Home > Consumer Reviews > Toshiba HD-A30 1080p HD DVD Player

Outstanding HD performance with the added bonus of making my old DVD's look better than ever. Discovery's "Planet Earth" alone justifies the jump to HD DVD. My one complaint is that they don't include an HDMI cable in the box and local retailers will soak you for one. Advise ordering the HDMI cable on-line at the same time as you order the player.

The Toshiba HD-A30 and HD-A35 are the two top Hi Def DVD players currently available (Jan 2008). Prices continue to drop and make these players a bargain compared to the deals of just a year ago. There is still a price premium (as is warranted) over the non-Hi Def players. Hi Def images (with a proper display and proper cables - i recommend Apple Computer HDMI cables at $20 each) are significantly better than standard definition images. I don't see the Hi-Def versus Blu-Ray battle as a reason not to buy. The Hi-Def player now does not cost significantly more than a standard def player (imo) and will play standard dvds and upconvert them to your TVs resolution capabilities (up to 1080p). Even if Hi-Def doesn't win out, you have a dvd player which will continue to play your standard dvds (better than a standard def dvd player.) In the mean time, you can watch Hi-Def movies you buy or rent. Renting versus buying your Hi-Def dvds will reduce your liklihood of becoming a casualty in the Hi-Def versus Blu-Ray battle.

Both the HD-A30 and the HD-A35 are capable of firmware updates - either over the web (ethernet) or by downloading a file from Toshiba with your computer, burning a CD and using the CD in the player to update the machine. I was NOT able to establish a connection with the HD-A30 via ethernet and i have above average networking skills. I downloaded Toshiba's update file which consists of an ISO image. These files require special handling and a Google search may prove helpful (i needed additional software to burn the ISO image to a CD.) Because of my initial attempts to update the player's firmware over ethernet, the machine did not accept the CD as a source. I finally re-intialized the player (the option above update in the player's setup menu) and this allowed me to update from the CD. I write all this because the update process can be confusing, but is important. Without the update, the player occasionally locked up during playback and sometimes allowed the audio and video to get out of sync. After the update, i had no more problems.

These players do take longer than a regular player to start up and the updates are essential. Check first though (according to the instructions) to see if you require the update. I first bought the HD-A30 and deciphered the update process. I later bought the HD-A35. Since i had the update process all figured out, i immediately downloaded the HD-A35 update file (different from the HD-A30 file), burned a CD and inserted it to update the player which promptly told me that i already had the latest firmware installed. Oh well. When properly updated and set up (again including proper cables and a proper display,) these Hi-Def players (and also Blu-Ray) offer the best image available on a TV.

Okay, I've read enough from all these naysayers, warning IN BOLD TYPE EVEN that HD DVD is dead. You can check it out on Google even, they SAY. If they are so savvy, why do they spell Blu Ray, "BLUE RAY" ? (We call it "Blah Ray"
at my house, but that's obviously for purposes of derision and beside the point).
Yes, dear harbingers of doom, anyone even vaguely connected to electronic technology knows that Toshiba has thrown in the towel after being starved out of the HD optical disc business by movie studios and retailers, courtesy of Sony $$$ incentives.
I doubt anyone is buying HD DVD nowadays unaware of the format's demise.
So, STOP SHOUTING THE OBVIOUS AT US ALREADY !!! There's a disclaimer on every retailer's HD DVD selling page disclosing the facts, for Pete's sake !
That off my chest, now to the purpose of this review area in the first place. ( Those who want to SCREAM ill-timed warnings, please review/comment on the "SCREAMIN' Ill -Timed Warnings" review section).
I very recently ( since the announced demise of HD DVD ) purchased a Toshiba HD-A30 as a back-up player. I already own an HD-A20 and 100+ HD DVD movies ( Imagine that...I'm such a dumb loser !!!) and I would like to be able to enjoy my HD DVD collection for years to come. The HD-A30 will take over when, and if my older unit fails. That way, my movie collection is indeed viewable for the foreseeable future.
I've tried the HD-A30 out and have found it to be a very nice player. I can't put my finger on it, but I still prefer my HD-A20. The build quality seems a bit better on the 20 maybe.
Picture and sound wise the A30 is an excellent performer. Its video performance is exactly equal to the higher dollar A35. The extra money in the former unit goes toward more advanced audio options, which I don't need, as I only have a 5.1 audio setup. Don't fret, the sound through my humble system is superb !
The A30 is also a superior upconverting player, allowing me to view my standard DVD collection at near HD resolution. This player is on par with the A20 in this respect. In my opinion, its upscaling capabilities exceed the performance of any dedicated upconverting player I have seen. Given the "sell off" pricing of these machines, this capability alone suggests consideration of the A30.
While future development of HD DVD and subsequent movie releases may have come to an abrupt stop, there are still 500+ HD DVDs out there to be had, in some cases for less than I might pay for the same title in standard DVD.
So, for now, naive little ol' me, will enjoy 1080p High Resolution movies with back-up peace of mind. I'll collect wonderful Hi Def discs for a fraction of what the victorious Blu boys will be paying. And I will view my trusty old DVDs in the best possible resolution.
And, you soothsayers of devastation can just go SHOUT YOUR DIRE WARNINGS ELSEWHERE !!!

Bought this one as an alternative to the overpriced BluRay offerings, and I am not disappointed, especially when I got 10 discs total in the whole package when I bought it. Tried it out with Blade Runner final cut and was very impressed... picture was excellent on my Sony XBR3 Bravia @ 1080P. It does a good job upconverting my existing regular DVD discs to 1080P. Hooking it up and getting it working on my home network for extras and updates had no difficulty. Startup time is about 30 seconds before it can play a disc. The optical output on the unit passed DOLBY DIGITAL to my 10 year old Denon AVR without a problem. In fact, the optical output was seperately addressable from the HDMI audio, which was very handy as my older player didn't have that functionality.
One thing... get the firmware update for this unit (you can update it via internet) because it fixes startup times and other issues that were identified early on.
In all... this is a great value if you want to upgrade to an upconverting player with HI-DEF and start building a library right away. Even if HDDVD doesn't win the format war eventually, it's a good player regardless because BluRay isn't doing anyone any favors at their prices.

I've been using this unit for a week now, and all I can say is...I love it! I had been holding off on buying a high def DVD player for a long time, waiting out the Blu-Ray/HD format war. I was leary of Blu-Ray with it's high price and technical problems. Then a 10 free HD DVD offer pushed me over the edge and I took the HD plunge. Needless to say, I have NOT been disappointed. I've watched at least one movie every day for the last week and have had absolutely no problems with this machine or any of the discs. Every thing plays fine, without any firm-ware updates. NO PROBLEMS! Movies look absolutely fantastic on my Panasonic HD TV. A comparison between the Casino sd-dvd and HD DVD totally blew me away! It's not even a comparison. The HD picture is sharp and crisp. Colors are warm and vibrant. Textures of fabrics, and facial features are extremely detailed and life like. This is the look of perfect! I am having a blast watching old favorites for the "first time" in HD. This is the best puchase I've made in a long time. Even the recent news regarding Warner Bros. supporting Blu-Ray exclusively isn't enough to dampen my enthusiasm. There is a plethora of HD titles available, both new releases and classics, many of which are not (and may never be) available on Blu-Ray. If you love movies, and if your favorites are available on HD DVD, do not hesitate. Take the plunge. Snatch up this amazing machine and immerse yourself in the HD experience.