Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player Review

Update: Amazon have a rebate promotion for 5 free HD-DVD movies after you buy a HD-A3. Simply complete a form online or mail it in after buying the HD-A3. This deal also includes the movies "300" and "The Bourne Identity" which are packaged with the HD-A3 itself. This deal makes a great start to any HD-DVD collection.

(The HD-A3 is currently $172.04 at Amazon).

The Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player represents a great way to get into HD DVD at a very affordable price.

Compared to it's predecessors, in particular the HD-A2, the HD-A3 sports a much refined design. Rounded edges, a slim chassis, and a high-gloss black face plate give it an air of sophistication that will effortlessly complement your home theater setup. It is also extremely slim whilst remaining sturdy. It is without doubt an aesthetically pleasing device.

The setup of the HD-A3 is simplicity itself and takes around 10 minutes. Simply remove the HD-A3 from the box, connect the cables, turn it on and insert a disc. The simplicity of the setup procedure will also endear the HD-A3 to less tech-savvy people.

The HD-A3 player supports both 720p and 1080i HD resolutions, so it will work with your existing hardware.

Feature wise, the Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player supports enhanced features such as Web-enabled network capabilities picture-in-picture video and audio commentary.

As one might expect from a fully featured HD DVD player the HD-A3 is backward compatible with your DVD collection. The HD-A3 will seamlessly upconvert DVDs to the HD resolution that is being output. 

It is  also capable of reading DVD-R/W, DVD-R, DVD-VR, CD, CD-R, and CD-RW, ensuring multi-format support. Although not documented, it also plays DVD+R as well without any problems.

The Toshiba HD-A3 features an ethernet port so that it can connect to the Internet for firmware updates. This ensures that the machine is ready to play the latest HD DVD releases. If you can't connect it to the Internet, then Toshiba will send you an update disc free of charge though their excellent customer support program.

With regards to boot time and disc load time the HD-A3 is fast, a noticeable improvement over the HD-A2. It is also quieter.

The HD-DVD Player market is increasingly momentum, indeed the North American HD DVD Promotional Group reported on the 27th of November 2007 that 750,000 units have been sold. This is a great time to buy since promotions aimed at increasing sales have reduced the cost of HD-DVD players to unprecedented levels. They are particularly good value in comparision to Blu-ray players.

The Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player is undeniably great value for money, particularly in light of recent promotions which have kept the price artificially low. Armed with a Netflix subscription any movie lover will be in heaven. It is also a fantastic upconverter, ensuring that your older DVDs never looked so good.

Team the HD-A3 up with a movie like The Bourne Ultimatum, Transformers, or a documentary like Planet Earth and you will be blown away by the detail. 

The Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player is currently available for $172.04 from Amazon. This offer includes the movies "300" and "The Bourne Identity", which are packaged in the box.