I hear what yer sayin'!

...and yes, I snoozed, and now I'm payin' the price, but it's not such a big price, really. I mean, what price security? What price pleasure?

I figure when the rubber meets the road, it's no different than what I've done in the past to preserve access to my LaserDisc collection. That way, I'll always have something to play all my Great & Wonderful still (to this day) unreleased titles on. (I'm sure Patman will agree with me on that point!) Now it's to secure access to my rather large collection of HD DVDs (Many titles of which are not yet on Blu-ray). (Wow! Sorry for the rant! & )

Hey EveryBuddy! Thanks for all these G-R-E-A-T responses!

(I really, sincerely, appreciate you all taking the time-out of your busy lives to deliver the goods and help me decide...you are all SHINING EXAMPLES of why DVD Talk is the Great & Awesome place it is. )

I must say, I have been TOTALLY happy with my XA1 (PowerHouse-Tank ), however (with your help), now I really wanna get my greedy little hands on one of those XA2s (even a Onkyo's will do, and Amazon 'apparently' has a few through TigerDirect) but in the meantime, I've settled for an A35 (...direct from Amazon), as they claim to have 'New' ones, and on the page (In the 'Availability Line' it CLEARLY says, 'IN STOCK'...and through my uncontrolled excitement, I splurged, and opted for NEXT DAY DELIVERY...

BUT...(You know what the 'BUT' means... ) just this morning, I get THIS in my Mailbox! ( ):

Hello from Amazon.com.

We're writing about the order you placed on March 18 2008 14:34 PDT
(Order# XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX). Unfortunately, we are unable to ship the item(s) as soon as we expected and need to provide you with a new estimate of when the item(s) may be delivered:

"Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD Player" [Electronics]
Estimated arrival date: 03/24/2008

Because we were unable to meet our GUARANTEED delivery date PROMISE, we
are refunding the shipping charges for your entire order. This refund should be processed within the next few days, and we will send you an e-mail to let you know when the refund has been completed.

We will make every effort to get the delayed item(s) to you as soon as possible and we'll send you an e-mail to confirm shipment.

Any other items in your order will not be affected by this delay. (The player IS the ONLY ITEM in my order...)

We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this delay.

*****
WHY WAS THE DELIVERY ESTIMATE CHANGED?
While we do our best to adhere to these estimates, our inventory is constantly
changing based on information we receive directly from our suppliers. Occasionally,
unexpected fluctuations in supply or changes in release dates for new products will
add time to our original availability estimate.

*****
WHAT IF I WANT TO CHANGE OR CANCEL MY ORDER?
You can always check on your order by clicking on Your Account at the top
of any Amazon.com page. Once there, choose "Open and Recently Shipped Orders."

*****
WHAT IF AN ITEM HAS SHIPPED AND I NO LONGER WANT IT?
If your shipment arrives too late, you may either refuse delivery or return
it to us for a refund. For returns instructions, please visit our Returns
Center at www.amazon.com/returns.

*****
HOW DO I CONTACT YOU ABOUT MY ORDER?
If you have more questions about this order, you can e-mail or phone Customer
Service by clicking the "Customer Service" button in the Contact Us box on
the right side of any Help page (www.amazon.com/help).

Sincerely,

Customer Service Department
http://www.amazon.com
==============================
Check your order and more: http://www.amazon.com/your-account

Please note: This e-mail was sent from a notification-only address
that cannot accept incoming e-mail. Please do not reply to this message.

So there ya have it.

Maybe I'll try to get one of those XA2's from Amazon through Tiger in the meantime...

(Think they'll have one?)

-Paul

Probably not. Your best chance is to get one of the refurbished XA2's from ubid or overstock. The price has gone up a little bit recently, however. A function of supply and demand, no doubt.

I'm extremely pleased with mine (got it from ubid a couple weeks ago). Good luck!

Howdy, bretski!

