I've been playfully accused by some of my colleagues at Sound & Vision of waxing a bit too enthusiastic last year in my review of Toshiba's inaugural HD DVD player, the HD-XA1. If so, dear reader, consider this fair warning to get out your barf bag, because here we go again. Not only has Toshiba directly addressed nearly every issue we had with the original's operational quirks, but it has done so while improving already stellar video and audio performance. To call this a big leap forward is not, I daresay, exaggeration.
Much of Toshiba's success can be attributed to smart design decisions, among them use of a Silicon Optix Reon-VX video scaling/processing chip, a new spin-off of SO's professional-grade Realta HQV processor. The company also employs an Analog Devices 32-bit SHARC processor for digital audio. But most obvious are architectural changes in the control circuitry and firmware that make this version more responsive and stable in operation, and, generally, a breath of fresh air for anyone living with a first-gen HD DVD player.
To wit: On the Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD player, bringing up an image from a powered-down machine with a pre-loaded HD DVD takes 45 seconds, versus a coma-inducing 1.5 to 2 minutes on the XA1. Likewise, loading a fresh HD DVD in the XA2 with the player on takes 30 seconds, compared with 75 seconds for the XA1. It's almost enough to make a grown man give up cussing.
Furthermore, HDMI hookups are robust and solid compared with the XA1's, which were prone to error messages and disc restarts. I could even break the HDMI connection with my HDTV and watch the playback counter run without incident, then watch the picture pop back up when I re-established the connection. Indeed, about the only ergonomic issue I had with the XA1 that survives on the XA2 is the inability to resume play on an HD DVD from the point at which you hit the Stop key; this still results in having to restart the disc from the top. Toshiba says it's a limitation for all HD DVDs with advanced content.
The HD-XA2 represents a cosmetic advance as well against its boxy predecessor. It sits at half the height and looks slick with its angled front panel and shiny black fascia. There's a door behind which you'll find transport keys and a couple of USB ports that future-proof the player for interactive game or movie titles that might later tap a handheld controller. The black, brushed aluminum case is solid, and the player's 13.5-pound heft feels substantial despite coming in 6 pounds lighter than the XA1.
Around back are output connectors for HDMI audio/video, component video, S- and composite video, bitstream digital audio (both optical and coax), and 5.1-channel analog audio. An RS-232 connector (for home control systems) has been retained from the XA1, as has the high-speed Ethernet port. The back-panel fan is, by my measurement, about as quiet as that on the XA1, which is to say not whisper-quiet but not objectionable.
Two of the connectors are key for future-proofing the HD-XA2. The Ethernet port taps the Web for firmware upgrades but also ensures you'll be ready for future discs that offer the ability to play interactively, download extra content, or take advantage of studio promotions. This is standard for all certified HD DVD players and in contrast to every Blu-ray Disc player currently available save the Sony PS3 game console. With interactivity a major selling point of both HD disc formats, it's puzzling to me that players costing up to $1,500 are being sold without this key feature.
More noteworthy is that the HDMI jack on the HD-XA2 adheres to the new version 1.3 standard (see HDMI 1.3: The Missing Link), which allows it to pass Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream signals from movie discs to upcoming A/V receivers and outboard processors equipped to decode them. Both formats will be used increasingly by film studios because their "lossless" or "bit-for-bit" compression schemes ensure sound quality identical to that of the original PCM digital audio soundtracks, with no sacrifice in clarity or dynamics for the sake of saving disc space. Although 5.1-channel TrueHD decoding is already performed onboard in the XA2 for output through the HDMI connector (as PCM) or through the 5.1-channel analog outputs, an outboard decoder will be needed for DTS-HD Master Audio when it appears on discs or for decoding any future 7.1-channel soundtracks in either format, at least in the absence of possible firmware updates. Again, no other high-def disc player on the market except the PlayStation 3 currently offers HDMI 1.3.
