Just got an A3...thoughts.
 

I guess like most people I was drawn in by the ridiculously cheap price of the HD-A3 on Amazon. That coupled with a $150 gift certificate made my decision pretty easy. I was already in the market for a top of the line OPPO, so why not take the next step, and I did.

So I ordered it along with my Free DVDs and when it arrived I hooked everything up to my 1080p Samsung. I popped in 300 and I was like wow, this looks great. But worth getting involved in a format war? Absolutely not.

You would think that an HD DVD would blow me away (and don't get me wrong it did to a certain extent), but what really blew me away was an up converted DVD.

So long story short...I should have just gotten an OPPO and avoided this terrible situation. And if I am any example then J6P will especially think that the difference is enough to get involved in a war. Don't get me wrong, the difference is substantial but not substantial enough to hedge your bets one way or the other.

You watched one film and came to this conclusion? A newer heavy CGI film at that? Go pop in 2001 and get back to us.

Actually, I have watched 6 films including 3 that this very website gave 5 stars to the VIDEO. Including a comparison of the the SDVD and HDDVD versions of Casablanca. Like I said it was very impressive, but not worth me being an early adopter.

I'm not sure that considering what you paid for it would really be an "early adopter" but are you saying that you think the upconverting is terrible? That would be the first time I've ever heard that, I think it's outstanding, but to each his own I guess.

Ditto.

Yeah, the upconversion on my A2 is astonishing. So even if you don't buy any HD DVDs to play on your A3, at least you still have a nice upconversting player for a good price.

How big is your TV and how far do you sit from the screen? That plays a big role in noticing things.

Strange. When I got the A1 last year, I was immediately blown away by Serenity when I sat through the first 15 minutes. Hell even Lethal Weapon which is widely regarded as a mediocre HD transfer at best looked miles better than the SD-DVD.

Are you certain you had the settings correct? And did you have it hooked up through HDMI?

You really are kidding yourself if you think upconverted SD is comparable to HD.

I am not sure where my words got confused. I think the up converting is unbelievable. It is by far what I am happiest about.

After watching HD movies vs Upconverted SD movies, I feel no reason to go out and start replacing all of my SD movies. Thats all I am trying to say. If there was one format I would start buying them up, because that is the new standard. However, if the HD DVD picture blew me away enough to pick a side, I would.

Also I didn't meant to insult the "true" early adopters. What I meant was that I purchased a player before the war was over.

Also, my settings are the generally accepted settings for my model TV per the AVS Forum.

I completely agree with.

Of course.

It is 40" and on average I am about 6 feet from it.

I dont understand the big regret though. just dont buy HDDVDs. use it as an upconverter and only use hddvds if you rent from a place like netflix.

no one says you have to replace all of your DVDs with HD.

But for what you paid for the A3 is about what you would pay for a good Oppo upconverting player. So if the upconverting is what you're happiest about, don't you feel better that you got a player that is capable of playing HD-DVDs for the same price? I think the "terrible situation" comment is what the confusion was referring to.

But I strongly agree with DVD Josh, if the difference between HD-DVDs and SD-DVDs isn't noticeable, there must be something in there wrong with your setup. Since you're getting good upconversion, I assume you're hooking the A3 up with an HDMI cable and have the resolution set to either 720p or 1080i, correct?

You can always return it and get the OPPO.

Well, price wise between the Oppo and Toshiba, I think you made the right choice anyway.

I was in a similar boat, and opted for the ~$157 @Amazon A3 (with three add'l movies over the 2 in box plus 5 via mail-in offer) over another OPPO for upconversion of SD-DVD to a 1080p Samsung.

I have not had the opportunity to check it out yet (cannot open til Xmas,) but you seem to suggest that you are happy with the SD-DVD upconversion.

So why do you think you would have preferred the OPPO player? The top-of-the-line player is around the same price (and does not include at least seven movies -- albeit five of them require some small effort.) You can ignore the HD-DVD playback aspects and just treat it as an upscaling player.

I would have preferred the OPPO for non-R1 SD-DVD playback and DVD-Audio and SACD support for that setup. (I currently have another OPPO hooked up to my projector, so all that's covered in the basement.) But I'm looking forward to several movies that won't be available on Blu-ray anytime soon, if ever. And I want to buy them in HD. (I already own a PS3.)

I might get another OPPO for this upstairs setup if and when I upgrade to an HDMI capable A/V receiver (for the dead audio formats and the non-R1 DVDs.)

I said that at first too! :lol:

I am just not sure what the OP was expecting. CaptainRon - you had surely seen HD content before correct?

I had seen HD content, and again I want to make it clear that I love HD I think it is a wonder. My regret lies in the fact that the decision to buy and HD DVD player brings me no closer to adopting the format as a whole.

You could post it in the Buy/Sell/Trade thread, too. I'll bet somebody would trade you for their Oppo.

If you're blown away more by upconverted dvd than HD, then you are most definitely in the wrong forum.

Nahh, I am going to keep it. Its still a great up converting player and I like the option to watch HD if I am curious ( and i do have netflix). And I despise Bill Hunt's passive aggressive attitude towards HD DVD, so even though I am in no way a supporter of either format, I will keep it in spite of him.

I have an Oppo 970HD I would be willing to trade! and relieve you of your mediocre HD-DVD player, and even take any crappy HD-DVDs off your hands!

If you haven't been paying attention, the "format war" isn't going anywhere.. and mass adoption of either, or both, has a slim to none shot of ever happening (nor would it had had there been a single format). Your acceptance into any HD format is an acceptance of a niche market, the new "laserdisc," so to speak.

Are you serious Clark?

I NEVER said that the up converted picture looked better that the HD picture. I said it blew me away how much better my DVD's looked up converted, it blew me away more than how good the HD DVD looked.

Dude, how many times do I have to say this. Yes, the HD DVD looked so much better, but not good enough to have me pick a side and starting going ape shit over new gen formats and getting on the boards and stroking the new formats to death. I NEVER said that the up converted picture looked better that the HD picture.

Rent HD-DVDs for now, enjoy the upconversion of SDs on your new player, and stop fretting over things that you have no control over. If, as you say, you derive pleasure from HD media and satisfaction from your movie collection, then why would you put all that second to worrying about things that don't get in the way of that?

It's a great time to be a movie buff, provided you are lucky enough to be able to afford this stuff. Supporting formats, etc., has absolutely nothing to do with that.