Toshiba A3 or A30
02-21-08, 02:00 AM
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Toshiba A3 or A30
With the price drops, Im gonna grab a HD DVD player until I upgrade to Blu Ray. Also waiting till the make a player as good as the PS3 that isnt the PS3.
Should I get the A3 or A30? Is there much of a difference?
Should I get the A3 or A30? Is there much of a difference?
02-21-08, 02:09 AM
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mod note: please do not threadcrap. -namja
Last edited by namja; 02-21-08 at 12:25 PM.
02-21-08, 02:12 AM
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As far as I know the only difference between the A3 and the A30 is the difference between 1080i and 1080p. So if you want 1080p, and think it's worth the extra money (lately, it's been about $50 or so), then get the A30. If your TV doesn't do 1080p, then the extra money may not be worth it (unless you plan on buying a new TV in the next couple of years). If there are any other differences, though, I'm sure someone will post them.
And I'm with you on waiting for a non PS3 Blu-Ray player. They should make a good stand-alone BR player that's affordable, then maybe I will consider buying one (if I could come up with the money, that is). The only reason I would even want a PS3 (for anything other than BR) is to check out the Lost video game (which may not even be worth the $60 for the game itself, but I do want to see it).
And I'm with you on waiting for a non PS3 Blu-Ray player. They should make a good stand-alone BR player that's affordable, then maybe I will consider buying one (if I could come up with the money, that is). The only reason I would even want a PS3 (for anything other than BR) is to check out the Lost video game (which may not even be worth the $60 for the game itself, but I do want to see it).
Last edited by obidawsn; 02-21-08 at 02:14 AM.
02-21-08, 06:14 AM
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Originally Posted by obidawsn
As far as I know the only difference between the A3 and the A30 is the difference between 1080i and 1080p. So if you want 1080p, and think it's worth the extra money (lately, it's been about $50 or so), then get the A30. If your TV doesn't do 1080p, then the extra money may not be worth it (unless you plan on buying a new TV in the next couple of years). If there are any other differences, though, I'm sure someone will post them.
And I'm with you on waiting for a non PS3 Blu-Ray player. They should make a good stand-alone BR player that's affordable, then maybe I will consider buying one (if I could come up with the money, that is). The only reason I would even want a PS3 (for anything other than BR) is to check out the Lost video game (which may not even be worth the $60 for the game itself, but I do want to see it).
And I'm with you on waiting for a non PS3 Blu-Ray player. They should make a good stand-alone BR player that's affordable, then maybe I will consider buying one (if I could come up with the money, that is). The only reason I would even want a PS3 (for anything other than BR) is to check out the Lost video game (which may not even be worth the $60 for the game itself, but I do want to see it).
02-21-08, 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by NEUMANN
I thought the A3 did 1080p,I thought the only diffrence between the two where audio inputs/codecs
02-21-08, 10:11 AM
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Originally Posted by jeffrey r
No, the A3 does not do 1080p. Of course, that brings it back to whether it really matters anyway if you have a 1080p display. But the A3 is the successor to the A2, neither of which does 1080p.
OP: A quick google hunt to see if your display properly deinterlaces 1080i to 1080p would help you decide if you need 1080p. If it does it properly, 1080i is just as good.
02-21-08, 11:01 AM
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I asked myself the other day the same question. Since Toshiba is not making them, and for my own 'future proof' sake, I'm thinking about buying a 1080p machine for later, when I get a 1080p TV. I currently own the A2 and have a 1080i TV. The picture quality is perfect, IMO. Not sure if it can get any better.
Wishful thinking, I'm hoping Costco will sell the A30, but I highly doubt it. I did see the D3 there for $80 bucks with 2 Bourne movies included. Tempted, but stopped short because of the 1080i support the system offers.
Wishful thinking, I'm hoping Costco will sell the A30, but I highly doubt it. I did see the D3 there for $80 bucks with 2 Bourne movies included. Tempted, but stopped short because of the 1080i support the system offers.
02-21-08, 11:48 AM
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Amazon currently has the A30 for $129.99 shipped. I picked one up yesterday so I could take advantage of the 5 free by rebate which ends on 2-28. I figure the price will drop and maybe I'll be able to get a price adjustment within 30 days.
02-21-08, 12:22 PM
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Originally Posted by gongon78
I asked myself the other day the same question. Since Toshiba is not making them, and for my own 'future proof' sake, I'm thinking about buying a 1080p machine for later, when I get a 1080p TV. I currently own the A2 and have a 1080i TV. The picture quality is perfect, IMO. Not sure if it can get any better.
But anyway, I caved when Overstock had their refurbed HD-XA2s for under $250. It was too hard to pass up a great player like that, and I feel good about having the capability in the player to output 1080p/60hz, and 1080p/24hz.
02-22-08, 12:57 PM
#13
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Please be aware that some reviews, such as the one at CNET say that the A30 does not handle 1080p output well. Whether this has been corrected by a firmware update, I've not heard. If 1080p is the reason for purchasing an A30 over another model, you might want to check further.
Anyway, as suggested by others, if one's 1080p display converts 1080i inputs well — as most should, given that it is the broadcast standard — the issue is moot.
Anyway, as suggested by others, if one's 1080p display converts 1080i inputs well — as most should, given that it is the broadcast standard — the issue is moot.
02-22-08, 01:15 PM
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Originally Posted by lizard
Please be aware that some reviews, such as the one at CNET say that the A30 does not handle 1080p output well. Whether this has been corrected by a firmware update, I've not heard. If 1080p is the reason for purchasing an A30 over another model, you might want to check further.
Anyway, as suggested by others, if one's 1080p display converts 1080i inputs well — as most should, given that it is the broadcast standard — the issue is moot.
Anyway, as suggested by others, if one's 1080p display converts 1080i inputs well — as most should, given that it is the broadcast standard — the issue is moot.
Here's the pertinent thread from AVS:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=918262
Thankfully I've found the Samsung 6188 does a great job at deinterlacing 1080i. I originally bought the A20 because it did 1080p. Now that I have to run it in 1080i, the only real benefit of having it is it has better load times than my A1.
