So what is the final word on HD-A3 freeze/pixelation prob?

TallGuyMe · 12-26-07, 11:47 AM

I gave a Toshiba HD A3 to my parents for Christmas. I hooked it up, Christmas Eve. Watched "Christmas Vacation" on HD, no problems. The next day, my parents watched "300" and they just called me to tell me that the thing froze/pixelated a couple of times, and they had to FF to get through it. They said it also happened on a standard DVD disc.

So, whats the final word on a problem like this? I've tried to search the issue online, get all sorts of theories, from "Well, it is what it is, you're screwed" to "it's the firmware (which I updated without incident to the latest ver prior to giving it to them)", to "defective hardware - return it".

hoyalawya · 12-26-07, 12:04 PM

Microfibre cloth. Use it to clean the disc.

TallGuyMe · 12-26-07, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoyalawya

Microfibre cloth. Use it to clean the disc.

The discs are brand new, out of the shrink-wrap.

hoyalawya · 12-26-07, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TallGuyMe

The discs are brand new, out of the shrink-wrap.

Doesn't mean that they are completely fingerprint or scratch free. Look for the "Finickly HD-DVD discs" thread, more information there for the same problem.

Deftones · 12-26-07, 01:50 PM

I was going to say firmware, but it would appear that's not the issue. So, outside of that, and if the discs were flawless, I'd say it's a bad machine and I'd send it back.

Qui Gon Jim · 12-26-07, 02:14 PM

A disc can look flawless and still be bad too. HD DVD needs to get these problems resolved, and now. This business of freezing, and updates after every release will not fly with the standard consumer.

hoyalawya · 12-26-07, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qui Gon Jim

A disc can look flawless and still be bad too. HD DVD needs to get these problems resolved, and now. This business of freezing, and updates after every release will not fly with the standard consumer.

I have already given up on my A3. It can play most of the discs I bought fine. However, it is just frustrating with rental discs. I will purchase/rent Blu primarily until a trouble-free next gen HD-DVD player can be bought for less than $250 MSRP.

Deftones · 12-26-07, 03:14 PM

I hope that's not a sign for things to come for me. I rarely have problems with a rental Netflix disc on my Xbox 360 HD-DVD player.

feloosa · 12-26-07, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoyalawya

I have already given up on my A3. It can play most of the discs I bought fine. However, it is just frustrating with rental discs. I will purchase/rent Blu primarily until a trouble-free next gen HD-DVD player can be bought for less than $250 MSRP.

I don't have any problem with my A3 and rental HD-DVDs from Blockbuster Online. Neither do my parents with their A3 or a friend who has an A30. If you've given up on yours, then send it in for warranty service. Don't assume the whole line is fubared because your player is finicky. If all of Toshiba's players acted like that across the board, I doubt there'd be much of a 'war' at this point.

hoyalawya · 12-26-07, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by feloosa

I don't have any problem with my A3 and rental HD-DVDs from Blockbuster Online. Neither do my parents with their A3 or a friend who has an A30. If you've given up on yours, then send it in for warranty service. Don't assume the whole line is fubared because your player is finicky. If all of Toshiba's players acted like that across the board, I doubt there'd be much of a 'war' at this point.

Eh? At which point did I make a generalization about Toshiba's whole line? I am purple and have no hatred towards HD-DVD or Toshiba. A lot of people have been having this problem with finicky discs, just see the number of threads about freezes here and at AVS.

kvrdave · 12-26-07, 05:24 PM

I had problems with the A1 but have never had a problem with the A3.

darkside · 12-26-07, 06:04 PM

Is it the 300 combo? Combos are the only ones to give me issues.

Qui Gon Jim · 12-26-07, 10:23 PM

I have played dozens of Netflix HD DVDs and I have never had an issue. Now Transformers? THAT was an ordeal. I truly feel for people who have issues regularly because I was seeing red the night I was trying to watch that. A firmware update helped, but it was still very frustrating.

g · 12-26-07, 10:26 PM

My toshiba A3 has been perfect on everything but one noticebly scratched netflix rental. I never did any firmware updates.

JordanGLC · 12-26-07, 10:55 PM

So far so good for me and my A3. Rented a couple of discs from Hollywood Video last weekend and they worked fine. I own both 300 and Transformers and both played with no problems.

I haven't done the firmware update but I did try and I have a question. I downloaded the update and burned it on a CD as an .iso file as instructed. When I put the CD in the A3 it said it wouldn't read a CD. What gives?

Qui Gon Jim · 12-27-07, 06:14 AM

You need to download the file, and direct your CD burning software to burn in .iso mode. Simply burning the file to the disc does not work. .iso is an image of the original CD.

