Oppo 981 or Toshiba HD-A2

[EuroVW]

Hey Folks,

I am currently in the market for a new DVD player and was orginally leaning towards getting the Oppo 981. But yesterday I was in Best Buy and noticed that the Toshiba HD-A2 was on sale for $299.99. I wasn't really considering doing a HD player but for basically $70 more then the Oppo I am have been strongly considering it. Add on top of if the 5 free movies (granted you don't get the best choices but some are worth watching) it seems like a steal. My only question would be how good of an upconverting player the HD-A2 would be over the 981? I know some think HD-DVD is behind the Blu-Ray but I use Netflix for most of my movies so I wouldn't have a huge investment in movie purchases so if the format does die out I shouldn't be out to mush $$$. If anyone could post there thoughts or opinions on either of the players or which they would lean it would be appreciated.

-Jason

 

[Seth=L]

I don't know about the HD-A2's upconverting abilities, but the HD-A1 was hailed as a very good upconverting player. I am not sure if they skimped out on the HD-A2 considering it is quite a bit smaller. If you can find the HD-A1 and get all the firmware updates you could go with that.

This is a tough decision though.

 

[supervij]

I'm a huge fan of the Oppo 981. Its upscaling is breath-taking. Its upscaling of DivX is remarkable. Basically, it offers a stunning picture, easily fooling the eye into thinking you're watching HD on very well transferred DVDs. Plus, it does SACD and DVD-A, which the HD-A2 doesn't do.

I have no interest in the HD on disc thing until a clear winner emerges, so I went with the Oppo 981, and when I look at the picture quality, I have no regrets.

cheers,
supervij

 

[jcPanny]

Hd-dvd

Euro,
Good question, I am also checking out the entry level HD-DVD players but I think I will stick with my Oppo for now. The Oppo players are great upscalling players, but they can't make SD material (DVD) look as good as HD (HD-DVD or BlueRay). If you have a 1080p display then I would consider going with the A2. It should also do a decent job of upconverting DVDs. I wouldn't recommend one of the first generation HD-DVD players due to long load times and other quirks.

My oppo DV970 is working well with my 32" LCD. I think I would need a larger 1080p display to take full advantage of HD-DVD or BlueRay.

 

[j_garcia]

From what I understand, the A2 is also a very good upconverting player. If you have a 1080p display then I would recommend the A20 which is a 1080p player; the A2 is 720p/1080i only. Of course the A20 is $100 more, but in a few weeks here it will also have the $100 instant rebate going on that the A2 has right now in addition to the 5 free movies offered by Toshiba with these players until July 31.

If you want to go BluRay, there is the Panasonic model that dropped to $599 + 5 free discs as well.

 

[adk highlander]

I cannot comment on the Oppo but I can say that they A2 is a much better upconverted than my Denon 1920. I thought my black level problems were due to my display but now I see it was more the player. I no longer see light bleeding in around the corners in letterbox format and the image is not as soft.

 

[EuroVW]

Everyone,

Thanks for the info. I did make a decision and decided to roll the dice and go with the HD-A2. I picked up the player, V for Vandetta, and Batman Returns and headed on my way home from BB. All I can say is WOW! The images are fantastic! Since I currently don't have HD via cable or dish this is my first time getting true HD to my plasma and it is sweet! I haven't had a chance to play a standard DVD yet to see how well the up-converstion will look over my $45.00 dvd player

-Jason

 

[Duffinator]

Costco's and Sam's Clubs have the D2 (same as the A2) for $249.