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Hardware Wal-Mart to Carry $198 Toshiba HD DVD Player
Marcus Yam (Blog) - October 26, 2007 8:46 PM
Print 65 comment(s) - last by mezman.. on Oct 29 at 4:36 PM

Wal-Mart end cap with HD DVD players ready for sale  (Source: "Jim" of eProductWars)
HD DVD cracks through Wal-Mart doors at below $200

If there is one thing that Wal-Mart is keenly aware of, it’s the notion of price sensitivity. No matter how good a product may be, the common consumer will not consider purchasing it unless it is at a price that is comparable to similar, even if inferior, products.

Such is the case with high-definition movies. Even if the common consumer knows that HD movies are noticeably superior to DVD, he or she will not likely invest in the technology until it is deemed affordable.

Although the price of the cheapest HD DVD player is still many times more than that of a budget DVD player, Wal-Mart has determined that a sub-$200 price is right for its customers.

As spotted by a user of the eProductWars website, Wal-Mart had on display the Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player priced at $198. According the user post, Wal-Mart will formally begin selling the Toshiba HD DVD player on November 3.

Earlier this year, reports came of Wal-Mart’s plan to carry inexpensive HD movie players in time for the holidays. At the time of the report, it was speculated that Wal-Mart would sell the HD movie machine at just below $300, making the finding of a $198 brand-name HD DVD player a pleasant surprise.

A reason for the low price of the Toshiba HD DVD player is that the HD-A2 is an already outdated model. Toshiba announced in August its third generation HD DVD players, with the HD-A3 replacing the HD-A2. Nevertheless, at a year older, the HD-A2 gives up fairly little in features compared to the new model, making the jump to high-definition movies more affordable than ever.

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There It Is
By TomZ on 10/26/2007 9:26:42 PM , Rating: 4
How to win the "format war"...cheap players at the start of the holiday shopping season! Score a big one for HD-DVD with this development.




RE: There It Is
By ziggo on 10/26/2007 9:31:15 PM , Rating: 5
No kidding. They just dropped fat man on sony.


RE: There It Is
By therealnickdanger on 10/27/2007 2:32:29 AM , Rating: 3
Better yet, rumors from supposed "reliable sources" on AVSF indicate that these will be sold for $99 beginning on Black Friday.


RE: There It Is
By 16nm on 10/27/2007 10:32:29 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
these will be sold for $99


You joke, but just wait. When we see $99 HD players people will flock to them like ducks to june bugs. I suspect we will see $99 HD-DVD players long before we see $99 Bluray players.

Price IS everything. $199 is still a tad too high to get all your family members one for Christmas, but $99 is a whole other story. This $198 price is one step closer to the sub $100 player.


RE: There It Is
By therealnickdanger on 10/27/2007 11:53:41 PM , Rating: 2
Who's joking?


RE: There It Is
By 16nm on 10/28/2007 4:26:38 PM , Rating: 3
Really? Wow. I may need to pick up a couple at that price. Screw the XBOX attachment.


RE: There It Is
By hobbes7869 on 10/27/2007 9:03:37 AM , Rating: 2
Just fell outta my chair laughing, nice reference back


RE: There It Is
By retrospooty on 10/26/2007 11:10:01 PM , Rating: 3
Ya, I heard Walmart was going to sell cheap HD-DVD players and assumed it would be some "off" brand, cheap crap, but this is Toshiba. The real deal. Too bad this one doesnt do 1080p though. I wonder if they will sell the HD-A20, which does do 1080P for about $300?


RE: There It Is
By aos007 on 10/27/2007 12:34:07 AM , Rating: 5
C'mon people, for movies 1080i contains ALL the same information 1080p does (as long as it has double the frame rate). If your TV properly executes inverse telecine you will see NO difference. Not just that YOU won't see it, there WON'T be any. Converting 1080p/24 or 30 to 1080i/60 is a losless process - and no reason to since there is no loss of bandwidth.

