Digital Trends

Installation was straightforward. A Tributaries HDMI cable was used to tether the HD-XA2 to the HDMI-enabled Pioneer Elite VSX84TXi A/V Receiver that passes 1080p video and processes all of the audio signals. In turn, those pristine 1080p signals were passed on to a Mitsubishi WD-57831 1080p DLP HDTV. Sound was ported to six B&W CDM Series speakers.

 

Completing the package, Toshiba includes an illuminated 52-button universal remote with center navigation. It was relatively easy to use. I did not like the earlier remote, but this newly redesigned (in black) unit is much better, offering amber back illumination for ease of use and easy readability in a darkened room. Like any other remote, it takes awhile to get used to.

 

 

The HD-XA2 produced superior visual images in 1080p. Will the 1080p images from a Blu-ray Disc player look much better? It's hard to say. Personally, I believe that HD DVD looks better than Blu-ray, as the images have a lot of punch. The colors are more vibrant overall with more crisp detail. With Blu-ray, the colors and images seem slightly muted. All of the images displayed on the Mitsubishi WD-57831 1080p HDTV had clarity and depth of field, giving the illusion of clear HD-quality from a next-generation optical disc player. If you want to be a stickler, you can always put on the Video Essentials test disc, or use the Home Theater Demo disc from Mannheim Steamroller, and watch test patterns to measure gray scale (which I did), and calibrate and test different multi-channel audio signals. But, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak, and let’s face it: an HD DVD player and an HD television are designed to work together to watch movies and music videos —not test patterns.

 

I watched several new HD DVD releases from Warner Home Video and Universal Home Video with a keen eye towards picture detail and clarity, and in each case, those images were far superior to what I have viewed from standard-definition (SD) DVD players in the past. HD DVD titles watched included: Peter Jackson's King Kong, Superman Returns, Serenity, Unforgiven, The Searchers, Goodfellas, Training Day, Full Metal Jacket, Swordfish, Mission Impossible III, The Phantom of the Opera, and Miami Vice: Unrated Director's Cut (HD DVD and DVD Combo disc). Image quality was exceptional on all titles, especially Serenity, Miami Vice, and The Searchers, which bordered on phenomenal!

 

Numerous standard-definition films on DVD were also watched also, including: Forbidden Planet, Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut, 1776, The Chronicles of Naria, Chicago, Finding Nemo, Madagascar, Ice Age 2, Casablanca, and Lawrence of Arabia, among others. I also viewed a couple of old standbys like Fox’s The Abyss: Special Edition and Columbia-TriStar’s Air Force One (SuperBit), because of their aural and visual brilliance.

 

While HD DVD images looked absolutely spectacular (and better than Blu-ray for my money!), it was standard-definition images from any DVD, which were upconverted to 1080p, that separates this player from other 1080p players. Standard-definition DVDs were crisp, clear, and free from any noticeable artifacts. They were truly near-HD in quality. Standard definition titles ranging from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and The DaVinci Code to The Eagles: First Farewell Tour and Celtic Woman looked simply stunning! It all comes back to video processing and Toshiba's wise use of the Reon HQV chipset.