HD DVD's main advantage over its archrival Blu-ray is hardware consistency. Unlike the variety of hardware standards that Blu-ray players are based upon (profile versions 1.0, 1.1, and 2.0, for example), all Toshiba HD DVD players use the same spec. Because of this, the players have the same abilities. These include dual video decoders for picture-in-picture functionality, flash memory for persistent storage, and Ethernet ports to access online content, including necessary firmware updates. The latest HD DVD players are also a far cry from the heavy, bulky boxes first unleashed in 2006. The Toshiba HD-A30 ($199.99 list) is a great example of how far high-definition players have come and is the company's least expensive model to offer 1080p video output. I'm happy to say that, though the HD-A30's lab performance was mixed as it stumbled through some of our critical tests, overall it delivered exceptionally pleasing image quality with most HD DVD and DVD videos.