Some reviews have been coming in with some professional opinions of the
Toshiba HD-A1. These are:
HDBeatDVD TownHigh-Def DVDCNetAll the reviewers have pretty much the same opinion
Positives
Awesome picture quality. The colours are very deep and bright with the best blacks around. There's absolutely no compression artifacts or weirdness during fast motion. And the detail found in the extra resolution can be a sight to behold. Extra menu features are quite slick with the ability to change chapters or other settings without interrupting the movie being a new convenience not found in current DVDs.
Negatives
Long loading times. One review measured the time to pressing power to watching the movie to be between 45 and 60 seconds. Once the movie was started though there is no extra lag or long loading time for menus or chapters. The player supports only up to 1080i resolution and not the full 1080p resolution. This isn't that big of a deal right now since there are very few sets that can handle 1080p.
Overall
All of the reviewers liked all of the new features that the HD-DVD player offered. Most of the complaints involving the player itself revolve around the size of the unit, the difficulty of reading and using the remote (it's not lit, and there are a lot of buttons), and the initial loading time. The major complaints stem from the technology in general, if upgrading to HD is worth it if you don't have a large tv, what the format offers over cable and satellite streams, and the general uncertainty regarding the format wars in general. All the reviewers WANT to recommend the player based on its own merits but have difficulty doing so, simply because of all these external factors.
