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http://home.businesswire.com/portal/...19&newsLang=en
Today at the CEDIA EXPO 2006, the North American HD DVD Promotion Group showcased growing momentum behind the high definition format, announcing a lineup of hardware and content that deliver "The Look and Sound of Perfect(TM)". The group also launched the HD DVD Mobile Experience, a touring exhibition including an 18-wheeler outfitted with the latest HD DVD products and state-of-the-art video and sound equipment with stops planned in 10 major cities nationwide. With a strong showing of support from top consumer electronics, IT and entertainment partners, including Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video, Paramount Home Entertainment, HP, Intel, Microsoft and Toshiba, HD DVD continues to deliver on the promise of high definition experiences with more titles, superior picture and audio quality and unprecedented interactive features. As part of the day's announcements, Toshiba launched its second generation HD DVD players for the U.S. market, the HD-A2 and HD-XA2. Both units offer an enhanced sleek cosmetic design with the HD-XA2 model designed to output 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution, the highest HD signal currently available, via High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI(TM)) 1.3. HDMI(TM) version 1.3 is the most current, major enhancement of the HDMI(TM) specification, which more than doubles bandwidth speed and adds support for Deep Color technology. Toshiba's latest players are poised to continue momentum generated by the success of the HD-A1 and HD-XA1 models, which are estimated to be in approximately 25,000 U.S. homes already. The HD-A2 will begin shipping to U.S. retailers in October and the HD-XA2 in December with prices starting at $499 and $999 respectively. These new players compliment the existing roster of Toshiba and RCA/Thomsen HD DVD players on the market today. Niveus Media Inc. also announced the release of its new HD DVD-enabled media center PCs. Supporting 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution, these high-end media PCs feature up to four television tuners, 3TB of Storage, 4GB of Memory, ATI and Nvidia graphics, and 8-channel audio. The Rainier Edition, priced at $4,500, is the entry level model in the award-winning line of Niveus Summit Series Media Centers. Scheduled to ship at the end of September, these media centers will be among the first to offer HD DVD playback capability. Universal Studios Home Entertainment added to the expanding roster of hit movies with the HD DVD release of the 2006 blockbuster "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," which will hit stores on September 26. "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" will deliver the most advanced interactive features for a movie to date by taking advantage of the flexible HDi(TM) authoring environment and mandatory features only HD DVD guarantees. Picture-in-picture director's commentary, GPS mapping of car scenes and even crash damage estimates provided by Progressive Direct are just some of the features consumers will be able to enjoy throughout the movie playback experience. In addition, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" will be released as a combo disc that can be played in standard DVD players and in high definition. "The reviews are in and HD DVD is hands down the leader in picture quality, audio experiences and interactive capabilities that have never been seen before," said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. "Look at the blogs, look at the reviews by the early adopters and even look at the mainstream media - HD DVD has maintained its first-to-market advantage and delivered on the promises of providing the best high definition image and sound quality at the best value for consumers today. Take today's announcement of new players from Toshiba, new PC hardware from Niveus and new titles like 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,' and add the hardware and movies that are coming this Fall and you can see why HD DVD is poised for a strong holiday." The lineup of great titles available in HD DVD continues to grow with Warner Home Video's announcement of two highly anticipated titles. On October 10 Warner Home Video will release the 2005 blockbuster "Batman Begins," which includes brand new content in the In Movie Experience (IME), allowing consumers to enjoy this movie in a brand new way. On the same day, the popular animated holiday feature film "Polar Express," starring Tom Hanks, will make its debut in the HD DVD format. The HD DVD Promotional Group also announced additional studio support, with Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group company specializing in DVD, set to release three new titles: "The Eagles- Live In Melbourne;" "Cream- Live at the Royal Albert Hall;" and "James Taylor- A MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute," all on November 14, 2006. Image Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq:DISK), a leading independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming in North America, recently announced its initial slate of HD DVD music titles including: "Chicago/Earth, Wind & Fire: Live at the Greek;" "Heart: Alive in Seattle;" and "Barry Manilow: Manilow Live!" With more than 60 of the latest and best titles available from major studios, HD DVD already offers the most titles of any high definition format, with nearly 150 titles expected by the end of 2006 including "Mission: Impossible 3." Additionally, the backing of Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video, Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, HBO, New Line Home Entertainment and The Weinstein Company ensures HD DVD can deliver your favorite feature films and television programs. |
Son of a. Looks like I have to jump on an A1 soon if I want the features without paying $1000.
Kinda sucks. |
It's $900 preorder from Robert through AVS for the XA2. And it does offer more features than the A1. But twice the money is a bit steep. Dropping the analog output when almost nobody has a compatible HDMI 1.2a receiver is really, really......Toshiba-like.
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If its equal to or better than the A1 (qualitywise), I may pick up the XA2 as a Christmas present to myself.
Ill sell off the A1 on ebay. With a 12% off reward zone coupon, it will be under $900. |
Doesn't look like much of an upgrade. Unless you have an HDMI 1.3 processor.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/14/t...ion-to-the-us/ |
Originally Posted by Spiky
Doesn't look like much of an upgrade. Unless you have an HDMI 1.3 processor.
http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/14/t...ion-to-the-us/ I have the A1 and I have a Denon 4306. I think the Denon might be upgradable but not sure what could be possible with a firmware upgrade for either box. |
The price for the XA2 is bad news. Also, I wish they hadn't dropped the 5.1 analog outs for the A2 and simply had the XA2 have 7.1 analog outs. 1080p is great but it sucks that you need to pay so much for it.
