Home CNET Reviews the sub $200 HD-DVD player

CNET Reviews the sub $200 HD-DVD player

57 second read
8

So the first sub $200 HD-DVD player has hit the shelves in America and has been reviewed by CNET.

$200 has always been perceived as the mass market uptake point for the US and obviously if the 200 million Americans decide to go with HD-DVD the big American studios will be right behind them. Which would pretty much end this war instantly.

So is it any good? Well it received a 7/10 which generally means it’s okay but what did suprise me is that it didn’t offer 1080p output. How can any high definition player not offer full HD?

But we all know that having the best technology or product by no means guarantees success and Toshiba may have pulled off a great stunt here by hitting the mass market price and only dropping the support for the high end users. How many of these mass market people are going to care about 1080p?

Toshiba HD-A2 Reviews. Video Players and Recorders Reviews by CNET.

Last Updated: October 30, 2007

8 Comments

  1. Ruslan

    October 30, 2007 at 08:39

    1080p is full HD as per what Sony says. To get full benefit of 1080p you at least need a +50″ screen or else its blowdust. 720p FTW!

    Reply

  2. J4NR1K

    October 30, 2007 at 09:38

    Right on the money Ruslan.

    So when can we expect to see the R1500 HD DVD player in local stores?

    Reply

  3. abev

    October 30, 2007 at 09:52

    I think the point is that they are releasing a sub level product. What about those people that have 50″ plus tv’s?
    and even then it can be debated that it is noticable from lower sizes. What about smaller screens that support 1080p?
    Im sure those users would like to be able to use “the best” setting. But ultimately yes it is a good move from Toshiba, as Im sure most wont even realise they are missing something.
    But I dunno I almost feel like bluray has already installed itself in too many minds to fall away.

    Reply

  4. JP

    October 30, 2007 at 11:02

    @abev

    The people with 50″ displays aren’t gonna bother with a $200 player. Most likely they already got a $600 player long ago.

    This can only be good for HD-DVD. Sony must die a slow painful death.

    Reply

  5. J4NR1K

    October 30, 2007 at 11:25

  6. doobiwan

    October 30, 2007 at 12:07

    The player does support 1080i, so I really wouldn’t split hairs about it. You get “TrueHD” resolution at standard telly “frame rate”, which is smoothed over by LCD’s and Plasma’s anyway.

    Someone in the market for a $200 player will most likely not have a high end TV, i.e. either a 720p or a small 1080p, so the difference is not going to be noticable.

    Reply

  7. Milesh Bhana

    October 30, 2007 at 18:15

    I hate the whole “Well if you can afford this then you can afford that”… Not true.

    It’s the same with cars, if person x can afford a BMW he can afford this expensive accessory.

    There are many people who saved and got themselves into unneccessary amounts of credit (gamers especially) to get that 50″ screen, plus a HD gaming system, plus loads of games who still find a $600 player expensive. If anything they have less money because they’ve spent it all.

    Most people live beyond their means so that assumption is (especially in SA) false.

    A $200 HD player… good news. I’ve seen the difference on a 32”, it’s not noticable unless you’re looking really closely. The standalone player is the same price as the 360 add-on. This is a good sign, despite that it’s been slightly nerfed.

    Reply

  8. doobiwan

    October 31, 2007 at 12:51

    Well that’s more a comment based on my buying preferences, I’m not in the market for a R10k+ telly and likewise I wouldn’t buy an HD player until They were less than R2k. (R1k if there’s still a format war and I need to get both…)

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

WebRTC Market Trends for 2024

Web Real-Time Communication (RTC) technology is at the forefront of transforming customer …