Toshiba HD-A3 Player HD-DVD Player

Have you ever heard of the Betamax? If you haven't, that's OK. Betamax, a video cassette system for recording programs off the air and for viewing purchased and rented videotapes was Sony's answer to JVC's VHS recorder. Although Betamax was actually a superior product, it lost the all-out struggle known as Format Wars.

That was over twenty years ago, mind you, but as many movie fans know, it's never too late for a sequel. And a sequel we have today in the battle for your high-definition DVD dollars, this time between Sony and Toshiba, an epic clash which could be called Format Wars Episode II: Sony Strikes Back. And indeed, the stakes are much higher today, as an array of software and computer makers as well as movie studios juxtaposition themselves between the two rival formats.

Sony's Blu-ray DVD appears to be the frontrunner currently, while Toshiba's HD-DVD is down if not entirely out in the fight. So, you ask, if Blu-ray may well be the wave of the future, why oh why should anyone buy an HD DVD player? The main reason, I say, is price. Currently, Toshiba is aiming to revive sales and win back studios by selling their players at a lower price than Sony.

And it worked on me. This past week, Circuit City offered the Toshiba HD-A3 HD DVD player for just $149. Better yet, with an online coupon code I got it for a measly $135, and was still able to pick it up in the store. And it gets even better, because it includes two free HD DVDs in the box, and another five free by mail. You just can't go wrong with that. Then too, compare it to the Sony Blu-ray player I saw at Wal-Mart for $288, twice the price, or the Panasonic at Costco for $449-you might as well just buy a Playstation 3 for that price, which also plays Blu-ray discs.

Most people, I suspect, are currently put off by the format wars, because nobody wants to get stuck with a turkey. But there are several reasons why the Toshiba HD-A3 is a great buy, above and beyond the low price and free movies. Simply put, even if Blu-ray wins out, there are combo players on the market already that handle both formats. They're pricy right now, but will likely come down in the future as manufacturers in the camp of the winning format attempt to woo over customers who bought the losing one.

And in the meantime, you can enjoy the simply stunning picture quality that HD DVD affords. Although the HD-A3 has a maximum output of 720P (less than the maximum 1080P output of other HD DVD and some Blu-ray players), you will still be astonished by the clear, bright, and sharp picture that this player can deliver when connected to a compatible television. And that's not even getting into the theater-quality sound.

I really thought that standard DVD, which maxes out at 480P, was the be all and end all. But that's certainly not the case, as you'll see when you pop in an HD DVD. Still, the HD-A3 will upconvert your standard discs from 480P to 720P. Don't expect to instantly transform your entire library to HD quality, as the process seems to help some films more than it does others. The first film I upconverted was Superman Returns, and the results were disconcerting, as the picture was dull and not as clear as I would have liked. I now suspect the DVD itself, since later trying out The Blues Brothers, Pearl Harbor, and a few Godzilla flicks has yielded very favorable results. At times, the picture on some old discs seems a bit grainy, but that is likely a result of not only the enhanced detail but also the magnification on my LCD HDTV. Overall, the detail is sharper and the colors bright and lifelike.

Setup is easy, and I was up and running shortly after getting the unit out of the box. You will be presented with a setup menu, that asks you to do things like select your screen size (most widescreen flat panels should be 16:9, and I chose this). You can also select the maximum resolution output, the highest being 720P or 1080i. Keep in mind that your screen size setting can affect the display on your TV. For example, some films will still have the widescreen "black bars" on the top, while others won't. This is dependent upon the aspect ratio of the DVD itself. Made for TV productions, not filmed in widescreen as most films are, may have bars on the side. Your TV may allow you to eliminate them (mine does, and will stretch the picture to full screen, but will chop off the top and bottom if you do this).

To get the maximum picture quality, you will need an HDMI interface cable which is sold separately. You can also use component (old RCA style jacks) and optical output as well. The unit has an Ethernet port for upgrading firmware via the internet (you can do this with a CD as well, which they will send you at no charge or you can burn yourself). There's also an extension port for future function in the front.

Formats supported include DVD, HD-DVD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, and DVD-RW. MP3 discs won't play, although to be honest I never used one on my old DVD player anyway.

The full-function remote handles most controls. Standard play, fast forward, rewind, chapter select, stop, and pause are all included (obviously), and you can also go to the title menu, display or hide subtitles, change camera angles on discs offering this feature, alter audio format, and more.

The common complaint about the HD-A3 is its slow response time, and I do find this annoying. Sometimes when depressing keys the commands don't respond at all, and it seems to take a while for a disc to load. There is also a delay when playing, too. This seems to be more of a problem with HD discs than standard DVD, which seems to respond faster.

Overall, I am very happy with the HD-A3. The $135 is very reasonable indeed, and when you include the 7 free movies, it's a no-brainer. Just the ability to upconvert your old discs and output them through HDMI is worth that; everything else is gravy. And that makes this unit very much worth buying indeed, even if the format does become the next Betamax.