Should i buy the HD-XA2

[devicente]

I currently have a hd-a1 and would like a second hd-dvd player. I read a lot of reviews on the hd-xa2 and it looks
seems to stand out. I found one for 399.00 at best buy. I don't know if i should go with the HD-a35 for the same
price or just wait for the next thing. For the price i think i may be worth it. Please advise.

Thanks.

[rdjam]

Absolutely, yes.

The XA2 is my current Favourite HD DVD player.

Excellent build quality, solid heavy, and the REON HQV processor is stellar.

The 1080p24 "glitch" is guaranteed to be fixed within weeks, so this should not be a consideration during purchase. And, of course, the ability to play regular DVDs at 1080p24 is totally unique to any HD players.

I just love this unit, and it's not due to be replaced until long into next year (the A35 is not a replacement for the XA2).

So, the answer is: Yes!

[Sonnie]

Yep... I agree! Excellent player! That is also a very good price.

Welcome to the Shack!

[Big Worm]

Both units are good. The one thing that the A35 has over the XA2 is that the A35 can send out the bitstream data to allow your receiver to do the processing of the latest codecs.

Basically if you have the latest receiver so as a Onkyo 605 you get to have your receiver light up saying "TrueHD" as opposed to PCM. In the end it does not make a difference.

But if it were me and you could actually find a XA2 for $399, I would get that one.

[SteveB]

I have a XA-2 also and love it. Get it, upgrade the software and enjoy.

[thewire]

Yes. It is a good unit.

[Richard W. Haines]

It's a good unit but not if you have 5.1 analog sound like me. When you watch standard DVDs upscaled
you might have sound problems of the synch drifting in and out if you're using the HDMI cable for both
player and DLP projector. I also had a problem outputting "The Wild Bunch" HD DVD to 1080p. It only
plays back 1080i on my projector from this Toshiba machine. I don't know if it's a problem with the player or my DLP. In any event, it's not quite as easy to use as a standard DVD player. It takes a while to navigate. I had to push the remote button a few times to get to the menu so I could alter
the Picture output in the various settings of 720, 1080i and 1080p. Either that or I'm just not use
to the delayed action in this format. You'll need some patience if you're used to instantaneous results with a remote.


I paid $544 for it from Amazon. I had problems with the transaction. I sent them
a postal money order which they claimed they never received so I went to the post
office to track it and/or cancel it (which takes a couple of months) and then paid
for it via credit card. By the time that went through, they had lowered the price
to $500 so I got stuck paying an extra $44. I bought my Optoma HD70 projector
from Circuit City as I mentioned in another post and it had a dead pixel which
they wouldn't handle for me. I had to contact Optoma directly and am waiting to
hear back from them to replace the projector. My experience with Circuit City
in Cordlandt, New York was a bad one. Their customer service is the pits at least in that location.

[bobgpsr]

Richard W. Haines wrote:

It's a good unit but not if you have 5.1 analog sound like me.

I have the XA2 working very very well with the 5.1 analog outputs. It calibrates just like most other SACD/DVD-A players once you find the odd idiosyncrasy that you have to set the SPDIF to PCM in order for the analog out bass management to work.

The required external +15 dB boost to the sub/LFE channel (that most all such 5.1 analog output players require) can be tricky but it is doable. The gain boost needed is +5 dB over the standard LFE +10 dB because of the bass management being done in the player with the main/center/surround speakers set to SMALL. I am happy with my two systems that use the 5.1 analog outputs, one with a XA1 and another with a XA2. Decent subwoofers with both systems.

We can start a new thread on 5.1 analog calibration procedures/techniques for those who are having sound (esp LFE) calibration issues with the HD-XA2. Should we?

[Richard W. Haines]

Yes.

[bobgpsr]

Richard W. Haines wrote:

Yes.

Ok, I try to get around to that later tonight. In the meantime look for hints in this post: http://www.hometheatershack.com/foru...html#post31915

Oops! We already have such a XA2 analog audio setup thread:
http://www.hometheatershack.com/foru...html#post52816

[bobgpsr]

bobgpsr wrote:

We can start a new thread on 5.1 analog calibration procedures/techniques for those who are having sound (esp LFE) calibration issues with the HD-XA2. Should we?

Oops! Already have such a thread:
http://www.hometheatershack.com/foru...log-5-1-a.html

[Richard W. Haines]

I received a CD-Rom of the firmware update, installed it and it corrected the synch problem
so at this point in time I'll recommend the player but make sure you have the update to
avoid some bad early screenings like me.

One other minor problem with the machine. There was a digital glich on one of the discs
of the first season of "The Rockford Files" where the image broke up but then continued
to play. The Toshiba locked on the glich and wouldn't play it at all. I tried the disc in
my Samsung player and it was able to bypass the glich and continue with the show.
I don't know if the Toshiba is more sensitive to gliches for standard DVDs than other
players but I thought I'd mention it.