Toshiba HD-D1KN vs Toshiba HD-A1

Started by ar2261 May 2, 2006 5 posts
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#1
----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----

Jason,

I purchased an HD DVD player today from of all places, Walmart. A friend gave me a heads up that they were stocking them and so they were. No display, nothing. The staff wasn't even aware that they had the player. Set it up and eureka, 1080i over component.
Something I thought I would never see. The unit that I purchased is the Toshiba HD-D1KN. It is solid black. The unit that Best Buy is selling is the HD-A1. The HD-A1 is more stylish. It has round buttons on the front rather than the oblong buttons on the HD-D1KN I purchased. The other difference is that the Best Buy unit has a silver rather than a black bottom. If anyone knows of any real differences between the two units or why Toshiba release both a solid black and a black at silver version at the entry level I would love to know. No extended warranty was offered at the time of purchase. I asked for one and was told to contact the manufacturer.
One other interesting note, the Walmart I purchased this at was so oblivious to it's existence that they didn't bother to remove the packing slip from the carton which happened to be the packing slip for the entire shipment they received from Toshiba. I removed the packing slip and read it and low and behold, Walmart paid Toshiba 1,000.00 for four units. That means 250.00 to Walmart and 488.00 plus tax to us. Hell of a mark up on this stuff.
One last thing, I remember Jason that you said the audio levels were exceedingly low over digital, either optical or coaxial and I have found this to be true also. I took Richard's advice and checked to make sure that the unit was outputting bit-stream as opposed to PCM but the levels are still low. The funny thing is that the promo at the beginning of the discs has a perfect audio level, but once the films start it drops off the charts. How did you resolve this if in fact you did?
Anthony R.

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#2
----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----

I have only heard low levels from the coaxial/optical out on TLS, POTO, and
MDB. Apollo 13, Doom, Serenity, and Goodfellas were fine. I haven't watched
Swordfish yet.
Right now I am running audio through my VP30 over HDMI so I am able to get
DD from the DD+ stream which doesn't have a low audio problem on those discs
in that configuration. But I have checked each disc on the optical/coaxial
out to see which ones did have a problem. The low audio problem also is from
the disc. It has to do with the way the disc was authored. It is not a
problem with the player.
I know when I checked those 3 discs with the low audio from the
optical/coaxial out, I could just turn up the volume to compensate and it
sounded fine.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Anthony Rizzuto" <[email protected]>
To: "HDTV Magazine" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 01, 2006 11:46 PM
Subject: Toshiba HD-D1KN vs Toshiba HD-A1


> ----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----
>
> Jason,
>
> I purchased an HD DVD player today from of all places, Walmart. A friend
> gave me a heads up that they were stocking them and so they were. No
> display, nothing. The staff wasn't even aware that they had the player.
> Set it up and eureka, 1080i over component.
> Something I thought I would never see. The unit that I purchased is the
> Toshiba HD-D1KN. It is solid black. The unit that Best Buy is selling is
> the HD-A1. The HD-A1 is more stylish. It has round buttons on the front
> rather than the oblong buttons on the HD-D1KN I purchased. The other
> difference is that the Best Buy unit has a silver rather than a black
> bottom. If anyone knows of any real differences between the two units or
> why Toshiba release both a solid black and a black at silver version at
> the entry level I would love to know. No extended warranty was offered at
> the time of purchase. I asked for one and was told to contact the
> manufacturer.
> One other interesting note, the Walmart I purchased this at was so
> oblivious to it's existence that they didn't bother to remove the packing
> slip from the carton which happened to be the packing slip for the entire
> shipment they received from Toshiba. I removed the packing slip and read
> it and low and behold, Walmart paid Toshiba 1,000.00 for four units. That
> means 250.00 to Walmart and 488.00 plus tax to us. Hell of a mark up on
> this stuff.
> One last thing, I remember Jason that you said the audio levels were
> exceedingly low over digital, either optical or coaxial and I have found
> this to be true also. I took Richard's advice and checked to make sure
> that the unit was outputting bit-stream as opposed to PCM but the levels
> are still low. The funny thing is that the promo at the beginning of
> the discs has a perfect audio level, but once the films start it drops off
> the charts. How did you resolve this if in fact you did?
> Anthony R.
>
> To unsubscribe please click: [email protected]
>
> To receive the digest mode (one email a day made from all posted that same
> day) send an email to:
> [email protected]
>


To unsubscribe please click: [email protected]

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#3
----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----

Anthony, my low audio issue was actually not with the digital output,
but with the analog. When I watched Serenity and Samurai, I found the
audio much higher over the DTS optical feed than the 6 channel analog.

I googled for "Toshiba HD-D1KN" and got nothing. I don't see any
reference to anything other than HD-A1 and HD-XA1. I don't want to sound
insulting, but are you sure about that model number?? If so, is there
any other number you can find for it, or perhaps scan in a copy of the
manual or photo of the unit. I'm stumped!