Okay, if you have TV that can accept 1080p/24 - which is extremely rare, I only know of some plasmas - then having a 1080p/24 player might be helpful - I am not sure if such TVs are also capable of doing reverse 3:2 pulldown needed to recover the original sequence. If you have such a display, you are not very likely to be buying a HD player at Wall-Mart though (apologies to Pioneer plasma owners who got theirs in lottery).


RE: There It Is
By Lakku on 10/27/2007 4:50:27 AM , Rating: 5
It's not extremely rare, though it is rare, for TVs to accept 1080p/24. There are many LCDs from Samsung and Sony now-a-days that do in fact accept 1080p/24. On top of that, the Sony I own also has 120 Hz (as many new Samsung and Sony models do) for the refresh rate, meaning having a 1080p/24 player is appealing. Does it matter for most people? Probably not. But there is a reason players support the feature.

As for the difference in 1080i and 1080p, you are technically correct, but you make a major assumption the TV can do correct de-interlacing and inverse telecine, of which MANY, upon MANY, do not. In fact finding a TV that can do proper 1080i de-interlacing and inverse telecine, without spending an arm and a leg, is about as rare as TVs with true 1080p/24 inputs and processing. Having a 1080p display and 1080p player eliminates the deinterlacing problem and is just easier on the consumer to get both of them together, rather then figuring out which TVs do deinterlacing/pulldown/telecine the best.


RE: There It Is
By retrospooty on 10/27/2007 10:17:36 AM , Rating: 2
exactly, and thank you. I hate getting the lecture when stating something as innoculous as I want my HD-DVD to output at 1080P. sheesh.


RE: There It Is
By wallijonn on 10/29/2007 12:38:23 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Too bad this one doesn't do 1080p though. I wonder if they will sell the HD-A20, which does do 1080P for about $300?


From a few reviews of the A20 and A30, that I have read, it seems that 1080i is superior to 1080p visually, that there are a few problems with the 1080p process (just as there is supposedly with the PS3 conversion process.) That is all conjecture, though.

I just picked up one of these for $230 and I thought I was getting a bargain. I should have waited. I just wish that the free movie selection was better.


RE: There It Is
By DesertCat on 10/26/2007 11:32:08 PM , Rating: 3
It's really kind of a stroke of genius. They need to get rid of their old stock of A2s to make room for the A3s. So they make a big volume deal with Walmart that moves the A2s and creates a feeding frenzy for HD DVD.

Some might care that, for analog output, it only offers stereo. For those that can make use of HDMI or optical output, though, the options include Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD.


RE: There It Is
By Gul Westfale on 10/27/2007 12:53:48 AM , Rating: 2
*waits for $198 dual format player*


RE: There It Is
By Exodus220 on 10/27/2007 1:27:01 AM , Rating: 3
I think that WalMart put in some good thinking into this deal. Since these are are outputting an HD source I am guessing the people will also want a nice HDTV to watch these on...and heck, they might as well throw in a home theater system with the purchase too. It is a good possibility that people that buy these will also buy a new TV, so WalMart is thinking smart with these outdated machines.


RE: There It Is
By Anh Huynh on 10/27/2007 2:23:04 AM , Rating: 2
Don't forget they still have the 5 free movie deal going on.


RE: There It Is
By mezman on 10/29/2007 4:32:28 PM , Rating: 3
5 free crappy movie deal you mean.


I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By Soldier38 on 10/26/07, Rating: 0
RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By kinnoch on 10/26/2007 9:27:09 PM , Rating: 1
Who cares? Its just a format.


RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By howtochooseausername on 10/26/2007 9:33:30 PM , Rating: 2
I think its already too late.


RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By Exodus220 on 10/27/2007 1:35:22 AM , Rating: 1
BluRay will never be gone because it is a standard feature of the PS3. Just because HDDVD has a cheap player doesn't mean that the BluRay format is finished. It will be around for at least as long as the PS3 stays alive.

However, right now it seems like neither format is going to win and so everyone will just have to wait for another decade to pass until a newer format is released that replaces both HDDVD and BluRay.


RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By kinnoch on 10/27/2007 2:03:39 AM , Rating: 3
Thats not true. Here are some fake numbers that should potentially lead to the demise of blue ray (or hddvd if you switch the numbers around).
If HDDVD's have a user base of 250 million and Blueray has a user base of 10 million (from ps3 owners), companies will be flocking to produce HDDVD's and eventually leave it to the ps3 owners to buy an HDDVD player.


By CyborgTMT on 10/27/2007 5:38:30 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
BluRay will never be gone because it is a standard feature of the PS3.


That worked out so well for UMD.....


RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By Targon on 10/27/2007 7:19:13 AM , Rating: 2
Just because the PS3 uses Blu-Ray for their games and includes the player does NOT mean that movies will be sold in that format in five years if Blu-Ray doesn't win. Honestly, the PS3 hasn't won the popularity battle when it comes to the current generation of game consoles, and the vast majority of the people out there do NOT have a PS3 and don't care to buy one.

The PS3 also has what games available other than your standard combat/violence genre type? I honestly am sick to death of the focus of the console games being either world war 2 military/fighting/shooting games, or dark future where there seems to be this need for some bad-ass to come in and kill a whole bunch of people to save the world or whatever. When Sony and Microsoft console games can get beyond this to understanding that not everyone falls into the male gamer in the age range of 13 to 24, they will catch up to Nintendo in terms of sales.


By rdeegvainl on 10/28/2007 5:29:00 AM , Rating: 2
Wow, what a completely uniformed idea of the games for Sony and Microsoft.
Here is a list of many non fighting games that have major followings.

Guitar Hero,Katamari Damacy,The Olympic games,Racing Games in general, Sports Games, Ape escape, FFX-2 had a more feminine approach, Hot Shots Golf, (i mention seperate from sports for its different approach), Okami,Ratchet and clank, SSX, eyetoy, DDR, any of the many games based on popular IP like star trek, star wars, anime, and kids movies such as cars.

There are plenty, it seems as though people aren't looking at what games are truly available. They are looking at the price, into their pockets and then at the price again. Last generation the price was nearly the same for each console. Now the PS3 has an astronomical price tag and the xbox 360 has been out about 2 years and is just finally getting price cuts. It's not about the games as much as price at this point, otherwise nintendo wouldn't be doing so hot. That and whatever it seems to do it can't drop it's family friendly aura. If the PS3 was priced the same as the Wii, it would be flying like hotcakes, if the Xbox had been priced the same as the wii last christmas, it would be the top selling console. And the major IP that so many people buy are violent such as MGS, FF, HALO, look what that did to the 360 sales.


RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By bigboxes on 10/26/2007 9:35:23 PM , Rating: 2
By that time it will be too late. HD-DVD will have won. Poor Sony.


RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By SunAngel on 10/26/2007 9:39:24 PM , Rating: 1
Yes. Yes. My A/V shelf already has a spot. I dust it once a week. Same time I check all the online spots to see if there has been a price drop.


RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By thebaka07 on 10/26/2007 10:09:46 PM , Rating: 2
I wonder is Toshiba going to sell $400 HD DVD player here in Japan.

Next year I am going to buy at least a 32 inch LCD TV and going buy a HD player as well.


RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By MGSsancho on 10/27/2007 4:28:24 AM , Rating: 2
smallest 1080p tv is 42" if anyone cant point to a link to prove me wrong please do :)


By bplewis24 on 10/27/2007 4:50:48 AM , Rating: 3
RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By misterk2dt on 10/26/2007 10:14:47 PM , Rating: 3
I would have bet a Blu-Ray win 6 months ago because it was outselling HD-DVD media by a substantial amount. Now that a couple of studios have exclusively come over to HD-DVD and Walmart has pushed a relatively affordable player in front of the masses, I think that the momentum is now tilting toward HD-DVD. I just hope that one side can finally clobber the other side, and it doesn't go into a 30 inning 0-0 tie that makes all but the most die-hard fans go home before it ends.


RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By bplewis24 on 10/27/2007 1:39:18 AM , Rating: 3
The momentum towards HD-DVD isn't as big as it seems. Remember how Paramount announced it had the "highest selling HDM release on either format" a few days ago? Well it turns out that may not be the case:

quote:
Transformers HD-DVD
Week Ending 10/21/07 = 89,871 Units (First Week sales as reported in VideoScan First Alert)
---
300 HD-DVD/DVD Combo Pack
Week Ending 8/5/07 = 56,191 Units (First Week sales as reported in VideoScan First Alert)
---
300 Blu-ray
Week Ending 8/5/07 = 107,351 Units (First Week sales as reported in VideoScan First Alert)

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/which-studio...

Also, regardless, it is a given that the Transformers movie was a success on both DVD an HD-DVD, and one would assume that the HD-DVD release of Trasnformers would've dominated the HDM sales that week, but look at these numbers:

quote:
Home Media also says that in its weekly measurement of high-def format market share (listed here), Blu-ray still won the week ending 10/21 (Transformers' release week) by a slim 51% to 49% edge


quote:
HIGH-DEF MARKET SHARE - BRD VS HD-DVD SOFTWARE SALES(10/21/07 - Nielsen/VideoScan):
Week End. 10/21

Blu-ray Disc: 51 HD-DVD: 49


http://www.thedigitalbits.com/index.html#cema

Those numbers don't bode well for the format considering that Transformers was a huge blockbuster exclusive (even if only for a short amount of time).

Brandon


RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By mezman on 10/29/2007 4:36:34 PM , Rating: 2
If there's a sharp increase in HD-DVD players in homes though, that will change. The reason so many more BluRay discs are sold right now is all the PS3s in homes. Not many people bought the HD-DVD addon to the XBox 360. But if HD-DVD players are available below $200, that's really going to do big things for the HD-DVD install base.

It was when DVD players made the $200 barrier that I bought my first Toshiba DVD player many moons ago. This may make my first HD player a Toshiba HD-DVD player too.


RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By AlexWade on 10/26/2007 10:17:29 PM , Rating: 3
You are far far better waiting for a uni player at around $300 to $400.

I was going to wait for a true uni player, one that meets HD DVD's required specs and the late Blu-Ray 1.1 specs. But, wow, $200. I may have to pick this up and then save up for the lower priced PS3 next.

Really, in fact, at this price you can't go wrong. If HD DVD loses, you are only out $200. Of course, this war will end in a tie, and which case you still don't lose.


RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By BansheeX on 10/27/07, Rating: -1
RE: I will still wait for Blu Ray..
By djc208 on 10/27/2007 9:45:34 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
Really, in fact, at this price you can't go wrong. If HD DVD loses, you are only out $200. Of course, this war will end in a tie, and which case you still don't lose.


In the end I think this is the biggest point. Just like the Wii in the console wars, it's cheap enough that it's no longer an "investment" in either format, it's basicaly an impulse purchase. It's a cheap way to get HD now, even if the format doesn't make it by the time you can no longer get the players for the movies you own the next format(s) will probably be coming out anyway.

As for 1080p and HD audio and all the other bells and whistles, well that wouldn't be the point of a low end player would it? Many people have older HDTV that are 720p only, so what do they (or I) care which 1080 standard it supports? By the time I have a new 1080p HDTV the $200 players will probably all support it, just like upconverting now.

Us enthusiasts tend to get so caught up in what's the best that we forget that most people just want something that works. Your average buyer sees this stuff as appliances or a toy. This will do well for that reason, it's an appliance. Most sales will go to the people who bought the Visio HDTVs and $400 Dell computers, and there are lots of those people out there.

Blue Ray may be the "better" standard technologically, but so was BetaMax, that didn't stop VHS from killing it off. This isn't the same battle but that doesn't mean the same attack can't win, just as it has with Mac vs. PC and Wii vs 360/PS3.


By retrospooty on 10/27/2007 11:48:45 AM , Rating: 2
"its going to happen just give em time. Blu Ray players for under $200 be patient!"

When BR is <$200 HD-DVD will be <$80

NEXT!


More info on player at walmart
By imaheadcase on 10/26/2007 10:00:07 PM , Rating: 4
Its only at select walmarts for testing on sales, its not going universal (yet). It is LIMITED STOCK only.




