Better Player (Movies/Music 70/30)

AndyGwis

Hey Guys,

Over a year ago, I went out and bought myself a nice universal, the Pioneer Elite DV-59avi. It was supposed to be my HT player until the prices of HD-DVD / BR came down and/or got their little turf war settled. Once I got a next gen player, the PE 59avi would be the center of my 2-channel system which may or may not include a TV.

So, prices of HD-DVD are coming down, and I hear the upconversion and sound quality are pretty good. For $250, I don't mind buying something that could be a dead technology in a few years, as $250 is the price of a good upconverting player anyway. I really like my current budget 2-channel player (Sony SCD-C222ES), so I'd sell the 59avi should I get a new HT source.

Is the switch from 59avi to Toshiba HD (A1 most likely, maybe XA1) worthwhile for HT?

Which player is better for the current used street prices (A1 or XA1)? Should I look at any used BR players as well (are there any for $300-$400)?


Thanks!

dane_peterson

If you can hold off for several months, you could go for this:

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9693198-1.html

AndyGwis

I saw that earlier. Good point, but I wonder if getting the $299 one has any advantages to pulling the trigger on a used one for $400 now (the Samsung BDP1000, that is).

I guess there's no right or wrong answer. Is there newer technology being put in Sony's upcoming machine? HDMI 1.3 and all that good stuff?

My current tv is only 1080i, so going BR would also make me buy a 1080p. . . no end in sight for this hobby.

gonzalr

I'll go for XA1, excellent upconverting player and play HD-DVD. Also, it can decode new gen of sound (DD+,DtrueHD) for HD movie.

Also, for 2 channel music, it sounds great.

shawn474

Andy,
Have you given any thought to going with an OPPO to tide you over until the Blu-Ray price drop?

Shawn

Never mind, misread the question..........

AndyGwis

Well, I think I can convince myself to get a PS3 if I one day decide to go the BR route. HD-DVD just seems like it's almost too good to pass up when I've seen HD-A1s for $250 and HD-XA1s for $300.

I could wait until end of year for BR if sony does have one at $299 and just toss the HD-DVD in the bedroom system or sell it at that point.

No to Oppo. I have the PE 59avi and an HD850 upconverting Samsung, which I think are both decent at their price point for upconverting players.

AndyGwis

Ok, so I think I'm going to get a Toshiba HD-DVD player (unless someone can give good reason why I shouldn't).

So, do I get a A1 for $250ish

or

an XA1 for $300ish?

Any differences? Haven't even looked into HD-DVD players until Wingnut posted hers earlier this week. . . which got me thinking.

millerman 3732

Get the A-1 , from what I understand its the same player as the XA1, only the XA1 is "supposed" to have alittle better build quality and better remote but the guts are the same.

AndyGwis

Okay, pulled the trigger on a barely used HD-XA1. Planned on holding off on HD formats until the war was over, but this thing is as cheap as a decent upconverting player, much cheaper than my 59avi was a year and a half ago. . .

I must admit, I was drawn to it based on looks as well. It has almost the same front face style as my HK 635, so it will look awesome as well as sound and play awesome.

Can't wait! Need to find some good HD titles, pissed Casino Royale is BR. URRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH

BIZILL

XA-2 used price would own. but the xa-1 would be my next choice in the line-up.

AndyGwis

Haven't seen many XA-2s on the used market, and hardly any XA1s for that matter. . . but the XA1 looked better than the A1 and A2 in terms of features, build quality, etc. for the money.

AndyGwis

The Toshiba HD-XA1 purchase had mixed results. I have decided to resell the one I bought used of Videogon and pay an extra $100 to get a new one online for warranty purposes and the 5 HD-DVD offering.

The one I had was slow (I know they probably all are), had a little trouble skipping during the one HD-DVD I watched. I figure better safe than sorry, so I'm selling it and getting one from ValueElectronics which comes with manufacturer warranty.

Does anyone know how to check which firmware version on an XA1? Anyone order from VE?

AndyGwis

What's the best place to get a new XA1? Value Electronics for 399.99 free shipping?

I want to do it right this time around. Any insight welcomed.

danger boy

ummm. who's to say even a new one won't be slow to load up? these are first generation players as far as I know.. first generation DVD players were extremly slow as well back in the day..

AndyGwis

Yes, this I know. But for $100 difference, I get 5 free HD-DVDs and a warranty. . . and, with this being the first wave of new gens, it would seem logical to have a warranty for peace of mind.

Just seeing if $399 for a new one free shipping is the best deal around. Also, that this player for $399 is as good or better than XA2 or soon to be coming out XA20 (I think) for similar price.

AndyGwis

Okay, placed my order with 6th ave for $398, free shipping. I had some money in paypal, and 6th takes Paypal, VE doesn't, that was the deciding factor.

I got my 635 from 6th avenue and it arrived quickly in perfect shape so I had no worries. Their CS is also very good.

Sami

Hook it up to your network and upgrade the firmware if necessary. I have both A1 and XA1. Nice players, load up times are long but it doesn't really matter in the end unless the discs skip and need to be reloaded.

