Toshiba strikes first, shipping to their US dealers tomorrow, April 12th, their HD-DVD players, the HD-A1 and HD-XA1, with an official price tag respectively of 499$ and 799$.
HD-A1
HD-XA1
Both models read everything : HD DVD, HD DVD-R, DVD, DVD-R/-RW/-RAM, CD, CD-R/-RW, with the added advantage of backward compatibility, as they are able to upscale standard definition DVD output to a 1080i or 720p resolution via an HDMI interface.
On the Official Toshiba Site there is a lot of detailed documentation about the two models with extensive product specifications and photos that we feel you will enjoy in a sexy Flash presentation, click HERE.
However, to correct some confusing information that we have seen and to simplify your life to see all the technical aspects while compare easily, we have regrouped key features and specifications into a table for the two products. So, you say, what in a nutshell are the major differences for 300$ more? Unfortunately, in the office in Europe we don't (yet) have one of each to compare and test live, but here is what we have noted so far:
Convenience : The
HD-XA1 offers several advantages : A motion activated backlight remote control rather than a pre-programmed model A motorized remote controlled door that covers all of the front panel buttons, ports and disc drawerA glossy black front pannel compared to brushed aluminumReinforced chassis stability to reduce vibration through thicker rubber feet supports
Connections : The
HD-XA1 offers the added advantage of one
RS-232C connection
Compare Key Features and Specifications
VideoHD-A1HD-XA1Disc playback: HD DVD, HD DVD-R, DVD, DVD-R/RW/RAM, CD, CD-R/RW Yes Yes HD Content Output via HDMI (Disc native resolution 480p/540p/720p/1080i) Yes Yes Video Up-Conversion for SD DVD selectable to 720p or 1080i Yes Yes 11-bit/216 MHz Video DAC Yes Yes Enhanced Black Level (OIRE/7.5IRE Selection) Yes Yes Letterbox / Pan and Scan Support Yes Yes
AudioHD-A1HD-XA1Dolby Digital ®, Dolby Digital ® Plus, DTS ® and DTS HD ® Decoders Yes Yes Dolby TrueHD ® compatible (2 channel) Yes Yes Four 32-bit floating-point Digital Signal Processors Yes Yes Multi-Channel 24-bit 192 kHz Audio DACs Yes Yes HDMI Audio support up to 5.1 L- PCM Yes Yes Multi Channel signal management with 5.1 Channel Output YesYes Dynamic Range Control, 80/100/120Hz Yes Yes MP3 and WMA PlaybackYes Yes
Front and Rear Panel ConnectionsHD-A1HD-XA1Two USB terminals (front panel) YesYes One HDMI "High-Definition Multimedia Interface" (ver. 1.1) (rear panel)Yes Yes One Color Stream Pro ® Component Video (Gold plated) (rear panel)Yes Yes One S-Video (Gold plated) Yes Yes One Composite video (Gold plated) Yes Yes One Stereo Analog Audio (Gold plated) Yes Yes One 5.1 Multi-Channel Analogue Audio (Gold plated)Yes Yes One Coaxial Digital Output (Gold plated) Yes Yes One TosLink Optical Output Yes Yes One Ethernet 10/100 Port Yes Yes One RS-232C No Yes
ConveniencesHD-A1HD-XA1Motion activated backlight Remote Control No Yes Pre-programmed Remote Control with TV Controls Yes No A-B repeat Yes Yes Bit Rate Display Yes Yes Motorized, remote controlled door that covers all of the front panel buttons, ports and disc drawerNo Yes Screen Saver Yes Yes Tri-Lingual OSD (English, French/Japanese) Yes Yes FL Dimmer Yes Yes Fast Forward/Reverse Yes Yes Slow/Step Play Yes Yes Time Search Yes Yes Parental Locks Yes Yes Glossy Black FinishingNo Yes
DimensionsHD-A1HD-XA117.72" x 4.33" x 13.39" (W x H x D)
The HD-A1 and HD-XA1 players will reach the stores first in Japan where the official launch was March 28th, and then the US on April 12th, and for us in Europe, well, some rumors have it we’ll only need to wait about a month or so, others say nearer year end, in any case we will be keeping you posted via our Hot Line to Toshiba.
Finally, on the Official Toshiba website there is a link to dealers in the US for pre-orders, nice idea you might say. There is even one saying they have it in stock! Check this out HERE with all the other info !!!
In closing, as we have not actually tested ourselves the two side by side, we want to thank Toshiba America for reviewing the above table, as the information we found was not always totally clear. We also want to thank Robert Zohn of Value Electronics, one of Toshiba's largest authorized dealers, who helped clarify these above characteristics with the machines in front of him. In fact, they will be one of the first to ship to their clients as early as this Thursday. For us in Europe, we hope soon to be able to bring you full Video Clip product presentations for more details.
