Ok first the good news, the HD-DVD Promotion Group has released a pdf with new HD-DVD titles; the bad news is that many of these previously un-announced titles have no released date associated with them.

Some of the titles that immediately caught my attention were: The Aviator, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Matrix Trilogy and The Ultimate Star Trek Movie Collection.

Sounds like a sci-fi windfall if you ask me. I won?t bore you with listing off the previously announced titles, but here are some titles I don?t think we?ve seen as confirmed until now, at least not all of them.

By the way, ????? translates as “Sale day undecided” in the pdf.

A few of those titles may not be released domestically, or rather while noted might be for Japansese release only.

R.Hollis

It?s nice to see some technically competent reviewers getting their hands on the Toshiba HD-A1; the latest entry to this small but growing club, is by Kris Deering of Secrets of Home Theater and Hi-Fi.

This is by far one of if not the most technically thorough HD-A1 reviews I?ve read and compliments the player where appropriate and likewise points out faults when necessary.

According to Chris:

There is no doubt that HD DVD delivers the best picture quality I’ve seen to date and that the format has some serious potential. Even with rival Blu-ray looming, HD DVD stands on firm ground.

R.Hollis

One has to wonder with reviews like this one, what criteria are reviewers using to judge HD-DVD? Do these publications think that a slow loading tray or mediocre remote are really going to discourage potential buyers away from HD-DVD?

Of course not, people who are seriously considering HD-DVD are looking for one thing, owning and enjoying their favorite films in HD at their leisure. Now I?m not advocating that reviewers shouldn?t note minor bugs but let?s not lose sight of the big picture.

Well I?m happy to report that at least one publication kept in mind what potential buyers are really after, when they reviewed the Toshiba HD-XA1. Sound and Vision magazine proclaimed the HD-XA1 to be ?A Taste of Heaven? and finished their review with:

It ended up taking very little time for me to become accustomed to the stellar picture and cleaner, more open sound of HD DVD. Basically, I’m ruined ? I’ll never again be able to watch a regular DVD with an uncritical eye

The five page HD-XA1 review from Sound and Vision?s Rob Sabin paints a very different picture from that of Consumer Reports. Could this discrepancy in the reviews be due to the fact that Rob Sabin actually has a passion for AV, and not how slow a tray loads or how the remote operates?

R.Hollis

Toshiba has released a firmware update for their HD-XA1 HD-DVD player, which is said to improve disc “reading efficiency”. I would assume this update specifically addresses the slow load times some Toshiba owners have reported.

Now for the bad news, this particular update is for Japanese HD-XA1’s only it would appear. However I would reason an English version of the update can’t be far behind.

Source: Toshiba Japan

A quick note about updating Toshiba HD-DVD players: The players can be updated by one of two methods; either by attaching the player to an internet connection or requesting a firmware update disk from Toshiba as they become available.

R.Hollis

Both Blazing Saddles and The Fugitive will be released on HD-DVD May 23rd. Both titles will retail for $28.99, although I’m sure you can save a little on that price from the likes of Amazon or other on-line retailers.

Bonus materials will be the same found on the Standard Definition versions of each of the two titles.

R.Hollis

If you were looking for that last little bit of incentive to invest in HD-DVD or Blu-ray, this promotion just might be for you. Amazon is offering a 10% discount on all HD-DVD and Blu-ray titles for a full year, with a qualifying purchase.

Purchase any qualifying item(s) now, and within 72 hours you will be enrolled to save 10% on all HD DVD and Blu-ray disc purchases for one year from the date of your qualifying order (total value limited to $5,000 in total purchases or $500 in total discounts).

Qualifying items include the following:

Any high-definition television (HDTV)
Any HD DVD player: see the Toshiba HD-A1 and the Toshiba HD-XA1
Any Blu-ray disc player: see the Sony BDP-S1
Three high-definition DVDs purchased in one order: specifically, HD DVDs and Blu-ray discs

Check out the full offer here.

R.Hollis

Those old bastions of consumer advocacy over at Consumer Report?s have chimed in on HD-DVD and specifically the Toshiba HD-A1 (not sure why they refer to it as the HD-A1KN). And true to form they uncover reasons you shouldn?t buy it.

I first knew something was amiss when I read, ?Neither player is a must-buy yet.? Can anyone cite an example of a consumer electronics item that is a must-buy, maybe a cell-phone or baby-monitor? What gives here? Is that how CR bases their recommendations, on whether you actually need the item? I don?t ?need? half the items in my house, but I?m sure as heck not throwing them out. Ok deep breath, I?ll move on.

From there CR went into the whole format-war speech. You know I?m thinking that in most cases any reiteration of the whole format-war is redundant, but in CR?s case maybe their readers are genuinely unaware of how things are playing out here, so I?ll grant them this point.

Next up was the ?WHAT WE LIKED? section of the review. Among the examples cited here were image quality with both HD and SD discs and that was about it?

The ?WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE? section however complained about lack of 1080p support (even though just about every 1080p capable display will up-convert 1080i internally to 1080p) and ?Finicky HDMI connections? as well as the often bemoaned remote.

Here?s a tip CR, I?m guessing a large portion of the folks who are buying this player use a universal remote, which could easily handle the HD-A1?s remote codes. High Definition DVD is here and we?re talking about remotes?

R.Hollis

From Joystiq:

3:25 pm - Peter Moore: The Xbox 360 HD DVD player. The initial run of Toshiba players sold out within a few days. I’d like to announce that today; the Xbox 360 player will be available this holiday season.

The big as yet unanswered question is will the add-on have an HDMI output. In all honesty no HDMI equals a no-go for me. I’m not interested in watching downrezzed HD via a game console.

R.Hollis

Ultimate A/V has posted their review of the HD-A1, HD-DVD from Toshiba. Aside from the normal tests and specifications (which are definitely worth a read) there are a couple of other interesting things about this particular review.

One must see in the review is the screen shot section. If you had any doubt whatsoever that HD-DVD didn?t look significantly better than SD DVD then you need to see these screenshots.

Another interesting part of the review was the manufacturer’s comments, which would seem to indicate that some of the problems other reviewers have reported with the HD-A1 may not be the players fault at all.

For instance some of the pausing and or disc stops may have been incorrectly identified as bugs when they are in fact inherent in the way HD-DVD handles the DRM required by the studios. Interesting read and definitely one of the better HD-DVD player reviews I?ve seen.

R.Hollis