Big Picture Big Sound

Beating Wal*Mart to the punch by a day or two, Amazon now has Toshiba's HD-A2 HD-DVD player for under $200, actually $197.99 delivered. I guess this qualifies it as a "gift under $200" for the holidays. And I'm sure more than a few new HDTV owners will be pleased to find one of these under the tree next month.

Featuring 720p and 1080i output for HD-DVDs and upconverted DVDs, a network jack to take advantage of interactive web-based features and a mail-in rebate for five free HD-DVDs, this could be the high definition player bargain of the holiday season.

And don't worry too much about 1080i vs. 1080p. The fact is that a good HDTV can extract the full 1080p/24fps original source out of a 1080i/60 signal, with proper detection of the original 3:2 cadence. Combine this player with a high quality 1080p HDTV with a built-in de-interlacer, and you'll be jiving on Full HD goodness in no time at all.


Toshiba HD-A2 Specifications from the Manufacturer

Video

• HD Output 720p/1080i
• SD Upconversion 480p/720p/1080i
• Combo Format disc playback
• HD DVD Video
• DVD Video
• DVD VR
• DVD-R (Video)
• DVD-R DL (Video)
• DVD-RW (Video/VR CPRM not supported)

Audio

• High-performance SHARC® DSP
• CD, CD-R/-RW (CD-DA)
• Dolby® Digital Plus 5.1ch
• Dolby® TrueHD 5.1ch
• DTS® 5.1ch
• DTS® HD (core only)

Convenience

• Persistent Storage
• Universal remote with glow print
• OSD Language English/French/German/Japanese
• Advanced Navigation
• Slim Chassis

Jackpacks

• HDMI™
• Ethernet Port
• ColorStream Pro® Component Video Output
• RCA Video Outputs (1)
• Extension Terminal (2)
• 2ch. Audio Output
• Digital Optical Output
• S-Video Output

Weights and Dimensions

• Dimensions: 16.9" x 13.58" x 2.58" (WxHxD)
• Weight: 8.76 lbs.