I think I may have to track down the XA1 while it's still available. |
Weinstein company now says they will release on BD in 2007. So now BD and HD have gained 1 studio each today.
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Originally Posted by steak-too
Are HDMI upgrades something that can be done with a firmware upgrade or is it a fundamental change?
I have the A1 and I have a Denon 4306. I think the Denon might be upgradable but not sure what could be possible with a firmware upgrade for either box. I would expect high-end Denon receivers to be one of the first products that MIGHT be upgradeable. Certainly the 58xx (if nothing else, they offer hardware upgrades sometimes), not so sure about 4306. I think most mfgrs were waiting for the specs to be finalized before admitting whether or not products would need firmware or hardware upgrades. And that just happened recently, it might be possible to find out, now. |
Just posted some *gasp* actual #'s from Toshiba in the "Vs." thread. ;) Took em long enough. But they're damn impressive.
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For instance, here is a fairly recent comment from a mfgr that does a lot of HDMI stuff. And this is just for pass-thru devices, not receivers/DVD that require more work from the HDMI.
Hello there! Our current switchers are not HDMI 1.3 compatible. The new specifications for HDMI 1.3 is quite robust and will require more than just a firmware upgrade for our current switchers. We'll keep the community informed in our news section on Gefen.com. |
How important is it to have the analog output? Is analog a better choice than using the HDMI output? I am already using my analog imputs on my receiver, so HDMI would be more convenient for me - but I also wouldn't want to have to give up any particular audio options.
On a side note - I went to "Ultimate" Electronics yesterday for the first time because I wanted to see a demo of HD DVD. I left wondering if there are actually any decent electronic stores with knowledgeable employees. Ugh. |
Originally Posted by cpgator
How important is it to have the analog output? Is analog a better choice than using the HDMI output? I am already using my analog imputs on my receiver, so HDMI would be more convenient for me - but I also wouldn't want to have to give up any particular audio options.
On a side note - I went to "Ultimate" Electronics yesterday for the first time because I wanted to see a demo of HD DVD. I left wondering if there are actually any decent electronic stores with knowledgeable employees. Ugh. |
HDMI 1.3 is the preferred connection to get all the new audio formats to work. It isn't out yet. The XA2 is one product announced that has 1.3. You would have to have both the player and receiver with 1.3.
This is why we have so much discussion of the analog output right now. It really is the only game in town at the moment. In a year it will be very different. |
How soon before we see 7.1 mixes?
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So optical is not as good as analog? Hell, I'm living in the dark ages.
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Originally Posted by kvrdave
So optical is not as good as analog? Hell, I'm living in the dark ages.
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Originally Posted by kvrdave
So optical is not as good as analog? Hell, I'm living in the dark ages.
Originally Posted by FantasticVSDoom
Dont worry, I thought the same thing as wel :lol:...So then with this coming out, will there be a price drop on the A1?
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Originally Posted by FantasticVSDoom
Dont worry, I thought the same thing as wel :lol:...So then with this coming out, will there be a price drop on the A1?
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Originally Posted by digitalfreaknyc
Not unless you're lucky. I've already asked suppliers about it and they say it can't drop any more because that's practically cost.
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Originally Posted by RocShemp
That's what I was afraid of.
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Well, it's already dropped 20% in 5 months. That's not exactly nothing.
Audio is analog at the speaker. It has to change to analog sometime, no matter what. The A1 has proven very good at being the digital-to-analog converter (DAC), so no one should be worried about the quality level. And it is often true that you can get a good DAC in a player for less money than a comparable DAC in a receiver. So there will always be a place for analog audio connections. For example, my DVD player was MSRP $1000 and has a better DAC than my receiver, MSRP was $1500. Also, the optical/coax system that has been used for years is not capable of transfering the amount of data required for TrueHD, or even DD+. It just can't do it, that's why analog is better in this comparison. Over the optical connection, all these signals are downconverted, either to Dolby Digital or DTS. The old fashioned versions. |
Originally Posted by Spiky
Audio is analog at the speaker. It has to change to analog sometime, no matter what. The A1 has proven very good at being the digital-to-analog converter (DAC), so no one should be worried about the quality level. And it is often true that you can get a good DAC in a player for less money than a comparable DAC in a receiver. So there will always be a place for analog audio connections. For example, my DVD player was MSRP $1000 and has a better DAC than my receiver, MSRP was $1500.
Also, the optical/coax system that has been used for years is not capable of transfering the amount of data required for TrueHD, or even DD+. It just can't do it, that's why analog is better in this comparison. Over the optical connection, all these signals are downconverted, either to Dolby Digital or DTS. The old fashioned versions. |
Well, SPDIF really hasn't been top dog, just most convenient. I think that's my point. But it's late, I'm not really sure if I even have one. :D
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S'okay. Rest well, young sir. Dream of high def delights.
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