaranteed future format standard, AND is backwards compatable with DVD, that's when the new format will really be birthed.

[SMES]

You don't ever hear anyone crying about how bad FFVII sucked because you had to change discs every 20 hours.

The HDD is more worthwhile to me as a console feature than a costly, and mostly worthless, "next-gen" disc format.

AMEN

The message you have entered is too short. Please lengt

[SMES]

OPPO player... but it's pulling a plow with a Porshe. Through HDMI (all-digital, bitches!) you're going to get the sharpest (cleanest) picture that's possible - go get a HDMI switchbox if you need it, but go all-digital if it's at all possible.

You should probably get a kickback from them because you just sold me one.

Damn my analog AV receiver. But I've never plugged anything into my HDMI plug on the back on my TV, so it will be fun to see it in action.

Question: I really don't know anything about up-conversion. Are there really no comparable products to the OPPO available right now?

I have a 720p/1080i CRT HDTV, with a HDMI plug on the back. Is this all I need?

Hoo boy, I'm a lot more excited about trying this out than I am about HD-DVD!

[DirtyChimp]

its funny how HUGE that HD-DVD player. im so used to the slim DVD players that are now so common. but, in all fairness, the first DVD players were also pretty big.

[Kamalot]

Want to see a large player? Check out Sony's first Blurry player.


http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/01/sony_b1.jpg (http://engadget.com/2006/01/05/sonys-bdp-s1-their-first-blu-ray-player/)

This thing is a Monster!

It seriously looks like you could fit all three HD-DVD players in it from this article. http://www.audioholics.com/ces/CEStechnology/HDDVD2005MovieTitles.php

[resikel]

Originally Posted by SMES
Question: I really don't know anything about up-conversion. Are there really no comparable products to the OPPO available right now?

There's HTPC machines. But then that would set you back $800-$1500, depending on your configuration. Plus there's some software setup that you have to do.

The XBOX Media Center is something to consider but that's alot of work to do.

This OPPO player seems like a sweet deal. I would jump on this except I was a early adopter and I don't have HDMI/DVI inputs on my HDTV.

[SMES]

There's HTPC machines. But then that would set you back $800-$1500, depending on your configuration. Plus there's some software setup that you have to do.

The XBOX Media Center is something to consider but that's alot of work to do.

This OPPO player seems like a sweet deal. I would jump on this except I was a early adopter and I don't have HDMI/DVI inputs on my HDTV.


After triple checking with my TV's compatability, and reading some of the reviews, I've ordered an Oppo.

I fairly recently (October) got an HDTV and was planning to just use the component connection from the Xbox 360 to my TV for my DVD watching purposes. I had done research on de-interlacers and scalers and decided they were too expensive.

GrinR is not screwing with anyone. If you have a fairly new HDTV and haven't already sprung for a $1000+ Denon DVD player, this Oppo is a REDICULOUSLY GOOD DEAL! BUY BUY BUY!

I am far more excited about this product than I was for even my TV when I got it, and that is saying a lot because upgrading from a 15 year old RCA tube TV I was VERY excited about the TV.

Resikel: If I were you I'd buy the Oppo and a HDMI->Component converter. The price of the two together will still be a great deal, and you shouldn't lose much if the converter does it's job.

Edit: To put this in perspective for non video geeks, this Oppo is like finding an Xbox 360 premium package for $39.99. I am still skeptical because the price is so low, but a lot of trusted reviews say it's great so it's hard to not get excited.

[resikel]

SMES, HDMI to Component converter. Sounds good! Got a link or recommendation?

[JasonYeo]

There's HTPC machines. But then that would set you back $800-$1500, depending on your configuration. Plus there's some software setup that you have to do.

The XBOX Media Center is something to consider but that's alot of work to do.

This OPPO player seems like a sweet deal. I would jump on this except I was a early adopter and I don't have HDMI/DVI inputs on my HDTV.

Actually, there are a ton of upconverting dvd players out there. I work at a Futureshop up here in canada, and we carry 5 different models alone, from LG, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic... and they all do the same thing as that no name Uppo brand.

