The first sub $200 hd dvd player

smcbeath · 12-09-2007, 11:37

I feel this deserves its own thread, those lucky americans will be getting these soon

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/format-wa...000-294791.php

Venturer Electronics
Venturer SHD7000 HD DVD player: $199 Coming Soon!
Tech Specs:
HDMI
S-Video
Component Video
Up-convert Standard DVD’s to 720p/1080i “Near-HD-Picture/Audio Quality”
Ethernet Connectivity
Dolby TrueHD Sound – 5.1ch etc.
CD/DVD/HD DVD Playback
480i/p, 720p, 1080i
Supports mandatory HD DVD requirements of persistent storage, network interface and HDi support etc.

GDK · 12-09-2007, 13:13

How many times are you going to post that info?

You're worse than New Labour for re-announcing old news!

Jimmy Riddle · 12-09-2007, 13:14

I'd still go for a Toshiba.

I'd wait until the format war is over anyway.

chyllyphylly · 12-09-2007, 13:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmy Riddle

I'd still go for a Toshiba.

I'd wait until the format war is over anyway.

Same here, i don't want to be stuck with a Betamax

JimRockford · 12-09-2007, 13:31

Who cares if you end up being stuck with something that's defunct in 5 years. I've still got a laserdisc player and laserdisc collection, it still works.

I'm buying the Star Trek remastered set on HD DVD in November because I want to watch it now, who cares if the format is dead in 3 years. I'm not saying it will be, I'm just saying.

Chorlton Fisher · 12-09-2007, 14:08

Won't this Toshi do the same? £207.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toshiba-HD-E...9602204&sr=1-1
Sure it's twice the price, but you can have it tomorrow and it's made by a name I trust.

mr.ian · 12-09-2007, 14:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chorlton Fisher

Won't this Toshi do the same? £207.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toshiba-HD-E...9602204&sr=1-1
Sure it's twice the price, but you can have it tomorrow and it's made by a name I trust.

http://www.laskys.com/tv_and_dvd/dvd...ba&refid=affil

Here it is cheaper with free postage.

smcbeath · 12-09-2007, 16:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by GDK

How many times are you going to post that info?

You're worse than New Labour for re-announcing old news!

Ah be gone with you

, this is one of the reasons why the war has been good for the consumer. If there was only blu ray, how much would we still be paying for a standalone machine, while they recoup R+D costs?

Jarrak · 12-09-2007, 16:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by smcbeath

Ah be gone with you

, this is one of the reasons why the war has been good for the consumer. If there was only blu ray, how much would we still be paying for a standalone machine, while they recoup R+D costs?

Amen.

Without HD DVD the Blu-ray camp would be keeping the hardware as high priced as possible for a good number of years to recoup not only the R&D but the "hit" they took when losing the DVD price war with cheap chinese sourced players which dominoed prices across the market.

Cheaper HD DVD has already encourage Blu-ray reductions and faster second gen turn around as well as forcing SONY to absorb PS3 subsidies which themselves could really cripple the company. If HD DVD hadn't been around then Blu-ray media would have sold perhaps double with the PS3 leading the way which would have lifted the burden of subsidies to a degree.

The worse thing to happen to the HD market in the short term is two formats, the best thing to happen in the long term is two formats.

We the consumer will come out of this with far cheaper and flexible hardware than we ever would have with one format in a similar timescale. As for software well long term it doesn't really matter, all movies will be sold for the dominant format.

Apollo 1875 · 15-09-2007, 01:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chorlton Fisher

Won't this Toshi do the same? £207.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toshiba-HD-E...9602204&sr=1-1
Sure it's twice the price, but you can have it tomorrow and it's made by a name I trust.

I was lucky enough to get one of these HD DVD decks this week, I got it free with The Matrix Trilogy (1st 150 customers HMV, London), but I would advise anyone who's wondering if it's worth £200 for this player, I'd say go for it.

Even if you'd considered an upscaling DVD player, this Toshiba does that very well. HD discs look brilliant, so rejoice in being able to access an HD format at an affordable price. Even if HD DVD loses out to Blu-Ray, you could still use it as a great 2nd DVD deck in another room. Its not that big a gamble.

I'll probably get a PS3 when they put it in a smaller unit. I really don't mind buying into 2 different formats; just not both in one day. At the moment, I'm just loving being able to watch Hi Def content. Whether the formats manage to co-habit or one eventually squeezes the other out of existence, my view is, if you can afford to get on board, do it. If the wind changes, move on, but don't miss out for fear of the wind changing.

