The Toshiba HD-A3 is the entry-level model in Toshiba's line of third-generation HD DVD players. We have not reviewed the Toshiba HD-A3, but we have reviewed the step-up model, the Toshiba HD-A30. These models are very similar, with the major difference being that the HD-A30 adds 1080p output and 1080p at 24 frames per second output (also known as 1080p/24) to the HD-A3's feature set. However, as noted in the review, the disappointing image quality of the HD-A30's 1080p output means that many owners would be better off just using 1080i mode--so there's little reason to pay the extra for the HD-A30 over the HD-A3. And while the HD-A30's 1080p/24 output is excellent, it is of little use to most buyers since the vast majority of HDTVs cannot display 1080p/24 signals properly.
Toshiba also offers the HD-A35, which adds support for bitstream output of the new high-resolution soundtrack formats, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Bitstream output of these soundtracks means that the encoded audio can be sent to a compatible AV receiver with onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding.
Lastly, Toshiba continues to sell the Toshiba HD-XA2 as its flagship model. For more information, please refer to our full review of the HD-XA2.
Intro:
The Toshiba HD-A3 is a single-disc, mainstream DVD player.Compared to other mainstream DVD players on the market, it is relatively inexpensive at around $130.
Noteworthy Features:
None noted, given available product data.
Weaker Features:
None noted, given available product data.
Suitability:
A mainstream DVD player, suited for watching movies and/ or listening to music.
Value:
Overall, this DVD player's features are as expected for this price.
Suggestions:
(1) For a comprehensive understanding of cable types, please see CNET's Connector Type Chart.(2) To enjoy the clearest picture, look for DVD players with either component video or HDMI cables.Check out this video on connector cables to learn more.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular 7 - Free-HD-DVD's--Great Value!!
The A3 was a snap to set-up and it played the HD-Dvd's without a hitch!I have a Panasonic ...
The A3 was a snap to set-up and it played the HD-Dvd's without a hitch!I have a Panasonic Plasma Flat screen and a Harmon Kardon receiver the HDMI Image quality and Digital Audio is fantastic!!! 5 standard speakers 1 sub-woofer and 1 super-base--the HK receiver I have has 2 outlets for bass- so i use both. What makes the A3 a steal is the fact that you get 2 Free HD-Dvd in the box ( The 300 and the Bourne Identity )thats a good start but you can download a coupon for 5 More FREE HD-Dvd's plus the Circuit City where i bought this product was also offering buy 1 get 1 free on their HD-DVD's!!That makes 9 Hd-DvD's for $24.99-WOW--You don't have to be a CNet Geek to know this is a great Deal. If there is a challenge its with the Firmware update the A3 played great right out of the box but i wanted to update and this is a very precise procedure--I don't think you need this update. "If it plays right don't update".
Updated After using this HD-DVD player for wk here is some additinal information. #1 You MUST HAVE a consistent power output to the player 120volts which is standard in the US-If you have power fluxuations at your home it will affect the playback of the player.That means if you have dishwasher, Microwave Oven, AC/Heating and Washer/Dryer going all at the same time you may not have a consistant 120volts going to the player and the TV--Plus its common that power companies ration power at high usage times nowdays. #2 MAKE SURE your HD-DVD is FREE from dust and smudges on its surface--Hit the disk with some windex and wipe off the dust and smudges-make sure the disk is DRY! tilt the disk sideways to see that its clean--this will stop any crashes that may occur. #3 If You make Homemade DVD you MUST record in the ISO format-Most of the new DVD burners have info on the ISO file extension. The HD-DVD requires this format to play your Homemade DVD properly!!
Updated After using this HD-DVD player for wk here is some additinal information. #1 You MUST HAVE a consistent power output to the player 120volts which is standard in the US-If you have power fluxuations at your home it will affect the playback of the player.That means if you have dishwasher, Microwave Oven, AC/Heating and Washer/Dryer going all at the same time you may not have a consistant 120volts going to the player and the TV--Plus its common that power companies ration power at high usage times nowdays. #2 MAKE SURE your HD-DVD is FREE from dust and smudges on its surface--Hit the disk with some windex and wipe off the dust and smudges-make sure the disk is DRY! tilt the disk sideways to see that its clean--this will stop any crashes that may occur. #3 If You make Homemade DVD you MUST record in the ISO format-Most of the new DVD burners have info on the ISO file extension. The HD-DVD requires this format to play your Homemade DVD properly!!
