Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player

Toshiba took the lead last year in the high definition disc arm wrestling match by launching the first product in the United States. That HD DVD player, the HD-XA1, was to some people a little unfinished, yet it started what has been a bitter battle, at least for home theater enthusiasts, involving the industry’s major manufacturers and Hollywood’s biggest studios.

Toshiba’s current HD-XA2 is a completely different beast from its grandfather. Where the XA1 was a bulky, noisy PC in DVD’s clothing, the XA2 is a slick, slimmed down living room component. In 2006 the only differentiating factors between the A1 and the XA1 was an Ethernet port, motorized door and a fancy remote. Now the XA2 is clearly a top-line product with features other models from Toshiba lack.

The XA2, like all HD DVD players, allows hookup by component to a high def TV, but the HDMI output is the preferred connection as it allows a pure digital signal transmission. Earlier high def players had some issues in which the HDMI connection would sometimes work and sometimes not, which resulted in many users opting for the component cables by default. The XA2 has overcome that obstacle. I never had a problem with the HDMI connections properly shaking hands on three different TVs (including one with a DVI port and an HDMI adaptor).

When connecting via HDMI you have the option of outputting the video at 720p, 1080i or 1080p resolution. If your TV is a 1080p model, you’re a lucky person and should choose that option. If, like most HDTV owners, you have a 1080i or 720p model, it may take a bit of experimenting to see what works best. When I hooked it up to a 720p display I found that setting the player to 1080p and letting the TV do the scaling worked best overall, though the manual instructs you to set the resolution to match your display.

This player does include video processing from Silicon Optix. SO’s Reon-VX HQV processor—the new “It” processor—handles scaling, deinterlacing and upconverting like a pro, better the onboard processor in most HDTVs. Samsung’s new Blu-ray player (also reviewed in this issue) also uses the same processor. The Reon allows you to make a number of picture adjustments such as color, mosquito and block noise and edge enhancements usually found only in displays or separate processors.