While the Blu-ray camp has so far released just a single player, Toshiba steals a march by introducing the HD-XA1, the second HD DVD player in its current line-up. A step up from the inaugural HD-A1, the HD-XA1 adds a RS-232C port for connecting the player to a custom home entertainment network, as well as a backlit universal remote and a motorized front-panel door that provides access to the disc tray. The technical specifications, and therefore the performance and picture quality, are ostensibly the same as the HD-A1. This is both a good thing and a bad thing.

The HD-XA1 delivers a truly stunning picture from the limited selection of titles currently available on HD DVD. Image detail is noticeably enhanced in HD DVD compared to standard DVD, with significantly higher resolution, fewer picture artifacts and more saturated colors. Once an HD DVD movie is playing on a large, high-resolution screen, the HD-XA1 delivers a superb entertainment experience.

Unfortunately, getting a movie up and running can be a frustrating experience, and the glitches present in the HD-A1 remain in the HD-XA1. This HD DVD player takes minutes rather than seconds to power on, load discs or respond to commands from the remote. Some of these problems will likely be addressed by future firmware updates, although 1,080p output probably will not happen in the near term. Even though the HD-XA1's 1,080i is a lower resolution than Blu-ray's top offering of 1,080p, only the most discerning viewers will be able to tell the difference. The HD-XA1 offers multichannel decoders for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD and DTS HD, but not surround sound from TrueHD. Initial set-up is also substantially more complicated than with a standard DVD player.

When connected to an HDTV via an HDMI connection and playing standard DVD, the HD-XA1 performs very well as an up-conversion DVD player, displaying DVD with an HD-equivalent number of scan lines. However, keep in mind that DVD up-conversion does not produce a true high-definition image like that offered by HD DVD and Blu-ray discs.

Despite all its operational quirks, the Toshiba HD-XA1 delivers an outstanding picture along with the promise of better things to come, from both the format and this player.


Pros: HD DVD deliver stunning picture quality, HDMI upscaling for standard DVD, RS-232C port
Cons: Extremely slow response and loading times, quirky remote, no 1,080p output

Warranty
90 days labor, 1 year parts