RE: More info on player at walmart
By imaheadcase on 10/27/2007 8:29:13 AM , Rating: 2
Yes lets vote down useful info. thats makes sense. But this is the internet so..


RE: More info on player at walmart
By TomZ on 10/27/2007 9:00:59 AM , Rating: 2
I would guess you got downrated because you didn't back up your claim with a link to a reptutable source.


By imaheadcase on 10/27/2007 9:39:23 PM , Rating: 2
Well I work there, I can't just copy and paste stuff without giving away who I am :)


upscaled dvds still good enough for me....
By nerdye on 10/26/2007 9:55:16 PM , Rating: 4
I have a dvd collection of over 500 dvds, and watching them on a 1080i hdtv with on a dvd that upscales them is good enough for me at the moment. Sure hdvd is a good 40%+ better than upscaled dvds, but buying my collection again is 500 times more expensive, lol.




RE: upscaled dvds still good enough for me....
By ninjit on 10/26/2007 11:36:49 PM , Rating: 2
Uh, you can still watch all your DVDs in either an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player.

So I don't see why you would have to rebuy your entire current collection, unless you're just masochistic that way.


By feraltoad on 10/27/2007 1:37:32 AM , Rating: 3
Plus, online rentals means you don't have to buy the movie to watch the latest action/scifi blockbuster in HD since most local video stores don't have HD DVD for rental. You can sit on the fence until things are settled before you add/rebuild to your collection. If HD DVD fails then you still have an upscaling DVD player, and all this time you got to enjoy HD at a reasonable price. Incidentally, a local shop has Blu Ray discs, but I've already seen those 15 movies.


Where is the HD flat screen, Wal-Mart?
By Scott66 on 10/26/2007 10:32:30 PM , Rating: 3
Now I just have to wait for the 40 inch 1080p flat screen to get down to $400 so so I can see the difference a $200 HD-DVD player will make.




RE: Where is the HD flat screen, Wal-Mart?
By TheMouse on 10/27/2007 10:26:18 AM , Rating: 2
Or, you can get a 1080i tv for $400 and enjoy it just as good. HD-A2 is a 1080i HD-DVD player, not 1080p. I'm sure this has something to do with why prices are dropping.


By mmntech on 10/27/2007 11:02:34 AM , Rating: 2
Where do you buy your TVs? Lol. Never seen a new HDTV that cheap yet, unless it's a really crappy brand with an equally crappy picture. Of course, you could always buy a flat panel computer monitor for $250. That's what I have my PS3 hooked up to.

I was in the video store the other day. An independent place but it's a large store that's well stocked. I asked the clerk when they would be getting HD discs in stock for rental (HD-DVD or Bluray). She told me not to hold my breath. I think that says a lot. This store started bringing in DVDs pretty quickly too when they first came out. It's not a wise business decision to begin bringing discs in during a format war. Unless Hollywood can agree on a standard, people are going to be leery about buying a player, even at $200. They don't want to be stuck with Beta when Hollywood decides who gets to be VHS. Even a cheap system is no good if you can't buy or rent movies for it.

Both sides have their fanboys. If we look at it purely from a technical standpoint, Bluray is the superior format due to it's higher storage capacity. Low storage was one of the primary reasons Betamax lost the format war. However, I think it's a distinct possibility that both formats will survive. BD is ideal for archival purposes (ie computer backup). HD-DVD has the advantage of being region free so it's better for international buyers.


By ChipDude on 10/27/2007 12:00:45 PM , Rating: 2
HD-DVD at 199, looks like we could see black friday at 99 bucks door busters.

Sony has lost any competitive advantage now bundling BR with PS3. Sony lost over 800 million trying to sale BR bundled at a loss. Problem nobody wants to buy the PS3 because there aren't any games, with no games who wants a BR player for 400 bucks when you are goign to get it for 99 bucks by end of year.

Sony is in a pickle on their most important product.




Amazing
By andrewsdw on 10/27/2007 1:12:12 PM , Rating: 2
It's amazing how biased some people's opinion can be on these forums whether it be about X-Box 360, PS3, Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, Apple, or Microsoft.

