Toshiba's HD-XA1 HD DVD player

And while we're on the topic of HD DVD vs. Blu-ray (yeah, we know that we're always on this topic, but whatevs), Toshiba officially took the wraps off the HD-XA1, a prototype of what will eventually be the first commercially available HD DVD player (they've actually been quietly showing this off for a few weeks now, guess the big formal intro didn't happen until today). Toshiba is a little hazy about when the HD-XA1 (or whatever they end up calling the production model) might go on sale — sometime before the end of the year in Japan is the best they'll do — but one thing we do know is that no matter when it drops this thing is going to be crazy expensive.

[rich @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

it's huge! my first gen DVD player back in '96 wasn't even that big.

[JinKazama @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Holy crap is that a VCR!!!!!!!!!!!!! That Sucker is humungous....Yikes.

[flipmyx @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

try explaining to the mainstream consumer why there are two more new "DVD" formats.... we havent seen a consumer marketing blitz regarding "HD" the same level as gaming is (i.e. M$ 'new era of HD' hype w/ the XBox 360) considering these two formats are about to be released... as soon as the average Joe Consumer realizes that a proper investment into High Definition Entertainment involves $4,000 televisions, $500 players and game consoles, a similarly expensive HiFi sound setup, they will hold on to their $25 wal-mart DVD player so bad, that there will be some 'soul-searching' amongst these hardware and content conglomerates... but then again, nobody ever lost money betting against the American public's ignorance and sheep-like acceptance(WMD's anyone?)

[alex @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Are they on crack?! That thing is friggin' ginormous! I could fit 3 dvd players into that thing and still have room to fit a couple more hard drives. Must be all the DRM hardware "hackproof" boards they had to cram in there that makes it so big.

[ty @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

#3 you make a lot of good points ... the general consumer isnt ready for HD content on video ... this is the more reason why first to market wont matter as much in the long end.

[Rich @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Are you sure that's not a giant showing off Toshiba's first stab at a Laserdisc player? Otherwise that thing is bigger than huge. I'd have to re-arrange my whole living room to fit it in. Maybe build an extension?

How come this is so big on the same day (almost) that they announce the first laptop HDDVD drive?

I must say, the current (Japan only?) Sony Blu-Ray recorder is waaaaay better looking than this. I'm sure if you look closely enough you'll be able to read 'Soft Eject Mechanism'... I know the 80's is back(ish) -- but this is ridiculous.

[GAPi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

They have to make the 1st gen that big so that it looks more hi-end, more sophisicated, and more expensive.

[Matt @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

flipmyx, it's hardly ignorance and sheep-like acceptance. People will spend money on these things if they value what they get from them. HD is still in its early stages of adoption and the prices are set to fit that fact. I happen to watch a lot of sports on TV, and I love the way HD looks compared to SD, so I was willing to shell out the cash for an HDTV (even though I got a pretty good deal cuz my friend got his employee discount for me), but my parents have absolutely no interest in it at this point because the pricetags don't match their desire. The same thing applies to me with the HD DVD formats. The players will be way too expensive early on and I don't watch enough movies to want to pay the kind of money it will take to get one. My point is, there will always be advances in technology and people will spend money on them because they are willing, not because they are sheep. Some people still have old CRT TV's with greenish pictures encased in wood and some people have 42" plasmas. That WMD reference was way off base.

(btw just cuz I talked about my parents doesnt make me that young, or them that old for that matter... I'm 23)

[skype_fan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

HD is nice, however I wouldn't spend much money on it, as long as 99% of the Hollywood productions are crap anyway. Didn't buy a DVD in 3 years. HD for the FIFA Worldcup, yes please :)

[PiratePete @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Alex I think your right. All that DRM hackproof hardware in it is making it swell. Imagine what the PS3 will look like then. Ah well, just more room for a mod chip then.
(99 cent DRM hardware bypasser anyone??)