I'm glad to hear you're happy with yours and thanks for the Good Luck wish (...because it looks like I'm gonna need it ), Oh! ...and the 'Heads-Up' about Ubid & Overstock.

(BTW: Overstock is where I bought my XA1, and I couldn't be happier with it.)

-THEEK!

One question though...I've been seeing A2's and A3's on open box and clearance for $50-70, is it really worth going to, say $200 for the A35 from those?

Situations in which you might choose the A2/A3 over the better models IMO:

#1) You don't need the superior DVD deinterlacing/scaling of the XA2 (and to a lesser extent, the a35 as it is pretty good too)

#2) You are running a 720p/1080i display, or a 1080p display that you know properly deinterlaces 1080i.

#3) You don't need the analog audio outs (for hi-rez without a compatible receiver)

If you would like a 1080p output and bitstreaming of the advanced audio via HDMI, I would say absolutely. I'm thrilled with my A35, but I can use the 1080p and my receiver can decode all of the advanced audio bitstreams. If you don't want/need 1080p and don't need the bitstream audio output, I'd say it's not worth it at all.

Heads up, TEK!

They're available on ubid right now! $334 shipped. I'd post a link, but think it's verboten...

How do you get it to do this? My (A20) just shows DD

I finally decided to buy a A35. So I decided to buy the last at the time (open - very good) model Amazon.com Warehouse Deals had listed for $162. This was yesterday and they are saying it will not ship till the 28th. You would they had this in stock and would ship sooner even though I did pick free shipping. Usually Amazon.com ship electronic items I order UPS 2nd day air to Hawaii even though I pick free shipping. I did call first and see what type of warranty I get with the A35.

Ah, MAN!

I must have just missed it! &

Oh, well...I'll keep an eye out...

(Thanks again, DUDE! I can't tell ya how much I appreciate your help! )

OH Wait a minute! I SEE 'EM!

Let me see if I can snag one!

!!!I GOT IT!!!

!!!YEE-HAW & HEE-HAW!!!

(Thanks, Man! )

BRETSKI

There's something FUNNY about the way that word sounds right about now!



(HEY TREESA!!! PUT ON THAT WIG HAT, SHORT SKIRT AND GRAB MY VIAGRA, WOMAN! IT'S MOTEL 6 TONITE!!! )

-THEEK! (Aka: PROUD XA2 OWNER! )

Cheers, mi amigo! Glad you were able to snag one!!!!!

Why would you care which is the best HD DVD player? Save your money and buy a blu-ray disc player when they become more affordable.

Glad I got my XA2 for $260 when I did...

:notrolls:

I got an A35 last week then ordered a refurb XA2 which will be here tomorrow. I like the A35 but I'm guessing I'll like the XA2 more, I just hope I get a working refurb.

I'll finish off with an A2, XA2, A35, Xbox 360 Addon drive. I had an A30 that I returned when I found the A35.

Hey, Void! I just did the same thing! Me too! ( )

Treesa just said, 'When the A35 gets here, why not just keep it? It can't hurt to have a 'spare-spare!', and I said, '...a 'spare-spare'???

WT...???

I knew she was buying me 'one'...but...but...but...

...she's what? She's buying him BOTH???

What? She's BUYING ME BOTH???

WELL, ALL RIGHT, WOMAN!!!

I'm...I'm...I'm...I'm SPEECHLESS!!!

(Yeah, Right... Fat Chance that would ever happen...)

Hey! I HEARD THAT!

...what an OUTTA-SIGHT-BABE you are, Honey! Thank You! why would I care? Why Would I Care?? WHY WOULD I CARE???

Well, let me tell you.

Because I have a very large HD DVD collection and I want to make sure I'll be enjoying them for many years to come, and I don't mind in the least owning one (or two, or even three for that matter) of the best up-converting players around.

And now here's an, 'Edit King-Fun Fact':

I for one don't need to 'save my money', already have a Blu-ray player, and I've had it for many months now.

You see...

