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Toshiba HD-DVD Review (part 2)
A review of the latest High Definition DVD players and what to look out
for
By: Bruce Bahlmann - Contributing Author (your
feedback
is important to us!)
Created: November 3, 2006
Article Continued from ...
[1] - [2] -
[3]
I couldn't wait to get the player, I actually tracked the shipment from
Montana to Philadelphia receiving email updates during each phase of the
shipment. The player arrived on the scheduled date and true to form
Netflix delivered my first titles just in time for me to have both the
player and the movies ready for an evening of high definition.
Opening up the box and feasting my eyes on the player was priceless. It
was like going back in time and looking at my first ever Denon audio
receiver. The unit is BIG and heavy but also very nice looking - sleek. The
first warning that there could be trouble ahead was the [STOP] sign signs
posted on the documentation within the box. The signs say:
Please Do Not Return This Product To The Store ... If you are
experiencing technical problems... Thank You Toshiba
I did as the web blogs suggested, and upgraded the firmware by connecting
my unit to my broadband router and also got the unit talking to my plasma
monitor which was less than straight forward. You have to first change the
resolution and then select the output you want active for the unit to
properly communicate with your monitor. There is a small delay between the
time you press a button on the remote and the function appears on the
monitor screen which is mildly annoying. One hitch with my Pioneer plasma was
that I had to activate my HDMI port but that was very easy to do. Before I
get too far down the dirt road, let me tell you the highlights!
We popped in the first
Lethal Weapon movie and couldn't believe the
clarity, sound, and scope of scenes. For example, in the police office the
resolution (even in 720p) was so good that you could see the smoke in the
air and the explosions were life-like. On DVDs ,even with a progressive scan
player, it was enough difference that made us prefer to watch HD-DVD
version. On HD-DVD, the picture came alive - so much so it will make you want
a HD player. We
also watched the
Lake House and the
Last Samurai
with similar experiences in terms of quality and reaction. The Last Samurai
was just amazing with its panoramic shots. On a big plasma screen with all
its bright brilliant colors and sharp contrasts, I can't see ever wanting to
go the to cinema over watching the movie in the creature comfort of home.
Overall, I felt the HD player pushed my plasma display the way broadcast
HDTV does. In my book, this is how I rank the top HD sources available at
the present time:
Ranking of Best Overall High Definition Video Sources:
#1 HDTV broadcast Television
#2 High Definition DVDs
#3 HDTV Satellite
#4 HDTV Cable Services
It is hard to beat NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL) or PBS's Soundstage
and Nova or CBS's College Football and The David Letterman Show on broadcast
HDTV. The pictures on broadcast TV are much less compressed and free of
artifacts that you see in either Satellite or Cable Services. For a brand
new technology, HD DVD's made quite a leap up the quality list making one
wonder whether physical medium movies will ever go away. In my opinion, I
don't think they ever will because the quality is just so far superior from
that of either Cable or Satellite. Current DVDs however, have been at least
equaled by Satellite and Cable which is partially why these new format DVDs
look so attractive to studios.
Ok, now lets take a turn down the dirt road as far as my purchase of this
first generation HD-DVD player. For the rest of this story of an HD
DVD purchase (click [3] below)
Article Continued from ...
[1] - [2] -
[3]
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