JordanGLC · 12-27-07, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qui Gon Jim

You need to download the file, and direct your CD burning software to burn in .iso mode. Simply burning the file to the disc does not work. .iso is an image of the original CD.

Thanks QGJ, but I'm thinking that's what I did. What I burned onto the disc was HD-A3-1300U.iso. Doesn't that mean its in .iso mode? I'm not great with computers at all so it's entirely possible that I'm missing something here.

hoyalawya · 12-27-07, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JordanGLC

Thanks QGJ, but I'm thinking that's what I did. What I burned onto the disc was HD-A3-1300U.iso. Doesn't that mean its in .iso mode? I'm not great with computers at all so it's entirely possible that I'm missing something here.

There should be a "burn an image" option or something like that in your burner software.

12-26-07, 11:47 AM	#1
TallGuyMe DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 10,452	So what is the final word on HD-A3 freeze/pixelation prob? I gave a Toshiba HD A3 to my parents for Christmas. I hooked it up, Christmas Eve. Watched "Christmas Vacation" on HD, no problems. The next day, my parents watched "300" and they just called me to tell me that the thing froze/pixelated a couple of times, and they had to FF to get through it. They said it also happened on a standard DVD disc. So, whats the final word on a problem like this? I've tried to search the issue online, get all sorts of theories, from "Well, it is what it is, you're screwed" to "it's the firmware (which I updated without incident to the latest ver prior to giving it to them)", to "defective hardware - return it".

12-26-07, 01:50 PM	#5
Deftones DVD Talk Godfather Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Arizona Posts: 59,456	I was going to say firmware, but it would appear that's not the issue. So, outside of that, and if the discs were flawless, I'd say it's a bad machine and I'd send it back. __________________ John Henson: McDonald's has dumped Kobe Bryant as their spokesperson and have replaced him with Yao Ming. Apparently McDonald's prefers Yao because he is a bigger international star, and he doesn't rape so much. "You are everything that's wrong with this forum".---SleepyW

12-26-07, 02:14 PM	#6
Qui Gon Jim DVD Talk Ultimate Edition Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 4,331	A disc can look flawless and still be bad too. HD DVD needs to get these problems resolved, and now. This business of freezing, and updates after every release will not fly with the standard consumer. __________________ "There's only one Return, and it ain't of the King, it's of the Jedi."

12-26-07, 03:14 PM	#8
Deftones DVD Talk Godfather Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Arizona Posts: 59,456	I hope that's not a sign for things to come for me. I rarely have problems with a rental Netflix disc on my Xbox 360 HD-DVD player. __________________ John Henson: McDonald's has dumped Kobe Bryant as their spokesperson and have replaced him with Yao Ming. Apparently McDonald's prefers Yao because he is a bigger international star, and he doesn't rape so much. "You are everything that's wrong with this forum".---SleepyW

12-26-07, 05:24 PM	#11
kvrdave DVD Talk God Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Pacific NW Posts: 79,313	I had problems with the A1 but have never had a problem with the A3. __________________ Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. - C.S. Lewis

12-26-07, 12:04 PM	#2
hoyalawya Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 641	Microfibre cloth. Use it to clean the disc.

12-26-07, 06:04 PM	#12
darkside DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: San Antonio Posts: 19,831	Is it the 300 combo? Combos are the only ones to give me issues. __________________ DVDAF/DVD Profiler/Games Wii Code: 6061 0636 6661 8088 PSN & XBL: aagstn

12-26-07, 10:23 PM	#13
Qui Gon Jim DVD Talk Ultimate Edition Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 4,331	I have played dozens of Netflix HD DVDs and I have never had an issue. Now Transformers? THAT was an ordeal. I truly feel for people who have issues regularly because I was seeing red the night I was trying to watch that. A firmware update helped, but it was still very frustrating. __________________ "There's only one Return, and it ain't of the King, it's of the Jedi."

12-26-07, 10:26 PM	#14
g DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 3,472	My toshiba A3 has been perfect on everything but one noticebly scratched netflix rental. I never did any firmware updates.

12-26-07, 10:55 PM	#15
JordanGLC Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 665	So far so good for me and my A3. Rented a couple of discs from Hollywood Video last weekend and they worked fine. I own both 300 and Transformers and both played with no problems. I haven't done the firmware update but I did try and I have a question. I downloaded the update and burned it on a CD as an .iso file as instructed. When I put the CD in the A3 it said it wouldn't read a CD. What gives? __________________ Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power... What I Got e-mail

12-27-07, 06:14 AM	#16
Qui Gon Jim DVD Talk Ultimate Edition Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 4,331	You need to download the file, and direct your CD burning software to burn in .iso mode. Simply burning the file to the disc does not work. .iso is an image of the original CD. __________________ "There's only one Return, and it ain't of the King, it's of the Jedi."