HD DVD The Next Generation- Toshiba Announces 3rd Gen Players

[wbassett]

Toshiba announced their 3rd gen players; the HD-A3, HD-A30 and HD-A35- and all are to be under $500.

The HD-A30 and HD-A35 are reported to include HDMI-CEC, and support for 1080p/24 frames per second. HDMI-CEC allows devices connected via HDMI to control other units, much like JVC's Compulink, but since this isn't a company proprietary feature it will allow control of other manufacturers devices that support HDMI-CEC.

The HD-35 also boasts 5.1 analog and 7.1 through HDMI as well as Deep Color technology.

The HD -A30 and HD-A35 will have MSRPs of $399 and $499 respectively so expect street prices to be lower as well as more more incentive sales.

The biggest disappointment is that the HD-A3 will still only be 1080i. Although the difference between 1080i and 1080p is the topic of many debates and most people won't see a significant difference between the two, the public mentality is that 1080p is a must and the A3 missed the mark by not moving up to 1080p output.

Interactivity is also a big feature starting to get more press time. With titles such as 300 and the Make Your Own Movie feature previously mentioned in Wayde's review on 300 is sure to set the bench mark for BD to shoot for.

Other potential good news is since there are officially new players coming out this fall, expect inventory price reductions on the current models.

[SteveCallas]

Great to hear, it seems like Toshiba is really making some progress....quickly. If there is a high quality player from each camp for ~$200-300, it would be much easier for me to stomach the concept of having to have one of each or buying one and then having that format ultimately die out.

[wbassett]

You'll probably be able to pick up an A20 for around $250 soon, but I personally would hold out for the XA2 on clearance... if that one comes down enough I'm grabbing one and moving the A2 to the bedroom.

[SteveB]

I knew there had to be a reason the the XA2 was offered at such a deal not long ago. I get mine and now find out that the new and improved version is coming out soon. I'm still happy that I got the XA2 for under $500.

[owlfan12000]

So what is the difference between these and the XA2?

[wbassett]

I can honestly say I don't know the answer to that yet. I would suspect that the XA2 and the A35 would be pretty much the same, Reon processor and all that and hopefully the A35 will be even better. We won't know until the specs are out and people have a chance to really check them out.

If Toshiba did their homework and jobs well... then the A30 and A35 should be like the A2 was to the A1. I still think they should have made the A3 1080p just to quell any of the forth coming comments that are sure to be made both with commercial reviews and online user comments.

[MatrixDweller]

If making the player 1080p capable adds a considerable amount to the price, why add it. There are a ton of 1080i Displays out there that wouldn't benefit from it. The A2/A3 are aimed at the budget minded anyway. If you have that $4000 plasma spending an extra $150 on the A20 is not a big sacrifice. If you have an small $800 LCD or CRT then $350 vs $500 is a bigger deal IMO.

[bobgpsr]

It seems that the HD-XA2 is going to hang around for awhile. Some firmware updates to 1080p/24 and maybe another one for raw audio bitstream output on HDMI 1.3a. Onkyo gets to carry the high-end torch for HD DVD playback in the near term.