Jason

Anthony Rizzuto wrote:
> ----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----
>
> Jason,
>
> I purchased an HD DVD player today from of all places, Walmart. A friend gave me a heads up that they were stocking them and so they were. No display, nothing. The staff wasn't even aware that they had the player. Set it up and eureka, 1080i over component.
> Something I thought I would never see. The unit that I purchased is the Toshiba HD-D1KN. It is solid black. The unit that Best Buy is selling is the HD-A1. The HD-A1 is more stylish. It has round buttons on the front rather than the oblong buttons on the HD-D1KN I purchased. The other difference is that the Best Buy unit has a silver rather than a black bottom. If anyone knows of any real differences between the two units or why Toshiba release both a solid black and a black at silver version at the entry level I would love to know. No extended warranty was offered at the time of purchase. I asked for one and was told to contact the manufacturer.
> One other interesting note, the Walmart I purchased this at was so oblivious to it's existence that they didn't bother to remove the packing slip from the carton which happened to be the packing slip for the entire shipment they received from Toshiba. I removed the packing slip and read it and low and behold, Walmart paid Toshiba 1,000.00 for four units. That means 250.00 to Walmart and 488.00 plus tax to us. Hell of a mark up on this stuff.
> One last thing, I remember Jason that you said the audio levels were exceedingly low over digital, either optical or coaxial and I have found this to be true also. I took Richard's advice and checked to make sure that the unit was outputting bit-stream as opposed to PCM but the levels are still low. The funny thing is that the promo at the beginning of the discs has a perfect audio level, but once the films start it drops off the charts. How did you resolve this if in fact you did?
> Anthony R.
>
> To unsubscribe please click: [email protected]
>
> To receive the digest mode (one email a day made from all posted that same day) send an email to:
> [email protected]
>
>

To unsubscribe please click: [email protected]

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#4
----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----

Jason,

I don't mean to butt it, but I thought I made be able to provide a
little additional information. The HD-D1KN is a rebadged HD-A1 made
exclusively for Wal-Mart. The case is a different color and the buttons
are a different shape, but as far as I know, the insides are identical.
I also note that the model number on the back of the HD-A1 is actually
listed as HD-A1SN. Not sure why Toshiba adds the extra 2 letters to the
model number, but presumably they are doing the same thing with the
units Walmart is selling (i.e. HD-D1 vs. HD-D1KN). Also it has
generally been reported that the first Warner HD-DVDs discs all had
their audio encoded at too low a level. The Universal discs do not have
this problem. I have heard reports that the more recent Warner discs
do not have the low audio issue. I have not had a chance to hook up my
analog audio connections to compare to the digital connections.

Scott

-----Original Message-----
From: HDTV Magazine On Behalf
Of Jason Burroughs
Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 11:04 AM
To: HDTV Magazine
Subject: Re: Toshiba HD-D1KN vs Toshiba HD-A1

----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----

Anthony, my low audio issue was actually not with the digital output,
but with the analog. When I watched Serenity and Samurai, I found the
audio much higher over the DTS optical feed than the 6 channel analog.

I googled for "Toshiba HD-D1KN" and got nothing. I don't see any
reference to anything other than HD-A1 and HD-XA1. I don't want to sound
insulting, but are you sure about that model number?? If so, is there
any other number you can find for it, or perhaps scan in a copy of the
manual or photo of the unit. I'm stumped!

Jason

Anthony Rizzuto wrote:
> ----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----
>
> Jason,
>
> I purchased an HD DVD player today from of all places, Walmart. A
friend gave me a heads up that they were stocking them and so they were.
No display, nothing. The staff wasn't even aware that they had the
player. Set it up and eureka, 1080i over component.
> Something I thought I would never see. The unit that I purchased is
the Toshiba HD-D1KN. It is solid black. The unit that Best Buy is
selling is the HD-A1. The HD-A1 is more stylish. It has round buttons
on the front rather than the oblong buttons on the HD-D1KN I purchased.
The other difference is that the Best Buy unit has a silver rather than
a black bottom. If anyone knows of any real differences between the two
units or why Toshiba release both a solid black and a black at silver
version at the entry level I would love to know. No extended warranty
was offered at the time of purchase. I asked for one and was told to
contact the manufacturer.
> One other interesting note, the Walmart I purchased this at was so
oblivious to it's existence that they didn't bother to remove the
packing slip from the carton which happened to be the packing slip for
the entire shipment they received from Toshiba. I removed the packing
slip and read it and low and behold, Walmart paid Toshiba 1,000.00 for
four units. That means 250.00 to Walmart and 488.00 plus tax to us.
Hell of a mark up on this stuff.
> One last thing, I remember Jason that you said the audio levels were
exceedingly low over digital, either optical or coaxial and I have found
this to be true also. I took Richard's advice and checked to make sure
that the unit was outputting bit-stream as opposed to PCM but the levels
are still low. The funny thing is that the promo at the beginning of
the discs has a perfect audio level, but once the films start it drops
off the charts. How did you resolve this if in fact you did?
> Anthony R.
>
> To unsubscribe please click: [email protected]
>
> To receive the digest mode (one email a day made from all posted that
same day) send an email to:
> [email protected]
>
>

