Product Review
 

Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD High Definition Player

Part III

October, 2007

Kris Deering

 

How Does it Look?

Now for the big question: does the 1080p output really add anything to the playback experience? If you've read our big article on 1080p you know that getting good 1080p playback in the home isn't the easiest thing to do. Like DVD before it, de-interlacing properly is an integral part of it. Fortunately, I have never had an issue with this, even with the first generation HD DVD players. My Anthem Statement D2 A/V processor does the I/P conversion properly, as does my Marantz VP-11S1 1080p DLP projector. I also have the DVDO VP-50, which does an outstanding job with 1080i to 1080p video conversion (the best I've seen yet in fact). But for those of you who may not be as fortunate to have these pieces of equipment in your home theater, or a suitable alternative, the XA2 will deliver the goods without the need for an expensive outboard video processing solution or a display that has one built in.

During our objective testing of the XA2 for HD DVD playback, I used a variety of test material, including our custom HD DVD test disc, Silicon Optix's HD DVD Benchmark disc, and the new Digital Video Essentials HD DVD. The XA2 did a great job on the de-interlacing side as I mentioned before, and a good job on the core video tests.

Here are the test results, as previously shown in our DVD Benchmark:

HD-XA2 (Component) - Auto

Passed

Borderline

Failed

Not Tested

Chroma, 3-2 Film Flags
Chroma, 3-2 Alt. Flags
Chroma, 2-2 Film Flags
Chroma, 4:2:0 ICP
Video Levels
Blacker-than-Black
YC Delay
Image Cropping
3-2 Cadence, Film Flags
3-2 Cadence, Alt. Flags
3-2 Cadence, Video Flags
3-2 Cadence, Mixed Flags
2-2 Cadence, Film Flags
Film Mode High Detail
Bad Edit
Video to Film Transition
Recovery Time
Incorrect Progressive Flags
Motion Adaptive
 

Layer Change
Responsiveness
 

Sync Subtitle to Frames
 

 

HD-XA2 (HDMI) - Default

Passed

Borderline

Failed

Not Tested

Chroma, 3-2 Film Flags
Chroma, 3-2 Alt. Flags
Chroma, 2-2 Film Flags
Chroma, 4:2:0 ICP
Video Levels
Blacker-than-Black
YC Delay
Image Cropping
3-2 Cadence, Film Flags
3-2 Cadence, Alt. Flags
3-2 Cadence, Video Flags
3-2 Cadence, Mixed Flags
2-2 Cadence, Film Flags
Film Mode High Detail
Bad Edit
Video to Film Transition
Recovery Time
Incorrect Progressive Flags
Motion Adaptive
 

Layer Change
Responsiveness
 

Sync Subtitle to Frames
 

The XA2 uses the NEC decoder chip for its HD DVD decoding. This is the same solution used in the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on. My biggest complaint with this chip is the presence of the chroma upsampling error (CUE) that we fought so hard to eliminate in the DVD format. This results from improper upsampling of the native 4:2:0 chroma information that is encoded on the disc to 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 (whichever the player decides to convert to). Toshiba compensates for this by using the chroma filter technology in the Reon processor. While this does hide the issue, it does not solve it completely. We could still see some slight striping in the chroma information. This filtering also hurts chroma resolution overall and limits the full potential of detail in color with this player. Luckily, Toshiba resolved this issue with the newest firmware, and the decoder now passes the full chroma resolution of the discs.

The XA2 also does a great job with our core video tests. The player is not cropping any pixels from the active image, delivering the full 1920x1080 resolution to the end display device. Y/C delay is also not an issue, allowing for a crisp image devoid of the ringing that this may cause (think of it as a similarity to the convergence issues you may have had with older CRT based displays). This player also retains the full dynamic range of the luma signal and does not clip head and toe room. This was a problem with the first generation players that was eventually resolved with a firmware update.

Sitting Back and Watching the Movies

After all the testing was done and I had put the player through its paces with some of the material I had problems with previously, I sat down to enjoy watching the latest HD DVD releases over the course of a few weeks. I have the XA2 connected to my SSP via HDMI and don't rely on any other connections, so my experiences are based on the HDMI output.

I must say this is what I was expecting from the first generation players of this format. The XA2 consistently delivers a next generation experience that makes SD DVD an unacceptable alternative. HD DVD offers a video image that is second to none, and I am constantly impressed with the software that I get in for review.

During the last month or so I've gone back into my HD DVD library to revisit some of my favorites and see how they do on this new player. Universal's Miami Vice has become one of my favorite HD DVD movies. The picture quality on this disc is nothing short of stunning most of the time, and the soundtrack is an experience.

I am also extremely impressed with the care Universal put in to the U-Control features of this disc. The player literally rescales the active HD image when you bring up the interactive menu. I can only imagine how much processing power this takes, and the XA2 does it flawlessly. This disc also has some neat features such as Google Earth maps and pop-ups that talk about the planes and cars in the film.

Another personal favorite of mine is the previously mentioned Beside You In Time concert disc from my favorite group, Nine Inch Nails. Front man Trent Reznor has always pushed the envelope of delivery for both audio and video, and this release is no exception. The high resolution 24 bit Dolby TrueHD soundtrack is an amazing recording of a concert that I enjoyed immensely live and now can experience in even better quality at home. Mixed for 5.1 by Elliot Scheiner, who is one of my favorite mixers with DVD Audio and SACD content, the soundtrack on this disc is a testament to dynamic range and presence. Couple that with the XA2's ability to display this presentation at 1080p properly, and you have the best player on the market today to get the full experience of this concert for both audio and video.

Conclusions

While there is definitely room for improvement, the HD-XA2 is by far the preferred HD DVD player on the market today to get the most out of the HD DVD format. Most of the frustrations and shortcomings of Toshiba's first generation offerings are gone, and the video and audio performance are excellent. Personally, I think that the HD-XA2 should have been Toshiba's initial offering, but hopefully this is a sign of things to come and we'll see even more refined players in the months to come.


- Kris Deering -

© Copyright 2007 Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity

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