AndyGwis

I should have a brand new XA1 here shortly for $398 shipped. I'll make sure the firmware is up to date. I'm pretty excited about the 5 free HD-DVDs, too.

MikeC78

Congrats Andy!

Enjoy your new player, you got it for a steal! I payed $700 for mine when it first came out and it's worth every penny!

Beware of the slow boot and load times(45sec), otherwise no problems. If you need a 2.0 FW disk, PM me your addy, otherwise 2.1 is right around the corner...

Mike

AndyGwis

Thanks for the well wishes, Mike. I had a used XA1 for about a week before selling it and ordering a new one. . . so I now know what I'm getting into with some of the bugs / slowness.

I'm psyched, and happy I'll be getting 5 HD-DVDs free, eventually.

MikeC78

Andy-

I hate to break it to you, but check this out...

http://www.valueelectronics.com/avstc.htm

I believe Robert has a 30 day price guarantee, I'd give him a call.

Mike

danger boy

Sony Corp said US retail prices this year will fall 20 per cent for flat-screen televisions and 50 per cent for Blu-ray DVD players but that both product lines would remain profitable.

Those declining prices come as costs also slide and are likely to spur higher demand as consumers replace older cathode-ray tube TVs with high-resolution flat screens and use next-generation DVD players to watch shows.

"We are going to be profitable, (but) it's going to be very tight," Stan Glasgow, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics, said on Monday of the company's liquid crystal display (LCD) TV business.

Recent strength at Sony Electronics, Sony's $US11 billion ($A13.92 billion) electronics arm, has helped ease the pain of a rough 2006 for the Japanese company, which suffered through a late roll-out of the PlayStation 3 video game console and a major battery recall, among other things.

Sony, which vies with Samsung Electronics Co. and Sharp Corp. in the $US63 billion ($A79.74 billion) LCD TV market, said in January its Bravia flat-panel TVs enjoyed brisk demand in its fiscal third quarter.

Glasgow said on Monday that Sony led the US market in 2006 in total television revenue and unit sales and was the top revenue performer in LCD TVs. Sony TVs typically sell at a premium price to rival brands.

For 2007, Sony will launch a new marketing campaign aimed at expanding its Bravia brand, even though it acknowledges the existence and popularity of lower-priced flat TVs.

"It remains highly competitive. There are 70 to 80 players in the industry right now," Glasgow said at a media briefing in New York. "Consumers are willing to pay a reasonable premium for a high-performance stylish television."

Sony lagged behind Sharp in the global LCD TV market a little more than one year ago. But multimillion dollar marketing campaigns and joint panel production with Samsung have turned it into a top player in the fast-growing but fiercely competitive market.

Sony will soon introduce a cheaper player for its Blu-ray discs to compete with less expensive HD DVD players, Glasgow said. Its current model, the BDP-S1, sells for about $US999 ($A1,264) on its Sony Style website.

By the holiday season, prices of stand-alone Sony Blu-ray players could drop to "$US299 ($A378) to $US399 ($A505)... to drive real volumes on this," he added.

"If you look at the history of DVD, $US299 to $US399, that's when sales really took off."

Sony's Blu-ray technology competes with Toshiba Corp's HD DVD technology. Their failure to agree on a unified format has led to a costly battle reminiscent of the VHS-Betamax war, which caused widespread customer confusion.

Sony said US sales of both stand-alone Blu-ray and rival HD DVD players - those not built into a personal computer or a game console - were about 44,000 units in 2006. It expected sales to be 250,000 to 500,000 in 2007 as prices decline.

The company said Sony-branded stand-alone players had a 40 per cent market share in 2006 and that it expects about 35 per cent share in 2007, when there will be more Blu-ray players built by other companies.

AndyGwis

MikeC78 wrote:

Andy-

I hate to break it to you, but check this out...

http://www.valueelectronics.com/avstc.htm

I believe Robert has a 30 day price guarantee, I'd give him a call.

Mike

Well, I guess that's actually a good thing if I can get the price match from 6th avenue.

Who is Robert (VE or 6th)?

Also, which of those is the best deal? Should I still stick with the XA1?


Thanks!

MikeC78

AndyGwis wrote:

Well, I guess that's actually a good thing if I can get the price match from 6th avenue.

Who is Robert (VE or 6th)?

Also, which of those is the best deal? Should I still stick with the XA1?


Thanks!

Robert is from VE. Sorry, I thought you purchased one through VE.

IMO, If I was getting a new player and had to choose, I'd get the XA2 for sure!

Mike

AndyGwis

After much deliberation and discussion, 6th price matched the $349.

Forum just saved me another $50. I'm gonna plant one right on your forehead should we ever meet, Mike. Thanks again! Let me know if anyone else drops the price of the XA1 in the next few days

I thought about the XA2, but it's still $230 more. May pick one up eventually, though.

MikeC78

Nice, glad I could help. You received one spectacular deal! Enjoy...

Mike