To unsubscribe please click: [email protected]

To receive the digest mode (one email a day made from all posted that
same day) send an email to:
[email protected]

To unsubscribe please click: [email protected]

To receive the digest mode (one email a day made from all posted that same day) send an email to:
[email protected]
#5
----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----

Thanks Scott! That's the info I was looking for. I'm still surprised
that model number isn't on google! even more surprised it's not cheaper
than $488.

Jason

Scott Shearer wrote:
> ----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----
>
> Jason,
>
> I don't mean to butt it, but I thought I made be able to provide a
> little additional information. The HD-D1KN is a rebadged HD-A1 made
> exclusively for Wal-Mart. The case is a different color and the buttons
> are a different shape, but as far as I know, the insides are identical.
> I also note that the model number on the back of the HD-A1 is actually
> listed as HD-A1SN. Not sure why Toshiba adds the extra 2 letters to the
> model number, but presumably they are doing the same thing with the
> units Walmart is selling (i.e. HD-D1 vs. HD-D1KN). Also it has
> generally been reported that the first Warner HD-DVDs discs all had
> their audio encoded at too low a level. The Universal discs do not have
> this problem. I have heard reports that the more recent Warner discs
> do not have the low audio issue. I have not had a chance to hook up my
> analog audio connections to compare to the digital connections.
>
> Scott
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HDTV Magazine On Behalf
> Of Jason Burroughs
> Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 11:04 AM
> To: HDTV Magazine
> Subject: Re: Toshiba HD-D1KN vs Toshiba HD-A1
>
> ----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----
>
> Anthony, my low audio issue was actually not with the digital output,
> but with the analog. When I watched Serenity and Samurai, I found the
> audio much higher over the DTS optical feed than the 6 channel analog.
>
> I googled for "Toshiba HD-D1KN" and got nothing. I don't see any
> reference to anything other than HD-A1 and HD-XA1. I don't want to sound
> insulting, but are you sure about that model number?? If so, is there
> any other number you can find for it, or perhaps scan in a copy of the
> manual or photo of the unit. I'm stumped!
>
> Jason
>
> Anthony Rizzuto wrote:
>
>> ----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----
>>
>> Jason,
>>
>> I purchased an HD DVD player today from of all places, Walmart. A
>>
> friend gave me a heads up that they were stocking them and so they were.
> No display, nothing. The staff wasn't even aware that they had the
> player. Set it up and eureka, 1080i over component.
>
>> Something I thought I would never see. The unit that I purchased is
>>
> the Toshiba HD-D1KN. It is solid black. The unit that Best Buy is
> selling is the HD-A1. The HD-A1 is more stylish. It has round buttons
> on the front rather than the oblong buttons on the HD-D1KN I purchased.
> The other difference is that the Best Buy unit has a silver rather than
> a black bottom. If anyone knows of any real differences between the two
> units or why Toshiba release both a solid black and a black at silver
> version at the entry level I would love to know. No extended warranty
> was offered at the time of purchase. I asked for one and was told to
> contact the manufacturer.
>
>> One other interesting note, the Walmart I purchased this at was so
>>
> oblivious to it's existence that they didn't bother to remove the
> packing slip from the carton which happened to be the packing slip for
> the entire shipment they received from Toshiba. I removed the packing
> slip and read it and low and behold, Walmart paid Toshiba 1,000.00 for
> four units. That means 250.00 to Walmart and 488.00 plus tax to us.
> Hell of a mark up on this stuff.
>
>> One last thing, I remember Jason that you said the audio levels were
>>
> exceedingly low over digital, either optical or coaxial and I have found
> this to be true also. I took Richard's advice and checked to make sure
> that the unit was outputting bit-stream as opposed to PCM but the levels
> are still low. The funny thing is that the promo at the beginning of
> the discs has a perfect audio level, but once the films start it drops
> off the charts. How did you resolve this if in fact you did?
>
>> Anthony R.
>>
>> To unsubscribe please click: [email protected]
>>
>> To receive the digest mode (one email a day made from all posted that
>>
> same day) send an email to:
>
>> [email protected]
>>
>>
>>
>
> To unsubscribe please click: [email protected]
>
> To receive the digest mode (one email a day made from all posted that
> same day) send an email to:
> [email protected]
>
> To unsubscribe please click: [email protected]
>
> To receive the digest mode (one email a day made from all posted that same day) send an email to:
> [email protected]
>
>

To unsubscribe please click: [email protected]

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[email protected]