Finally, Toshiba has also made improvements to the XA2's remote control, which shares the same layout and sturdy, brushed-metal case as the XA1's. The transport keys remain too close and indistinct, but the new remote eschews the original's funky shake-sensitive backlight in favor of one activated by hitting and holding the Backlight button for a few seconds and thereafter by pressing any key, which addresses complaints of battery drain. The flaky navigation rocker from the XA1 has been upgraded to prevent the player from locking up when speeding through setup or disc menus. And the Setup button has been moved up top after having been buried under the sliding door. There's also a new button labeled Picture, about which more later.
SETUP Plugging the Toshiba HD-XA2 into my system was as simple as making an HDMI connection between the player and my A/V receiver, then linking it to my home network with an Ethernet cable. I set the XA2's setup menu to send linear PCM multichannel audio to the receiver and to deliver video at its maximum 1080p resolution. Unlike the XA1, which tapped out at 1080i, the XA2 passes 1080p through HDMI, either from HD DVD discs or upconverted from standard DVDs. It does so only at 60 frames per second, however, with no option for taking the native 1080p/24-frame signal off an HD DVD and passing it to a TV that can accept 1080p at 24 fps (a future firmware update supposedly will address this).
I also tested the component-video output and both the bitstream audio and 5.1-channel analog audio outputs. The latter option lets you tap Dolby TrueHD soundtracks if you lack a receiver or processor that accepts multichannel PCM via HDMI.
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The Short Form |
| Price $800 ($1,000 list) / toshibahddvd.com / 800-631-3811 |
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Snapshot
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| Toshiba's superb second-generation HD DVD player improves on the original in every way. |
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Plus
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| •Stellar HD DVD video and audio quality •Superior upscaling of regular DVDs •Future-ready HDMI 1.3 connector •Onboard decoding of Dolby TrueHD soundtracks •Improved disc loading and operability |
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Minus
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| •No Resume Play function with HD DVDs •No 24-fps pass-through for 1080p |
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Key Features
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| •HD DVD, DVD, and CD playback •Upscaling of DVDs to up to 1080p •Silicon Optix Reon-VX video processor •HDMI version 1.3 connection •Onboard Dolby TrueHD decoding •Backlit remote •17.3 x 2.9 x 13.5 in; 13.8 lb |
I won't waste much space talking about the HD-XA2's thrilling picture quality on HD DVDs, which was equal to the XA1's whether set to 1080i or 1080p output. Opulent interior scenes of the luxurious cruise ship in Poseidon were rich and highly detailed on my 58-inch 1080p DLP display. A close-up of Jennifer Ramsey (Emmy Rossum) arguing with her father (Kurt Russell) in their well-appointed suite superbly showed off her stunningly smooth skin, peachy rouge makeup, and the fine fuzz and ribbing on her light blue wool sweater. Scenes of the big ballroom and the stage performers, such as a singer in her bright red-and-white sequined gown, were equally vivid and striking. The solid, film-like quality of the image and strong contrast we've come to know on the best HD DVDs was evident throughout.
But where the HD-XA2 completely surprised me was in the superiority of its upconversion of standard-definition DVDs. The combination of 1080p output and the stellar Silicon Optix deinterlacing and noise processing provided stunning results that can actually make exploring your DVD collection tolerable even after you've been spoiled by Blu-ray and HD DVD. As a test, I threw on the DVD of the sexually charged thriller Wild Things. Typical of many DVDs, it looks pretty good in well-lit outdoor scenes, particularly close-ups, but dark scenes can be noisy and display mosquito-noise fuzz on edges of objects. In one demanding scene in which a champagne bottle is used as a murder weapon, the camera shows a close-up of the bottle being swung overhead in slow motion as it makes its way to the unseen victim below. With the XA2 set to 1080i output, there was some distracting judder in the picture and a very obvious series of trails visible behind the bottle as it tracked across the screen. Switching to 1080p output noticeably stabilized the image, added obvious clarity, and completely eliminated the trails. I'm convinced: On scenes that need it, superior 1080p upconversion can make a huge difference.