Jarrak · 15-09-2007, 02:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apollo 1875

I was lucky enough to get one of these HD DVD decks this week, I got it free with The Matrix Trilogy (1st 150 customers HMV, London), but I would advise anyone who's wondering if it's worth £200 for this player, I'd say go for it.

Congrats

Apollo 1875 · 15-09-2007, 02:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jarrak

Congrats

Cheers, I was very lucky. Did a victory dance in store.

cardbus · 15-09-2007, 10:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apollo 1875

Cheers, I was very lucky. Did a victory dance in store.

lucky git, bet you werent alone with your victory dance. How much was the matrix trilogy disc then.

Apollo 1875 · 17-09-2007, 01:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardbus

lucky git, bet you werent alone with your victory dance. How much was the matrix trilogy disc then.

£70 for The Matrix Trilogy. The complementary "goodie bag" contained the Toshiba HD DVD deck, a Matrix Trilogy T-Shirt and a pair of Matrix-esque shades.

A poster on another thread thought the player might not be much cop because it doesn't output 1080p, but I'd recommend it to anyone who has an HD Ready TV, the pictures look fantastic, way better than DVD's on my Panny via component. £200 is still a steal, IMO; I just got a bigger steal.

Films look more like... erm "film", and I don't even have a 24/fps set. I'm looking forward to getting a disc that was actually shot on high def video to compare.

I can't take advantage of the new HD audio formats yet as my amp is quite old, but my DTS decoder does a pretty good job anyway. I'll start checking out 7.1 amps with HDMI switching... and add them to my wish list.

Toshiba do a model that does 1080p, so people who've invested in a Full HD screen might want to consider that, but I think you're looking investing something closer to £400 for that deck.

Happy hunting!

12-09-2007, 11:37	#1
smcbeath Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 2,247	The first sub $200 hd dvd player I feel this deserves its own thread, those lucky americans will be getting these soon http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/format-wa...000-294791.php Venturer Electronics Venturer SHD7000 HD DVD player: $199 Coming Soon! Tech Specs: HDMI S-Video Component Video Up-convert Standard DVD’s to 720p/1080i “Near-HD-Picture/Audio Quality” Ethernet Connectivity Dolby TrueHD Sound – 5.1ch etc. CD/DVD/HD DVD Playback 480i/p, 720p, 1080i Supports mandatory HD DVD requirements of persistent storage, network interface and HDi support etc.

12-09-2007, 16:34	#8
smcbeath Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 2,247	Quote: Originally Posted by GDK How many times are you going to post that info? You're worse than New Labour for re-announcing old news! Ah be gone with you, this is one of the reasons why the war has been good for the consumer. If there was only blu ray, how much would we still be paying for a standalone machine, while they recoup R+D costs?

12-09-2007, 16:46	#9
Jarrak Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Ilkeston Posts: 18,075	Quote: Originally Posted by smcbeath Ah be gone with you, this is one of the reasons why the war has been good for the consumer. If there was only blu ray, how much would we still be paying for a standalone machine, while they recoup R+D costs? Amen. Without HD DVD the Blu-ray camp would be keeping the hardware as high priced as possible for a good number of years to recoup not only the R&D but the "hit" they took when losing the DVD price war with cheap chinese sourced players which dominoed prices across the market. Cheaper HD DVD has already encourage Blu-ray reductions and faster second gen turn around as well as forcing SONY to absorb PS3 subsidies which themselves could really cripple the company. If HD DVD hadn't been around then Blu-ray media would have sold perhaps double with the PS3 leading the way which would have lifted the burden of subsidies to a degree. The worse thing to happen to the HD market in the short term is two formats, the best thing to happen in the long term is two formats. We the consumer will come out of this with far cheaper and flexible hardware than we ever would have with one format in a similar timescale. As for software well long term it doesn't really matter, all movies will be sold for the dominant format.

12-09-2007, 13:13	#2
GDK Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Wigan Posts: 4,892	How many times are you going to post that info? You're worse than New Labour for re-announcing old news!

12-09-2007, 13:14	#3
Jimmy Riddle Banned User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 2,447	I'd still go for a Toshiba. I'd wait until the format war is over anyway.