[YoMaMa @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Its a High end receiver, no, its two xbox's together, no......its just the HD-XA1.

Can you say what the @#$% was the designers smoking.

[Rishard @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

this box is NOT THAT BIG. Look closely at the picture. Its maybe the 3 - 3 1/2 disks across which is about the width of an average dvd player. Its a bit thicker, probably about as thick as an Xbox. Thats really not all that bad.

[pixelator @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

"try explaining to the mainstream consumer why there are two more new "DVD" formats...."

How about because DVD is now 9 years old and the technology has advanced? Was there a need for 'explanation' when VHS/Beta came out? Did Pioneer have to 'explain' Laserdisc? Just because DVD 'only' took 9 years to evolve into a higher level format doesn't mean there's any explaination needed. People can keep their existing DVD players and non-HD TV's if they so desire, and many probably will for a while.

"as soon as the average Joe Consumer realizes that a proper investment into High Definition Entertainment involves $4,000 televisions, $500 players and game consoles, a similarly expensive HiFi sound setup,"

You sir, are an idiot. I just bought a top-rated Panasonic 42" plasma HDTV for $2450 at my local Circuit City. XBOX360 core systems will be $299, or $399 for the Platinum. Existing "HiFi" sound setups will continue to work just fine. I have digital 6.1 EX/DTS - no worries for the immediate future, here.

You are totally blowing this out of proportion. HDTVs and 16:9 sets have been out for some time, now. HDTV programming has, too. All that is happening here is that a new upper-echelon DVD format is arriving to take advantage of HD sets. We're getting two formats, just like VHS/Beta and Laserdisc/Videodisc. No big deal, just wait and see which comes out on top (although it's looking kind of like Blu-Ray at the moment).

I mean, what are you, some curmudgeonly geezer? Do you eat at the same restaurant every day, only walk on approved, familiar trails, sex only in the missionary position? Relax. This happens every 10-20 years or so. Yeah, you'll have to upgrade the DVDs you want to see in HD. So what? I remember the LD guys freaking out over this 9 years ago. "DVD is doomed! Planned obsolescence!" -- The thing is, everything is obsolete at some point. Whatever. VHS didn't last all that much longer, really (and that wasn't exactly a good thing, either)... At least this time you can keep and enjoy your older DVDs and just get the newer HD ones if you like. Or not. Who cares?

"nobody ever lost money betting against the American public's ignorance and sheep-like acceptance(WMD's anyone?)"

Mmkay... HD media is JUST like the WMD's.

[Google Nazi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

I honnestly wouldn't give 2 cents if every next gen console would be using a different media format because it has always been that way. However, when you get something like 2 different types of mainstream media such as HD-DVD and bluray, it is like the stupidest thing ever!

I hate going to a store and seeing all of these VHS tapes next to the DVD ones! It is the same freakin thing but crappyer quality! Now, we are about to exit the VHS age where VCR's are no longer bought and sony will say beta is a thing of the past....

BUT NOW WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH LESS VARIETY BECAUSE THERE IS 2 FREAKIN FORMATS TO SUPPORT!

I don't want to buy a movie from this company because its HD. I want to buy a $300 movie player (blu-ray) which will last me years upon years not fade away because HD-DVD was more popular!

I hate HD-DVD! Blu-ray is more prepared for the future! It has higher resolution support, AND it has more space on it.

I hope HD-DVD goes bankrupt before they even become mainstream, if not then please support blu-ray technology!

[ledorky @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

And I thought the Xbox was HUGE. This makes the Xbox look slim.

[GunForHire @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Jeez, look at that thing! If that's what the first HD-DVD player is like I wonder what size the PS3 is going to be if it's got a Blu Ray drive!

[Henry Tavarez @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Why do some of you people feel the need to bash someone's views and try to make them feel like a moron just to get your point across. The fact of the matter is that everyone here has a right to their opinion and shouldnt have to be verbally humiliated just for voicing it. If you have a problem with someone's opinion, bring it up and counter it with your own. No need to humiliate them in the process.