I bought a PS3, and I got it way back when they were selling those original sweet 60 giggers (with all the extra junk, including but not limited to: that Wi-Fi whatchamacallit and chrome-looking thingamabobbies), and I just happen to LOVE the HELL out of that lil' Bastard!

But Thanks for the Suggestion, and What the...???

Hey! I don't think I've ever had the introductory pleasure! I'm 'The Edit King' & yer basic Village Idiot 'round these parts of DVD Talk! Pleased to meet you, PS!Oh, Man!

(Come On Now, Quake! To be fair, he didn't know... )

-THEEKSAKE!

Now that we have The Edit King here on HD Talk, this place will rock. He used more emoticons, bolding, underlining etc. then ANYONE else. Rock on my friend!

THEEK's been here for a while. He got a refurb XA1 if I recall.

I sure do, Daniel!

(...here's hoping all is well with you and your family!)

For the record: I ALWAYS enjoy reading your reviews. I'd say DVD TALK's pretty damn lucky to have you as a reviewer AND a moderator too, but on the otherhand, it must be kinda sweet to get all those freebies!

...are my eyes deceiving me? Is that...Gizmo?

WOW! It's always dangerous & thrilling meeting someone outside the electric safety gates of the 'Other', even if it's just another forum within the Mighty Protective Walls of DVD Talk! Well, I figure: I wanna get my money's worth! I don't mind if I do!

& &
_____________________

XA2 ORDER UPDATE!!!:

I just got this in my mailbox!:

Greetings Paul,

Thank you for your order at uBid.com. Please be advised that your order, number *YEE-HAW, shipped recently.

Important Order Information:
-----------------------------------
Order No.: *YEE-HAW
Order Description: Toshiba HDXA2 Video Upconverting HD DVD Player
Tracking Number: ALOTOFNUMBERS,
Shipping Method: STANDARD GROUND

(*YEE-HAW-ed for security. )
__________________________________

WOW!!!

Amazon can't seem to get on the ball, and uBid is already out the gate!
________________

A35 ORDER UPDATE!:

I just got THIS:

Greetings from Amazon.com.

We thought you'd like to know that we shipped your items, and that this completes your order. The following items have been shipped to you by Amazon.com:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Qty Item Shipped
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Amazon.com items (Sold by Amazon.com, LLC):
1 Toshiba HD-A35 1080p HD DVD

Shipped via UPS (estimated arrival date: 24-March-2008).
Tracking number: ALOTOFNUMBERS
_____________________________________

THE RACE IS ON!!!

-Tek!

I have a similar scenario. I'm looking for a player to play nice with a Samsung 5687 and an Onkyo 705. Would an a30/a35 be overkill for this setup and just settle with a lower end model or should I just try to find a good deal on a a30/a35?

Its one of the first times Ive seen him post more then once a month.
I'm irked I missed the $80 reburb XA1 a few days ago on uBid...woulda snagged another one.

Brand new A35's from Amazon.com has gone from $239 to $251 to $299 in the pasr 2 days.

I would have loved to have had an XA2 and was thinking/expecting I would buy one on ebay so that I have a spare to go with my A1. Here's what I realized though- since I'm buying this for future security as an HDDVD device, I would rather not use it as my general use player because that will invariably cut down on the total lifespan of the unit. The upconversion on my BDP300 isn't even as good as my A1, but I'll just live with it for a while until a 1.1(at least) Bd player is available with superior upscaling for a good price. I would much rather 'tax' a player day in and day out, if I can always replace its capabilites easily. That's why I ended up with an A30 as my 'spare' last week - $130 new in the box at CC. Best solution for me as I didn't need the extra audio options, nor do I need 1080p/24 . $130 as 'insurance' is relatively painless too. Ev en though I only own about 70 HD DVDs and anticipate buying only a couple more- it is still a more economical solution than selling them off and rebuying them on Bd...not to mention there's no telling when they would show up.