10 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 out of 10 - Perfect Best Player out there at moment!
I wondered why this player didn't have a perfect 10 or 9 rating, then I seen someone gave it ...
I wondered why this player didn't have a perfect 10 or 9 rating, then I seen someone gave it a 1, because he said it starts too slow and doesn't play all his homemade dvd's, please...buy a cheap $50 unit to do that, this is a high quality High Definition Machine, which has internet upgradability and will just continue to improve as the field matures. I had a first gen A1 and this is a major improvement! The Free discs I got with mine was worth the low price I paid for this alone, great deals out there on this model. And 1080i is all the quality anyone actually needs anyway. Get real, It's an amazing picture! Period, end of discussion. Enjoy it, people!
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by AnthonyNYC (see profile) -
December 3, 2007
6 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 out of 10 - Perfect GREAT PRODUCT!!!!!!!!!!!!
I HAVE READ,READ,AND READ ON WHICH PLAYER TO BUY. I FOUND THIS PLAYER FOR $159.99 AT COSTCO (...
I HAVE READ,READ,AND READ ON WHICH PLAYER TO BUY. I FOUND THIS PLAYER FOR $159.99 AT COSTCO (HD-D3) AND COULD NOT RESIST. THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST PURCHASE I HAVE EVER MADE. TOSHIBA HAS DONE A GOOD JOB WITH THIS UNIT. IT DOES NOT PLAY IN 1080P BUT MY TV IS ONLY CAPABLE OF 1080I SO IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER TO ME ANYWAY. PLUS A FRIEND OF MINE HAS THE LOWER LINE SONY BLU-RAY PLAYING THROUGH A 1080P LCD BY SONY AND NEITHER OF US CAN TELL A DIFFERENCE IN PICTURE QUALITY.BUT THERE WILL ALWAYS BE THE SONY GEEKS WHO CLAIM DIFFERENT. BUT IF YOU WANT A GREAT PICTURE AT A GREAT PRICE YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH THIS PLAYER.
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by life_is2 (see profile) -
December 17, 2007
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 out of 10 - Perfect Excellent Value.
The HD-A2 and HD-A3 represent the best value players on the markert period. SD dvd's look HD like.
The HD-A2 and HD-A3 represent the best value players on the markert period. SD dvd's look HD like.
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by ger_fer (see profile) -
December 2, 2007
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
5 out of 10 - Average Good if it works
My wife and I decided we wanted an HD-DVD player since the prices had finally come down into a range ...
My wife and I decided we wanted an HD-DVD player since the prices had finally come down into a range we could afford. Since there are very few players on the market (for less than $500), it boiled down to the Toshiba and the XBOX 360 add-on drive. At first, we were sure the Toshiba stand alone player would be the best. While the player looked great, we immediately had problems with it. First, we had an error while trying to play back the new Harry Potter movie. We updated the firmware using the ethernet port. It crashed during the update, and we had to do it again. After that, it still crashed while player HP. Additionally, it would have trouble playing other HD-DVDs that we bought. Just to see if the problem was with the player, we bought the 360 drive, and everything works perfectly on it. We're returning the Toshiba today.
On a lesser note, the remote is awful. Not the worst ever, but whoever designed it should take some courses in industrial design. None of the buttons are well located, you frequently have to adjust your hand position to perform basic functions.
One more point. Being tech nuts, we have a lot hooked up to our entertainment center. It has two optical sound ports, and one coax digital sound port. Both optical ports are in use (FIOS box and XBOX), so we had the coax for our DVD. None of our systems have coax (except our old DVD), and this player didn't either. If any system designs are reading this, please include coax ports on new machines! We still use them, and the sound is the same.
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by doggonemess (see profile) -
December 17, 2007
3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Excellent, very underrated next-gen disk player
Picked up an A3 for $80 and I am more than satisfied. Sure, it doesn't do 1080p/24 output (...
Picked up an A3 for $80 and I am more than satisfied. Sure, it doesn't do 1080p/24 output (look for A30) nor does it bitstream TruHD or dts-HD tracks for outboard decoding (A35) but these are minor quibbles. For less than $100 and HD DVDs being sold at firesale prices, you can't beat the A3 for value and you get an outstanding upconverting DVD player as well (many upconversion SD DVD players go for well above $100).
