Menna HD Player nam.
HD DVD has the most polished user experience when it comes to HD movies, but the one thing that is still a real drag is the startup and loading times. We've almost forgot how fast DVD can be. We're glad the A30 (and the latest firmware version of the A20) turns on when you hit the eject button, but what could possibly be going on in there for a minute and five seconds while we wait for the tray to come out? This seems like a lifetime while standing in front of the player and is way longer than the fifteen seconds the Samsung's BD-P1200 takes to do the same thing. The good news is that the disc is actually loaded in about half the time that the P1200 takes, as The Borne Identity took about 25 seconds to load on the A30, while the P1200 took 50 seconds to load Home of the Brave. The problem is no doubt related to boot times, as starting the players with a disc in yields similar results: the A30 finishes loading in about one minute and thirty seconds, while the P1200 takes one minute.
Picture and Sound Quality
As we've come to expect, the picture and sound quality of HD DVD is fantastic. Just like the previous two generations before it, we can't imagine how the picture quality could be any better. While we were able to enjoy 1080p video in all of its glory on a 60-inch set, we weren't able to take advantage of any next-gen audio formats as our trusty Pioneer Elite A/V R doesn't have HDMI inputs. And since the A30 doesn't tout analog outputs, we were stuck with Toslink. While we recognize that our A/V R is older, we hate to upgrade an otherwise perfectly good piece of hardware, so if you're in this boat you should opt for the A35.
BY DILLA
HD DVD has the most polished user experience when it comes to HD movies, but the one thing that is still a real drag is the startup and loading times. We've almost forgot how fast DVD can be. We're glad the A30 (and the latest firmware version of the A20) turns on when you hit the eject button, but what could possibly be going on in there for a minute and five seconds while we wait for the tray to come out? This seems like a lifetime while standing in front of the player and is way longer than the fifteen seconds the Samsung's BD-P1200 takes to do the same thing. The good news is that the disc is actually loaded in about half the time that the P1200 takes, as The Borne Identity took about 25 seconds to load on the A30, while the P1200 took 50 seconds to load Home of the Brave. The problem is no doubt related to boot times, as starting the players with a disc in yields similar results: the A30 finishes loading in about one minute and thirty seconds, while the P1200 takes one minute.
Picture and Sound Quality
As we've come to expect, the picture and sound quality of HD DVD is fantastic. Just like the previous two generations before it, we can't imagine how the picture quality could be any better. While we were able to enjoy 1080p video in all of its glory on a 60-inch set, we weren't able to take advantage of any next-gen audio formats as our trusty Pioneer Elite A/V R doesn't have HDMI inputs. And since the A30 doesn't tout analog outputs, we were stuck with Toslink. While we recognize that our A/V R is older, we hate to upgrade an otherwise perfectly good piece of hardware, so if you're in this boat you should opt for the A35.
BY DILLA
