Toshiba A3, or A30 for 1080i big screen?

[KenSmith]

I see the latest generation HD DVD from Toshiba is the A3. I can only display 480p and 1080i on my 65" big screen. Also, no HDMI. So do I need more than the A3 HD DVD player?

[JerryDelColliano]

Its a waste of money NOT to get 1080p.

j

[KenSmith]

Originally Posted by JerryDelColliano

Its a waste of money NOT to get 1080p.

j

But if I can't display 1080p why should I get it?

[Bermuda Home Theater]

I feel the same as you. If you think you will get a 1080p display before you upgrade your dvd then spring for the A30 instead of the A3. They use similar internal components so it is essentially based on this feature alone. However, if the cost is of no object get the A35 since it allows uncompressed bitstream audio over HDMI which is a huge benefit as well as 1080p option.

I just purchased the A3 from Best Buy because I have a 58" 1080i or 720p native and don't need the 1080p feature at this time. There is now a deal at Best Buy (and most other dealers) where you get 300 and Bourne Identity inside, two more free movies of your choosing at check out and mail-in for 5 free (from a limited selection mail-in). So I get 9 movies and the player for $200. It seemed like a no brainer to me.

The only other option is another online vendor which has the flagship XA2 marked down heavily which is supposed to be the end all for sd dvd upcoversion which is important to most as we all have rather large sd dvd libraries.

Hope this helps.

[KenSmith]

How did you get the new A3 for $200.00. I paid $299.00 at Sears and Best Buy didn't have them yet. Best buy was selling the A2 for $249.00. I did get the 2 movies with the A3 and also sent away for 5 more. Had a problem with getting sound so have a friend coming out to see why. Used the optical audio to my receiver as no HDMI on my receiver.

[Bermuda Home Theater]

It is a two day sale happening right now. Go to Bestbuy.com and click the A3 - add to cart. It explains about the two free hd dvd at purchase and 5 mail in rebate form. The other two are already in the box.

As far as audio, why not go hdmi straight to display and digital audio out to the receiver optical in. It does compress audio to pcm over hdmi.

You can return to Sears in order to get 300 and bourne identity as they are packaged now.

Hope it works for you!