Next Generation of HDDVD Players
 

When are the next gen HDDVD players due to come out? Any price drops?

I want to believe in BR, but every piece of news that comes out about it is discouraging. I'd like to see what steps HDDVD is taking to improve their product.

1st Q next year, I'm hearing.

Doesn't matter because there will be firmware upgrades between now and then for current players. We'll see what those do to fix things.

Also, there is an HD DVD drive in the newest toshiba laptop.

It most certainly does matter. The A1 doesn't have everything some of us want, and firmware can't change that.

Don't seem to be any public plans as regards 2nd gen so far. BTW I think the Toshiba notebook reference above is priced over $3000 which might be a little steep for some people.

I was thinking the same thing. Firmware can't do a lick for hardware upgrades.

BTW the Sony BD notebook is $4,000.

:eek:

Yeah the notebooks are crazy money.

So then you will also be bypassing the 1st gen Blu-Ray players, which are even less equipped than the 1st gen HD-DVD players?

Only in some ways... The major problem with the first gen Tosh seems to be the lock-ups many have reported. It's probably a little premature to claim the Samsung suffers the same issues. ;)

Which is something the firmware CAN fix.

Such as? The only thing i can think of is 1080p.

It's under $3000

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=466265

$2999 You're right, under $3000. Just. ;)

BTW how do we know what can be fixed with a firmware upgrade? Region coding would certainly seem to be something that could be "fixed" this way, but the length of time it takes for the device to recognize and play the disc type? How dat?

It depends on what is causing it to take so long. We already know that the initial startup time is being caused by the Linux OS "booting." If the version of the firmware that shipped in the player is poorly optimized, then it should be possible to reduce that time by as much as 50%. As far as the time it takes to read the disc, it may be that that portion of the startup can't be improved much, but then again, maybe it can.

I agree, it's all just speculation, which is makes some of the posts claiming firmware will fix all these bugs all the more ludicrous. BTW do we really "know" that the linux os is the cause of the slow boot up? Perhaps it is just one cause. Considering it is the os it would take one hell of an update to alter that aspect significantly!

It's not ludicrous since we're told that it's being worked on AND that these things are possible. Plus a firmware has already been updated for Japan.

It's ENTIRELY possible and it's definitely being worked on.
Try again.

Are these "problems" widespread or just a bunch of vocal victims? I haven't really seen or heard aside from load times that there is anything amiss. Maybe I don't fixate on each and every report of a problem.

Rest assured, Sony boys, your G1 BD players will have issues too.

Firmware is being worked on, but to fix what? As to what can be fixed, who has specified this information?

Your reading comprehension skills are for shit. Either that or your immense love for BD is impairing them.

How many threads are you going to go into and ask questions that have been answered already?

There are threads over at AVSforum that answer these. People have had direct contact with Toshiba. There is a VP at Microsoft who is also working with them. There is also a firmware upgrade that already came out in japan as well.

Please try doing some research yourself next time if you are so very interested.

Such hostility towards some simple questions. Should we take it you don't know then, and are just guessing? Yes, I'm aware there has been a firmware update released for the thousand players in Japan, but aren't too sure how that helps anyone in the US. BTW, unless you hadn't noticed, this isn't AVS, so these questions certainly haven't been answered. Please provide more information.

The latter.

I haven't had a single issue with my player. No freeze ups or any playback problems. I'm sure they can speed up the boot time a bit with the firmware, but it will never match a regular DVD player.

Well there is also High Definition audio. The HD-A1 is only capable of two channel Doby TrueHD and no DTS-HD at all. I am sure future models will have that ability. Assuming the format survives the Playstation 3s attack.

Please tone it down a bit. I get that you're a vocal HD DVD supporter, but there's an awful lot of hostility in a lot of these threads now, and I'd like everyone to do their part to keep this a sunny, happy place with rainbows, unicorns, and gumdrop waterfalls like it was a couple months ago.

rotfl

I swear it is absolutely impossible, IMPOSSIBLE for you to post anything without blowing Sony's horn.

If I were you, I owuld put more energy worrying if the PS3 launch will be a success or not.

I'm frustrated on all sides (XBOX360, PS3, HDDVD, BR). I really feel like if they had just waited instead of rushing to be the first to market or the first to perfect, or for the perfect time, etc., we might be looking at a high quality, unified format.

