HD-A30 -VS- HD-A35 For such a price difference, can some one please explain the difference between the two players. Is it worth getting the A35 when I can just get the A30?
1947423
You must have a very late model, higher-end receiver with HDMI 1.3a to decode these new audio formats. Otherwise, via the optical port, you will continue to get regular DD or DTS.
1947424
how do you set up the settings on my a35 so that you have the birate pass through to be decoded by my reciever, which can do it.
1947425
yes and no. How serious is your in home movie theatre. The difference is in the sound specs. The A35 allows for HDMI pass through to a top of the line 7.1 channel receiver without any modification to the sound by the hd dvd unit. In the A30 the sound tracks are 'dealt with' for lack of a better term and thus not a pure for use in serious high end audio home equipment--This is a very loose explaination (broad)...just go read the audio specs of the A35 and A30 and you will see ..picture quality-no difference. I'm not using high end audio stuff so I bought the 30. In time I'll convert a spare room over to a full blown theatre..at that time I'll just up grade to whatever model line has long passed the A35. yes and no. How serious is your in home movie theatre. The difference is in the sound specs. The A35 allows for HDMI pass through to a top of the line 7.1 channel receiver without any modification to the sound by the hd dvd unit. In the A30 the sound tracks are 'dealt with' for lack of a better term and thus not a pure for use in serious high end audio home equipment--This is a very loose explaination (broad)...just go read the audio specs of the A35 and A30 and you will see ..picture quality-no difference. I'm not using high end audio stuff so I bought the 30. In time I'll convert a spare... » Read More yes and no. How serious is your in home movie theatre. The difference is in the sound specs. The A35 allows for HDMI pass through to a top of the line 7.1 channel receiver without any modification to the sound by the hd dvd unit. In the A30 the sound tracks are 'dealt with' for lack of a better term and thus not a pure for use in serious high end audio home equipment--This is a very loose explaination (broad)...just go read the audio specs of the A35 and A30 and you will see ..picture quality-no difference. I'm not using high end audio stuff so I bought the 30. In time I'll convert a spare room over to a full blown theatre..at that time I'll just up grade to whatever model line has long passed the A35. « Show Less
1947426
I have a high end home theatre system - my receiver is 7.1 but speakers I only have a 5.1 setup. I think the toshiba is hd master audio and dolby hd quality for 5.1 just not 7.1 right. So i should just grab the a30? Thanks in advance.
1785498
My player doesn't upscale very well at all. And, I am hooked up using HDMI. No way does Blu-ray Disc compare to HD DVD. I used to have an HD-XA2 and an HD A35 and those players were amazing at upscaling. Sometimes you couldn't tell the difference between high-def and standard def.
817583
If you can get that player for $29, go for it. There is very little difference in the capabilities of these two players.
821816
All of the answers given are very accurate. My only issue (and it may be something I didn't do) is that I do not feel the 1080p up-conversion of standard dvd's is that great compared to an older sony BDP-S590. But all in all, a great player with far faster load times and audio quality and beautiful Bluray quality. And if anyone knows the secret to great up conversion with this machine, feel free to comment
1220264
William: Since you've had the 9040 for a week now, could you please be more specific and give us some details about what you have experienced? Does it do a great job of upscaling non-hd material to 1080p? I plan on buying one, but need to hear from someone how it performs when hooked up to an HDTV and/or Home theater system.? I would appreciate any additional information you can provide so I can learn a little more prior to pulling the trigger on this a/v receiver. Thank a lot William.
2185023
I have a onkyo 905 system and wanted to know if this model has any advantage then the S350.My reciever has all the bells and whistles in it for decoding. But I am always hooked for the best and trying to see if 350 is same as 550 in my settings.Thanks
960180
DTS-HD (core only) is when the A-35 decodes it and ignores the extra data. An external receiver capable of decoding DTS-HD Master will use all the data. Some good details about how DTS-HD can be found here: http://www.dtsonline.com/dts-hd/better-sound-today-perfect-sound-tomorrow.php Added info: DTS-HD (core) is supposed to be 1.5 Mbps. My Onkyo 605 has displayed DTS-HD HR 3Mbps (Toto Concert) and DTS-HD MSTR 18Mbps (Eagles Concert)
474313
The A35 has analog 5.1 audio outputs. You can only listen to the Dolby TrueHD audio (which is available on about 25% of all HD DVD's) via HDMI or analog 5.1. I believe you can still select the Dolby TrueHD if you are using coaxial or optical TOSlink to get your surround sound, but it will be downsampled.