12-09-2007, 13:19	#4
chyllyphylly Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 845	Quote: Originally Posted by Jimmy Riddle I'd still go for a Toshiba. I'd wait until the format war is over anyway. Same here, i don't want to be stuck with a Betamax

12-09-2007, 13:31	#5
JimRockford Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: London Posts: 2,989	Who cares if you end up being stuck with something that's defunct in 5 years. I've still got a laserdisc player and laserdisc collection, it still works. I'm buying the Star Trek remastered set on HD DVD in November because I want to watch it now, who cares if the format is dead in 3 years. I'm not saying it will be, I'm just saying.

12-09-2007, 14:08	#6
Chorlton Fisher Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: London Posts: 3,104	Won't this Toshi do the same? £207. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toshiba-HD-E...9602204&sr=1-1 Sure it's twice the price, but you can have it tomorrow and it's made by a name I trust.

12-09-2007, 14:14	#7
mr.ian Inactive Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Bonnie Scotland Posts: 4,316	Quote: Originally Posted by Chorlton Fisher Won't this Toshi do the same? £207. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toshiba-HD-E...9602204&sr=1-1 Sure it's twice the price, but you can have it tomorrow and it's made by a name I trust. http://www.laskys.com/tv_and_dvd/dvd...ba&refid=affil Here it is cheaper with free postage.

15-09-2007, 01:21	#10
Apollo 1875 Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Moon Base Alpha Posts: 386	Quote: Originally Posted by Chorlton Fisher Won't this Toshi do the same? £207. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toshiba-HD-E...9602204&sr=1-1 Sure it's twice the price, but you can have it tomorrow and it's made by a name I trust. I was lucky enough to get one of these HD DVD decks this week, I got it free with The Matrix Trilogy (1st 150 customers HMV, London), but I would advise anyone who's wondering if it's worth £200 for this player, I'd say go for it. Even if you'd considered an upscaling DVD player, this Toshiba does that very well. HD discs look brilliant, so rejoice in being able to access an HD format at an affordable price. Even if HD DVD loses out to Blu-Ray, you could still use it as a great 2nd DVD deck in another room. Its not that big a gamble. I'll probably get a PS3 when they put it in a smaller unit. I really don't mind buying into 2 different formats; just not both in one day. At the moment, I'm just loving being able to watch Hi Def content. Whether the formats manage to co-habit or one eventually squeezes the other out of existence, my view is, if you can afford to get on board, do it. If the wind changes, move on, but don't miss out for fear of the wind changing.

15-09-2007, 02:04	#11
Jarrak Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Ilkeston Posts: 18,075	Quote: Originally Posted by Apollo 1875 I was lucky enough to get one of these HD DVD decks this week, I got it free with The Matrix Trilogy (1st 150 customers HMV, London), but I would advise anyone who's wondering if it's worth £200 for this player, I'd say go for it. Congrats

15-09-2007, 02:44	#12
Apollo 1875 Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Moon Base Alpha Posts: 386	Quote: Originally Posted by Jarrak Congrats Cheers, I was very lucky. Did a victory dance in store.

15-09-2007, 10:37	#13
cardbus Forum Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 4,651	Quote: Originally Posted by Apollo 1875 Cheers, I was very lucky. Did a victory dance in store. lucky git, bet you werent alone with your victory dance. How much was the matrix trilogy disc then.

17-09-2007, 01:18	#14
Apollo 1875 Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Moon Base Alpha Posts: 386	Quote: Originally Posted by cardbus lucky git, bet you werent alone with your victory dance. How much was the matrix trilogy disc then. £70 for The Matrix Trilogy. The complementary "goodie bag" contained the Toshiba HD DVD deck, a Matrix Trilogy T-Shirt and a pair of Matrix-esque shades. A poster on another thread thought the player might not be much cop because it doesn't output 1080p, but I'd recommend it to anyone who has an HD Ready TV, the pictures look fantastic, way better than DVD's on my Panny via component. £200 is still a steal, IMO; I just got a bigger steal. Films look more like... erm "film", and I don't even have a 24/fps set. I'm looking forward to getting a disc that was actually shot on high def video to compare. I can't take advantage of the new HD audio formats yet as my amp is quite old, but my DTS decoder does a pretty good job anyway. I'll start checking out 7.1 amps with HDMI switching... and add them to my wish list. Toshiba do a model that does 1080p, so people who've invested in a Full HD screen might want to consider that, but I think you're looking investing something closer to £400 for that deck. Happy hunting!

DS Forums

The first sub $200 hd dvd player