You people should be in the media industry!




By gus6464 on 10/27/2007 7:09:16 PM , Rating: 2
Sears will be having a Hitachi 42" 1080i plasma on BF for $599. That cheap enough for you all?




1080P non-sense.
By gochichi on 10/29/2007 10:36:41 AM , Rating: 1
Not that 1080P is actually non-sense. But seriously, if your HDTV is SO glorious then why would you be waiting around like a total dweeb for hundred-dollar price cuts instead of just buying either or both HD players from day one.

I mean seriously, HDTV aren't fine wine, they don't get better with age... so if you're going to jump into a high end 1080P you're doing yourself a huge disservice by waiting on "the format wars to settle". Better to get this imperfect player for $200.00 than wait another 6 months with your DVD player as your HDTV depreciates $800.00 in the same amount of time.

HD sources have to be an integral part of the budget... are you getting HD cable, HD DVD, Blurary? Something right? So this pricepoint just makes so much sense now that there are so many great deals on 720P technology and even low end 1080P sets.

People on this forum are right to note that when BluRay reaches $200.00 mark HD DVD players will seriously have hit $100 or $80.00 mark... HD DVD has the mass appeal covered. If only they could strike a deal with Hollywood Video for local rentals I think the deal would be sealed.

I have a (glorious) 34" Sony CRT HDTV that I bought for $250.00 used from a college kid and it takes 1080i and nothing else... so am I going to stress about 1080P? No, but I sure as heck would consider this $198.00 deal ... now if they only did the 5 free movies FREE right there at Walmart instead of mail-in they would get SO many impulse buys. I'd buy it on impulse, but having no movie to watch for a couple of weeks is a total buzz kill. They need the movies to be free from day one. 2 now, 3 by mail or something... impulse is just as important as price point.

I think Sony needs to cut it's losses and release a $300 PS3 THIS holiday season... they can make it up next year, if they don't , they'll loose to HD DVD. People that buy these players are going to be extremely pleased at the picture quality b/c it'll be the best thing they've ever seen on their HDTVs... so I highly doubt it's wise to let loads of people get happy on the competitors product as PS3s collect dust, but that's just my take.

In terms of really waiting this "format war" out... I don't see an end in sight. BluRay is unneccesarily expensive both to make and to purchase, but it's too huge to fade away soon. HD DVD on the other hand is just too downright affordable even today to ignore the obvious benefits over standard DVDs. When you look at a nice upscaling DVD player ... it'll run you some $70-115.00 so $198.00 is really hot.

One more thing about PS3: This thing needs to be bundled with a good remote control... b/c the games suck, and I don't care how great the picture is... having to use a joystick to play a DVD is not nice, and certainly not $499.00 nice.

Sure you can get the DVD remote separately, but if your first out of the box experience sucks... that makes a lasting impression. I borrowed a PS3 for a week or so... and nobody else could get the BluRay disks to play using the joystick... so while I had to have people squinting to see that it was better than DVD they obviously felt it sucked b/c no ease of use.




But...
By daftrok on 10/26/07, Rating: -1
RE: But...
By daftrok on 10/27/07, Rating: -1
RE: But...
By daftrok on 10/27/2007 12:03:38 AM , Rating: 1
Correction, the 20 GB PS3 doesn't have wireless (802.11b/g) it has bluetooth, my mistake.


RE: But...
By daftrok on 10/27/2007 12:04:59 AM , Rating: 1
Oh and also...that Wal mart chick in your tag is hott.


RE: But...
By Alexstarfire on 10/27/2007 12:46:22 AM , Rating: 2
That may all be true, but it's all about the price. Most people don't like all-in-one devices even if they are a great deal. They just look at the price and see how expensive it is.


RE: But...
By Exodus220 on 10/27/2007 1:38:11 AM , Rating: 2
I would be happy to eventually buy a PS3 and use it as my BluRay player also. It would make the most economical sense...as long as I am still interested in playing video games when that time comes (and who loses interest in games).