Grow up people.

[TY @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

WOW! it's a suitcase, why would toshiba bring to market that huge contraption after showing a sweet looking prototype at ceatac japan http://www.blu-ray.com/ceatec2004/

[Rishard @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

This thing is a PROTOTYPE. Its probably not going to look like this when its done.

[RedStarr @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Anyone see the irony of having such a huge device for such small media? What a fucking ugly PileOS. And you people wonder why Apple kicks the living sh*t out of everyone in design. It's like the first toaster...
it's f***ing HUGE!

I'll use my Mac for everything thank you very much.

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

"You sir, are an idiot. I just bought a top-rated Panasonic 42" plasma HDTV for $2450 at my local Circuit City. XBOX360 core systems will be $299, or $399 for the Platinum."

1. It's Premium, not Platinum.

2. Xbox360 doesn't play HD DVDs.

Fact checking is always a plus before you call people idiots, chief.

[Google Nazi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

I don't want to be in the argument but il go ahead and voice something...

x360 doesn't play HD-DVD's? Then why does it come with a console remote (dunno if its HD-DVD or DVD) but if it runs on pure DVD roms then the load times should take forever.

Also as much as apple may be good with some of their products they aren't king of design. They have their style and others have their style. I'm not a big fan of everything looking white and round :-P

Although still in concept I hope this thing stays as bulky and ugly as it does right now because of hope that the HD-DVD dies. :)

Hail blu-ray!

[John @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Besides the obvious fact that's its huge, how about some specs? If this is so close to final can we get confirmation on a lack of 1080p, HDMI required for HD, what other outputs are provided, etc?

[MrFloppy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

Yeah, we need to know final specs.
Anyway, this is UGLY and HUGE :s

I don't think PS3 will be so huge (they probably learned of the first Xbox).

[Cel Shady @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

As an interesting comparison, I was in Tokyo a while back and stopped by the Sony building. They had a bunch of BluRay players there showing HD content on nice big HDTVs and those players were pretty much the same size.

[Jason Anderson @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

A friend says HD-DVD will never come out anyway. So no big deal.

And yes. That is really big. It looks like it's about 20"x15"x5". Anyone got dimensions for this thing?

[bandit @ Dec 19th 2005 12:20AM]

I cant help but think that the vast majority of posters to this site are just as idiotic as the people they rant against.

1) the 360 will use 12x DVD which is faster then a 1x, 2x BDROM. That being said, unless sony intends to release in 2007 or spend a buttload of money expect 2x BDroms on ps3 with load times longer then that found on the 360.

2)BDROM is NOT the media of the future, high capacity flash cards and mini HDDS are.

WHY? because of what HDDVD is trying to accomplish. HDDVD wants to set up content management which allows CONSUMERS to make LEGAL copies of intellectual property. This means you buy the movie ONCE and you can play it on your HDDVD player, stream it to another room in your house through a 360, load it into you video IPOD on the go, or import tracks to your MP3 player. the BluRay groups wants you to purchase the SAME intellectual property MULTIPLE times for different formats, IE buy DVD version, buy bluray version, buy UMD, version, buy CD soundtrack etc. If the movie studios have their way you will be paying $100 for the same exact intellectual content which they made ONCE but you must purchase MULTIPLE times to use in other methods. MS and the HDDVD group wants to eliminate that and let media/content be interchangable through all types of devices. This is what the computer companies back HDDVD, but its also whay movie companies back BluRay because use stupid consumers are so taken with the idea of bigger is better that we dont realize Hollywood plans to charge us for every cent of it MULTIPLE times. If sony gets their way you will buy spiderman at least 3 times, UMD,DVD, BDROM. If HDDVD gets it way you buy it once and it works on everything. To be fair the drawback is that you dont own the copies unlike BDRom where you can sell each copy you own, but personally Id prefer the right to use the content a purchased however i want when ever I want.