Another thing that bothers me is that people say that they have to go replace all their old movies and that they'll be obsolete. They wont. Almost all new HD players upconvert to 1080i, and the sony and Pioneer Elite will even do 1080p, so its only gonna make your old DVD's look better. I dont see anyone complaining about having to buy new games for new systems every 4 or 5 years, and even some of those havnt even supported backwards compatibility. Now you can have that, PLUS a better resolution.

[Pornstar_NL]

Actually, there are a ton of upconverting dvd players out there. I work at a Futureshop up here in canada, and we carry 5 different models alone, from LG, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic... and they all do the same thing as that no name Uppo brand.

Another thing that bothers me is that people say that they have to go replace all their old movies and that they'll be obsolete. They wont. Almost all new HD players upconvert to 1080i, and the sony and Pioneer Elite will even do 1080p, so its only gonna make your old DVD's look better. I dont see anyone complaining about having to buy new games for new systems every 4 or 5 years, and even some of those havnt even supported backwards compatibility. Now you can have that, PLUS a better resolution.

Forgive my ignorance, but doesn't the 360 upsample your dvd's too?

[Pornstar_NL]

As it seems to be the day of next gen media, Toshiba is announcing (http://www.aviransplace.com/index.php/archives/2006/01/04/toshiba-introduces-line-up-of-first-hd-dvd-players-for-the-us-market/) it's first two HD DVD players to be released in the US. The two are priced at 500 and 800 dollars.


So, for 500 dollars I can either buy a HD-DVD player which does nothing but movies, or I could get a PS3. I'm not a big fan of Sony but I think they have the right idea at the moment...

Thanks to Slashdot (http://slashdot.org/).

Uhm, what about the upcoming HD-DVD player for the 360???? :confused:

[xanthome]

yup, no clue what I'm talking about... got a ps3 and 360 kit on my desk though... but you're right oh mighty pirate. thank you drive through..

Bullshit, smart guy. Almost all Xbox games ship on DVD5. Go check a pirate site. The ISO for GTASA on Xbox is 2.85GB.

Ever seen a game called Half Life 2? It takes up just a little over 3GB fully installed and unpacked on my PC hard drive. And that's with all the Steam shit.

We're not going to see games with great audio on the 360? Bullshit. I guess you haven't played CoD2. High quality 720p cinematics? DOA4 has a shitload of those.

So, in short, you don't know what the fuck you're talking about.

[SMES]

SMES, HDMI to Component converter. Sounds good! Got a link or recommendation?

Sorry to get your hopes up, but after looking around it looks like the cost of such a product is prohibitively expensive. You're better off finding a player with DCDi scaling on a component line (good luck). That would be the way to go.

It appears that few (if any) DVI->Component converters exist because normally such a connection would enable HDCP copy protection. Ironically, that is not an issue with the Oppo because it has HDCP disabled. But since normally it is enabled, the converters are rare.

Oppo 1, Copy Protection 0.

The oppo is region free, and Pal->NTSC compatable, as well.

LG, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic... and they all do the same thing as that no name Uppo brand.

Why don't you do some product research before you make such claims?

Show me a comparable $200 product that includes a free $40 set of DVI cables AND has region free, multi-format, Faroudja scaling, and is widely regarded as high quality and great value? Does LG have such a product? What about Toshiba? Denon's costs $1500. That's right, the no-name Uppo (sic) beats all of those big brands, hands down.

The best option if you insist to snub the Oppo is to get a great TV that has DCDi scaling built in and then run a DVI line from a "big brand" player. But that won't get you a lot of the features the Oppo boasts, including widely regarded quality.

Just because something doesn't say "Sony" or "Toshiba" doesn't mean it's low quality. The "no name" brands are usually the highest quality in the audio-video world. McIntosh and Outlaw come to mind, to name a couple.

The Oppo doesn't seem to compare to $3000 Denons, that's true. But it does compare favorably to a lot of $1000 players.

Edit: Just to clarify, I'm not denying that there are other products with many of the same features at aproxomately the same price. But the oppo feature set is very encompassing, and it has been reviewed and tested to be a quality product from a company with well regarded customer service. Plus DVI cables are an expensive must buy, and Oppo includes two of them, one for DVI and one for HDMI. When you do the math it's hard to argue with that.