RE: But...
By Anh Huynh on 10/27/2007 2:22:22 AM , Rating: 2
You have it wrong, all HD DVD players will decode True HD audio and output it via six channel analog or as LPCM over HDMI. Not all Blu-ray players support TrueHD, and its still a hit and miss. None of the first generation Blu-ray players support TrueHD, probably 1/3 or half of the second gen players supported it.

Just because it can't output Bit-stream to a receiver does not mean it isn't compatible. There is essentially no audible difference whether the stream is decoded by the player or receiver, since it's still preserved as digital and outputing through the same DACs.


RE: But...
By lopri on 10/27/2007 4:01:05 AM , Rating: 2
I don't think his comment stem'ed from HD-DVD format in general, but rather the player that sells for $198 at Wallmart. Does that player actually play 1080p output? If not, I really don't see the point of purchasing it at all. Also, I don't really understand the argument of "The difference between 720p/1080i and 1080p are negligible". Then why bother with HD to begin with?

It's clear that Hollywood's choice is 1080p and with only a few hours of experience (OK, maybe a few days) now I can tell the difference of 1080p and 1080i immediately. (I mean, there are double the amount of pixels..) And these players are meant for HD-DVD playback, which will be predominantly 1080p in the future. I would even go as far as to say that Wallmart's tactic is very deceiving.

Imagine an average consumer who bought this player (but doesn't have a knowledge of 1080i/1080p), thinking s/he got a bargain, then later when s/he learns about the difference between the two.

I really hope this thread doesn't turn to yet another Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD. But I don't really understand why the above posts were voted down. He talks (his) reasons, not spamming nor personal-attacking.


RE: But...
By kyp275 on 10/27/2007 7:34:36 AM , Rating: 2
the A-2 supports up to 1080i, the A-20 is the one that has 1080p output.

I'm still waiting for a cheap HD-DVD player that supports 1080p (already have a 60GB PS3... which I got for $199, thanks to a certain CC giftcard deal on another product :D )


RE: But...
By AlexWade on 10/27/2007 10:18:21 AM , Rating: 2
How many HDTV's that have ever been sold support 1080p? Answer, the vast minority. My HDTV is 4 years old and only does 1080i. However, my old big heavy rear-projection 1080i set looks better than some newer 1080p HDTV's.

Most people don't have 1080i. So why should they pay for something they don't need?


RE: But...
By 16nm on 10/27/2007 10:51:52 AM , Rating: 2
The issue is not whether or not you can support 1080i or 1080p, but more specifically how many vertical lines of resolution you truly have on your TV screen. If you have a TV that truly offers 1,080 lines of resolution then it will be 1080p. Meaning, internally, any 1080i or 720p sources must be converted to 1080p to be displayed. Then, how well it is converted create new problems. If your TV supports 720 lines of resolution then everything is converted to 720p. This would mean you lose resolution if your source is 1080i or 1080p.

quote:
How many HDTV's that have ever been sold support 1080p?


I do not know, but I do know that 1080p sets are the hot item now and you pay a heck of a premium over a 720p set to have it. 720p still looks nice, though. My mother wants to get a Hi-Def TV and I am going to recommend that she get a 720p LCD.


RE: But...
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 10/27/2007 11:59:40 AM , Rating: 2
RE: But...
By daftrok on 10/27/2007 4:08:15 PM , Rating: 2
1080P 56" DLP Projection TV: $1066...drools...
http://electronics.pricegrabber.com/projection-tel...


RE: But...
By 16nm on 10/28/2007 4:21:39 PM , Rating: 2
That's about what an HD Monitor should cost. HDTV's do cost more. I personally prefer the monitors as, from my experience, they do not have the overscan issues that most HDTV do. I am biased. I own a HD monitor.

Changing the subject, Newegg's return policy on these sucks.
quote:
Return for refund within: non-refundable
Return for replacement within: non-replaceable


"If you look at the last five years, if you look at what major innovations have occurred in computing technology, every single one of them came from AMD. Not a single innovation came from Intel." -- AMD CEO Hector Ruiz in 2007











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