The image got even better after I hit the Picture button on the remote, which brings up a menu that lets you store a range of video adjustments to each of three recallable presets. Along with controls for contrast, brightness, color, and tint, there are low and high settings for edge enhancement and, for regular DVDs, noise reduction for mosquito noise (those fuzzy halos around objects caused by video compression), block noise (which can appear on fast motion), and random noise. Setting edge enhancement to max really brought out detail and contrast in the Wild Things image, but without the unnatural ringing around objects typical with this type of processing. Turning on the mosquito and random noise filters took it up another notch, but without robbing noticeable detail — a frequent drawback of those types of filters. Processing applied, the HD-XA2 delivered a superior upconverted image that, on bright close-ups, might be mistaken momentarily for true high-def. Not surprisingly, when I later put the XA2 through its paces on both the high- and standard-def versions of the Silicon Optix HQV test disc, the machine aced the "jaggies" deinterlacing tests with élan.
With the HD-XA2 set to 720p output, the image looked good but a bit flat compared with 1080i or 1080p, but that's to be expected given the display's native 1080p resolution. The component-video output looked great, and high-def test patterns from the Silicon Optix disc showed it to be as detailed as the HDMI.
AUDIO PERFORMANCE Audio results were equally satisfying. The Toshiba turned out to be a fine stereo CD player — nice, considering that a number of high-def players out there (again, BD players) won't even play a CD. But with movie sound, the big advancement here is onboard multichannel Dolby TrueHD decoding, which gives the HD DVD camp an equivalent to the uncompressed multichannel PCM soundtracks that appear on some Blu-ray Discs. I spun a few HD DVDs with 5.1-channel TrueHD, including Poseidon and Superman Returns, listening through both the HDMI output (which delivers the signal as multichannel PCM for conversion to analog in the receiver) and from the 5.1-channel analog outputs.
The HDMI was impressive and on par with the straight PCM experience I've had with Blu-ray Discs — imagine big, open, unstrained sound with spectacular dynamics and a nearly heart-stopping bottom end (at least on our two-subwoofer system). The signature scene in Poseidon in which the ocean liner capsizes has some powerful audio: undulating, rumbling bass that rips through the viewing room as the giant tidal wave speeds toward the ship, followed by ridiculously complex and layered effects from various parts of the boat — breaking glass, crunching metal, human cries, rushing water, silverware and dishes crashing, furniture tumbling, electricity arcing and snapping, and the sounds of bodies hitting the ground (or, rather, the ceiling) from four or five stories. Not only did the HD-XA2 keep this cacophony of sharp noises well-delineated, it did so with a sonic smoothness that didn't fatigue or strafe my ears. Switching to the XA2's 5.1-channel output shifted digital-to-analog conversion from the receiver to the player, resulting in even more spacious and detailed sound in the mid- and high frequencies — a testament to the onboard processing. But with the player's LFE output down 10 dB by design, I had a difficult time balancing the system and was ultimately able to achieve considerably more solid bass with my receiver handling bass management via HDMI. Audio from the optical digital output, a Dolby Digital core bitstream with a 640 kilobit-per-second data rate, was good, but sounded veiled and less open next to the TrueHD.
BOTTOM LINE Regular readers may know that, Sony's PS3 game console aside, no high-def disc player we've tested has made it to our S&V's Best list of recommended products, including Toshiba's HD-XA1, our 2006 Editors' Choice Product of the Year. That's because — despite stellar video and audio — all have had glitches or omitted key features. No such qualms here, beyond the usual caveats about buying during a format war. With its future-readiness, superb performance with both HD and SD DVDs, and essentially glitch-free operation, the Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD player easily lives up to its promise and price tag.HD DVD & Blu-ray Info Center
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