869413
How big of a difference is the picture with the glitch when watching a BD? I am strongly leaning towards buying this TV. If this is only a minor flaw I am going to buy it, I just don't see paying $700 more dollars for the 860 just for this glitch. Is watching BD without cinema smooth that much of a difference? Thank you.
174937
Brit ... do you watch non-Region 1 DVDs? If you watch DVDs from other regions, the Oppo DV-980H is a good buy. If you watch only Region 1 DVDs, and do not need the DV-980H other capabilities (SACD, DVD Audio, High Res. JPEG, DivX, etc.), consider getting the Toshiba HD-A30 or the HD-A35 HD DVD player. These two models are actually HD DVD players but upscale SD DVDs (slightly) better than the DV-980H. These 2 models have the same ABT video processor used in the DV-983H, but sells at a lower price as HD DVD has been discontinued. Boot up time of these 2 models is longer than the DV-980H (its about a minute) but you have the added capability of playing HD DVD movies which are now heavily discounted, some selling for less than SD DVDs. I have both the DV-980H and the DV-981HD, and both are very good models. I am certain that the DV-983H is as well built as the 980 and 981, with a bit more improvement on the video as well as the audio. I have both the HD-A30 and the HD-A35. Both are very good HD DVD players. Both are also very good DVD players. Were it not for the discontinuation of the HD DVD format, these 2 models would sell for much more. I understand that Toshiba's production cost in mid-2007 for the HD-A30 was for approx. $400, while the HD-A35 was for approx. $500. Both are built like a tank. Getting the HD-A30 for less than $200 is a very good bargain. The HD-A35 with its more advanced audio capability is also a good bargain despite its premium over the HD-A30. That said, the DV-980H has capabilities that the Toshiba HD DVD players do not have. If you have need these or have some use for these, then you can't go wrong with the DV-980H. Good luck. Edit: The price of the Toshiba HD-A35 has gone up from $230 to $300 shortly after the post above so its no longer as good a bargain as before. The HD-A30 however remains a good buy under the conditions described above.
1936013
I think that the difference is the hard drive in the 720. If I compare the specifications from both players is that the only thing I have no experience with the 720 but own a 700 and is working fine
1532626
You will not notice any difference when playing HD-DVD's in the A20 or the XA2. The only difference will be the XA2 has analog outputs if you have a non HDMI receiver, and it has the REON chip for DVD upconversion (which is superior to what the A20 has)... If you have an older receiver with analog inputs (no HDMI) and have a lot of older DVD's then definately get the XA2.
887262
I did some research on this a couple of years ago and as I recall there is a different model for HD. I do not have the HD camera so did not need the HD version. The HD version was a bit higher in price.
1179378
THANKS KELLER!!! i got what you said about the audio on the yamaha.about the HD A35 i sent them a mail very angry cuz it was their mistake and the should look the way to fix it not me... so im waiting for their replay HOPE THEY LET ME KEEP THE HD DVD PLAYERS jejejejeje... but as you said its better to come clean about this stuff.tomorrow i will go buy the cables to hook the analog from my hd 35 and to my receiver, still the audio with the HDMI sound INCREIDIBLE... i let you know how all this ends... AND THANKS AGAIN MY FRIEND!
526144
I bought this player with the intention to use the 7.1 analog output. However, after experimenting with the player I found the standard DTS signal decoded by my receiver to be superior to the HD DTS decoded by the player. In particular, the signal to the subwoofer was very low volume and nothing I did (especially after contacting the ignorant Sony Tech analyst) could make it louder. I would definitely recommend getting the 350 and using the digital optical or coaxial port.
589432
un-believable Circuit city pulled the a3 from their best seller list. The A20 is down around 30 or so. They're definitely pro bluray!
605683
A5+ has more power but both are very similar. A5 is great for the price difference.