The more I read, the more I think that HDDVD will win, not because it's the better product, but, like VHS, its the product that more people can obtain at a lower cost. After all, the only reason VHS exists is because Sony wouldn't share the Betamax technology.

I still feel like it's too early for the next gen digital format. We just entered a time frame where people have widely embraced DVD and now they are being asked to upgrade? How long did we have in between VHS and DVD, 15 years? Now clearly technology is moving faster than it did 20 years ago, but I still feel like it's a few years away from wide adaptation. Both technolgies have great promise, and I would hate to see them fail because they came out too soon.

Who knows. 5 years from now we may all have HDDVD/BR players and be thinking how we ever had SD DVD. Or we may not.

This is an excellent point. There must be a large section of the population who have only really embraced DVD fairly recently. It's probably asking a little much to expect them to go for a new system so soon after finally stepping off the VHS merry-go-round.

As to the thread topic, there are only two rumours I've seen. The first is that Toshiba are trying to get their 2nd gen units out before Xmas and at about $100 less than the current units. There was supposed to be an announcent of intent a short while ago, which passed untouched, so this scenario is perhaps a little doubtful now. The second rumour is that the 2nd gen players will not be SoC solutions, but will instead remain computers like these first devices. Which might present issues as far as mass manufacture and cost savings go - potentially impacting on Toshiba's ability to reduce prices yet further. Though then again these are just rumours.

First generation Blu-Ray players will offer:

- No Dolby Digital Plus
- No Dolby TrueHD
- No DTS-HD

Most definitely, esp at their higher price points. I'm willing to drop a grand once it is worth it, that was the price of my DVDp. But clearly they aren't worth it, I want real sound.

Unfortunately, this "war" won't be decided by people who pay $1000 for DVD players. ;)

No problems with my A1 at all.

I find it telling that people who wouldn't spend over $100 for a DVDp and ridiculed anyone claiming a $200 DVDp was a better buy are now frequently picking up the $500 A1. Similarly, I actually foresee myself going to as much as $1500 for a universal BD/HDDVD player if one ever comes about.

Perhaps some of those people would've had a different opinion of expensive DVD players if they'd seen what the Denon 2900 can do.

I wouldn't be one of those people.

Regardless of what people see, it's about what people can afford. You've already labeled yourself a snob ;) Most people aren't able to put that much money into their home theaters. The Toshiba is absolutely fantastic for what it does.

He's a snob because you can't afford a Denon? There's logic... lol

Maybe if you spent your time doing something else productive, instead of complaining continually (such as building work skills), you would make more money; therefore being able to afford them.

He called himself a snob. It was a joke.

Thanks for the info on how to run my life though. I'll get right on that.

Btw...even if I COULD afford BD, I never said I'd get it. It's not an issue of money. I've spent 2x what the PS 3 costs on Madonna tickets this year.

Sounds like a baseless assumption to me.

Honestly...

I could afford some of that high-end HT stuff, but with ever changing technology...what's the point at spending all that cash?

You drop $1800 on a DVD player that will be replaced within a year or less by something better.

Hell... the same will happen to the HDA1, but at least I won't lose a ton of money over it.

I had lockup problems with my A1 and took it back to Best Buy. I waited a few weeks and picked up the D1 at costco and no problems with lock-ups at all.

I was doing some reading on plasmas and LCD on avs forum and stopped by the HD Forum. I honestly couldnt beleive the amount of people having major issues with their hd-dvd setups. One guy actually posted that he has to clean, boil, wipe each and every disc before viewing, and if this is how it is from now on, he has no problems with it.

It is shocking to see this type of stupidity just to save a few bucks. But the main thing i noticed, is that the format and players have a ton of problems but they're talked down here like they're nothing. If anyone has any intrest in getting a HD-DVD player, i suggest doing research on AVS and see whats really happening with people and their players vs the sugar coated goodness you end up reading here. Nothing hurts from knowing more.

Sounds like there is some bad hardware out there. My player has never locked up on any disc and I have played dozens of DVDs and most of the HD DVD discs currently out there. Never had to clean a disc or boil it. I picked up the 4 year warranty since it was cheap, but I currently have no issues at all.

People having issues like that should take advantage of the warranty and send the player in to Toshiba for repair.

These are first generation players for a new format... you expect some problems. Not everyone is having issues so that's the main thing.

Expect the same amount of issues when Blu-Ray players are released.
And definitely expect a lot of bad PS3s to hit the market in the first few months, as new consoles always experience many issues.