Data sheet on Toshiba HD-A30

[Ruined]

This is the middle of the line 3rd gen $399 MSRP (I'm guess $325 street) Toshiba HD DVD player. Check it out:
http://www.valueelectronics.com/imag...ta%20sheet.pdf

Pretty much exactly as I expected. Faster load times confirmed as well.

I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the higher end HD-A35 for its DTS-HDMA bitstream output, but this model is awesome too if full resolution DTS-HDMA is not a priority for you.

[Pirate]

Do we know if this player does the full 1080p or does it do the interlacing trick?

[Derb]

Originally Posted by piratehunter

Do we know if this player does the full 1080p or does it do the interlacing trick?

It does 1080p/24fps

[dugpa]

Originally Posted by Derb

It does 1080p/24fps

Yes, but is it passing the native 1080p from the disc, or is it doing the decoding 1080i and then deinterlacing back to 1080p in the player bit like most of the Blu-ray and HD-DVD units do now?

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by dugpa

Yes, but is it passing the native 1080p from the disc, or is it doing the decoding 1080i and then deinterlacing back to 1080p in the player bit like most of the Blu-ray and HD-DVD units do now?

That we won't know for sure but a couple of things to keep in mind.

1. If deinterlacing is done properly (inverse telecine) it should make no difference.
2. "1080p24 native off the disc" probably means advanced features like IME/U-Control/PiP won't work properly as it would involve overlaying SD 480i60 content on top of HD 1080p24 content and those framerates simply don't match up.

My guess is it will go like this if you want all the advanced extras/features:
1080p24 stored on disc -> decoded to 1080i60 -> 1080i60 / 480i60 IME overlay -> final 1080i60 composite frame -> inverse telecine to 1080p24

There may be an option to disable IME and get native 1080p24, but it shouldn't look any different anyway if the deinterlacing chip is doing its job right.

[dugpa]

Originally Posted by Ruined

1. If deinterlacing is done properly (inverse telecine) it should make no difference.

Done properly being the key words there. I'm always leery of anything extra thrown into the works that messes with things. That's why I went with the Sony blu-ray player. Native 1080p all the way. Deinterlacers vary in quality, who knows what one is being used.

"1080p24 native off the disc" probably means advanced features like IME/U-Control/PiP won't work properly as it would involve overlaying SD 480i60 content on top of HD 1080p24 content and those framerates simply don't match up.

The have to have a way to compensate for that. After all, the video on the disc is 24 in the first place. My guess is it'd go 1080p24 to 1080p60 and overlay the IME. But if you don't play the IME, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to play the native 1080p24.

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by dugpa

Done properly being the key words there. I'm always leery of anything extra thrown into the works that messes with things. That's why I went with the Sony blu-ray player. Native 1080p all the way. Deinterlacers vary in quality, who knows what one is being used.

The have to have a way to compensate for that. After all, the video on the disc is 24 in the first place. My guess is it'd go 1080p24 to 1080p60 and overlay the IME. But if you don't play the IME, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to play the native 1080p24.

1080p24 -> 1080p60 would still likely be a problem for overlay because the spec for the overlay is 480i60, not 480p60 - which is why I posted what I did above. It's possible you will be given the opportunity to disable IME and get native 1080p24, but personally I'd rather see CE companies step up and deliver a quality deinterlacer so you can have your cake and eat it too.

[Ruined]

The HD-A30 is now available on store shelves.

Some initial impressions:

* Bootup time is 5-10 seconds faster than the HD-A20
* Does not feature REON chip, but has an ABT solution; unknown how it performs compared to REON at this point in time
* Case is slimmer
* More powerful processor believed to be SoC, should run cooler and be less picky than the HD-A20

[sub780lime]

Well now that it is out there we should know if it deinterlaces or not?

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by sub780lime

Well now that it is out there we should know if it deinterlaces or not?

Robert of Value Electronics stated that the HD-A30's 1080p24 output is "stunning", implying better picture quality than any of the previous already excellent HD DVD Toshiba players.

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by Ruined

Robert of Value Electronics stated that the HD-A30's 1080p24 output is "stunning", implying better picture quality than any of the previous already excellent HD DVD Toshiba players.

Better than the hd-xa2? Wow, that is impressive, especially for the price.

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Better than the hd-xa2? Wow, that is impressive, especially for the price.

Well, it is very possible that the XA2 will look just as good or better when the 1080p24 firmware upgrade comes out for that unit.

On the other hand, for straight HD DVD viewing I'd bet the HD-A35 is just as good as the XA2. Its probably only DVD upconversion where the XA2 may have an edge.

I will most likely take the plunge on one of these 3rd gen players.

[sub780lime]

Well if we get some nice Christmas sales that dump this under $300 bucks I might consider it. Now that I have a new Receiver, I would like to be able to provide my HD sound through HDMI instead of the Optical currently used by my 360.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by Ruined

Well, it is very possible that the XA2 will look just as good or better when the 1080p24 firmware upgrade comes out for that unit.

On the other hand, for straight HD DVD viewing I'd bet the HD-A35 is just as good as the XA2. Its probably only DVD upconversion where the XA2 may have an edge.

I will most likely take the plunge on one of these 3rd gen players.

All sounds good, but ya also have to take the plunge on a TV which accepts a HZ rate of 24. I noticed Sony is advertising newer model Tvs with the ability to playback 1080/24 now. This de-interlaceing stuff doesn't bother me because the PQ already looks stunning & if you have a native 1080p display, the TV is in control over output regardless.