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by GalvatronType_R (see profile) -
April 3, 2008
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 out of 10 - Perfect Great Player at a Stellar Price
Ive read a few reviews here and 99% of them are astoundingly positive. I recent bought this dvd player from ...
Ive read a few reviews here and 99% of them are astoundingly positive. I recent bought this dvd player from Amazon.com for about $120usd, it came with Borne Identity and 300 HD-DVD's in the box and a rebate to get 5 more movies (from a short list) absolutely free. I have run some pretty thorough tests on the machine and I have come away very satisfied. One of the reviews said it didnt load DVD-/+R quickly or locked up. I did not find this to be this case (maybe new firmware fixed this). My DVD+R's and -R's loaded quickly and played with no flaws. HD-DVD's made with Ulead Movie Creator from ts files also played well and quickly. The only downside I found with this play was the lack of MP-3 support and it does not support 1080P, which I personally couldn't use. One other thing is the USB port is not enabled in the current firmware.
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by shjonesjr (see profile) -
February 9, 2008
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
3 out of 10 - Poor Error Code Galore
This player has given me a 408bc504 error code on 5 different HD DVD movies. Some were brand new out ...
This player has given me a 408bc504 error code on 5 different HD DVD movies. Some were brand new out of the plastic, a few were rented from Netflix. Some HD DVDs work ok, some don't play or error at some point in the movie. It is quite frustrating to be in the middle of Transformers for it to freeze and spit out an error code. When I attempted to update the firmware as Toshiba's website suggested, the player told me the disc was in an unreadable format (so I burned the firmware update .iso image to three discs with the same result). I then strung a cat5 cable across my house to my player from my router and was able to apply the firmware update. 30 minutes later when I rebooted the player, alas the error code was still there. Much to my chagrin, I had a few choice words and then just went to bed. But hey, it does play standard DVDs, because you know, I bought it to play 480i DVDs. Avoid this player, spend more money and buy something that works.
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by thebrando (see profile) -
December 29, 2007
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Nice HD DVD player!
I bought this HD DVD player for $149 on black friday and have not watched any of my regular dvd'...
I bought this HD DVD player for $149 on black friday and have not watched any of my regular dvd's since. I was surprised when I saw the details come to life on my Sony 30inch(720p) and also the sound is amazing with my Onkyo 7.1 surround. For those that want to rent hd dvds, they are not available in store, but you can rent them online....as far as the blu ray versus hd dvd who knows who will win...you cant go wrong either way, they both can play your old dvds. I reccomend HD DVD because it is much cheaper than the blu ray. This player does not output 1080p which is no problem, I think most people have 1080i tvs anyway.
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by teeemack (see profile) -
December 13, 2007
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
5 out of 10 - Average A good player, but ...
I've had mine for less than a month, and I like it for the most part. Maybe this is ...
I've had mine for less than a month, and I like it for the most part. Maybe this is unfair, but I am comparing my experience with this player to my experience with a std DVD player.
Cons:
1) I've had 7 DVD players from 3 different manufacturers over the last 10 years or so. I've had every single one of them hooked up through a switched outlet. None of them asked me for the date/time every gosh darn time I powered them up that way. The Toshiba does. Every time. Pain in the butt.
2) Maybe this is unreasonable for a $300 HD DVD player, but $300 is a lot of money for a std DVD player. And, it's actually easier to output a bitstream output than to do the decoding in the player. So why don't they offer it? I have no idea. It doesn't decode DTS-HD MA internally either, so I'm screwed completely with this format.
3) Personal preference: I like coax better than Toslink for DD/DTS/CD (LPCM). Again, it is a $300 player. It should include this.
4) Some HD DVDs automatically start the main feature after the previews. I hate this. I want immediate access to the menu to confirm audio and language choices *before* I start the movie. At the very least, there should be a software setting in the player to override this for the movies authored this way. No std DVDs do this.
5) I've had my player for less than a month, and I'm already having to install the 2nd firmware update. Gee, and I thought HD DVD hardware was further along than BD! The firmware updates are pretty easy, luckily, but we are a year into HD DVD as a format, and the hardware is still a moving target.
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by Kevin C Brown (see profile) -
December 7, 2007
1 x Audio line-out ( RCA phono x 2 ),
1 x HDMI ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ),
1 x Component video output,
1 x Composite video output ( RCA phono ),
1 x Digital audio output (optical),
1 x Network ( RJ-45 )
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The firmware updates are pretty easy, luckily, but we are a year into HD DVD as a format, and the hardware is still a moving target.
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