Toshiba A3 vs A30 for SD DVD upscaling?

[MikeAK]

Which one of these players would offer the better PQ for SD DVD upscaling?

[Centauri]

I'll give you a hint; Can you imagine a situation in which the lower-end of two players from the same product generation would have a leg up on the other in any way?

[Guns4Hire]

I had both the A3 and A30 and they both did a really good job of upconverting. Whether the A30 is better than the A3 I couldnt tell. If it is ... its not by much.

I have a LG BH200 and its phenomenal.

[MikeAK]

Originally Posted by Centauri

I'll give you a hint; Can you imagine a situation in which the lower-end of two players from the same product generation would have a leg up on the other in any way?

There is no need to be a smart ass. I've been doing some research over at AVS and some are saying that, even though the A30 and A35 have the Anchor Bay scalers, when it comes to SD DVD scaling they all use the same software.

[MikeAK]

Originally Posted by Guns4Hire

I had both the A3 and A30 and they both did a really good job of upconverting. Whether the A30 is better than the A3 I couldnt tell. If it is ... its not by much.

I have a LG BH200 and its phenomenal.

So would you say then, from your experience with the 2, that it wouldn't be worth an extra $80 to go with an A30 over an A3?

[HD 335]

My first HD DVD player was the A3 and eventually I ended up with the A30 and A35 now. I've never tested the A3 on my 52" since I didn't have the TV during that time, but I saw a difference between A3 and the A30 on my 37" screen. Sharpness was about the same, but color reproduction seemed better. I presume that once your screen gets larger, the differences become more noticeable. The price difference between the A3 and A30 is so small now that you should go with the A30 and it outputs at 1080p for HD content rather than 1080i.

By the way, I'm probably going to sell my A30 if you are interested

[redsoxlucas]

I have the A-30 in my living room and the A-3 in my bedroom....both upscale great....it is not a HUGE difference, but I think the A-30 is a bit better.....but nothing to spend way more money on if you don't have it.

I agree with the color comment...color was the main difference. I have a 40" Sony Bravia and upscaling certain movies looks gorgeous

[MikeAK]

Originally Posted by HD 335

By the way, I'm probably going to sell my A30 if you are interested

Thanks for the offer but I'm way up here in BC Canada so by the time I paid for S/H I'd probably be better off getting in the store. A3 is $99 and the A30 is $149.

[HD 335]

Yep, Canada shipping will kill the deal. I don't know if it's worth buying an A30 for $149 even if it's brand new, that's just me though. I admit I'm a bit spoiled when it comes to HD DVD hardware prices, especially since at one time I picked up 6 A35s off Amazon for $129 shipped. For $149, you might be better off seeing if there is a deal on a combo player and putting in some extra money so you can BD playback as well.

Originally Posted by redsoxlucas

I agree with the color comment...color was the main difference. I have a 40" Sony Bravia and upscaling certain movies looks gorgeous

Have you watched the SD version of Crank? I thought it looked excellent on my 37".

[Rich86]

Originally Posted by MikeAK

Thanks for the offer but I'm way up here in BC Canada so by the time I paid for S/H I'd probably be better off getting in the store. A3 is $99 and the A30 is $149.

I would reiterate what others are saying - there are more considerations that put the A30 higher on the list than the A3 other than internal upconverting capabilities - 1080p/24fps output capability was what sold me on the A30 over the A3 when I got my player. But if you have no intentions of getting into HD-DVD's and your TV doesn't support 1080p/24fps via the hdmi connections - then maybe it doesn't matter much.
Amazon Warehouse has listed A3's with very attractive prices lately . . . maybe their free shipping includes BC Canada?
btw - I got to visit your part of the world recently attending a conference in Vancouver - what a great place you live in.

[MikeAK]

Originally Posted by Rich86

btw - I got to visit your part of the world recently attending a conference in Vancouver - what a great place you live in.

Very cool

Next time your out there and have a day to kill you should jump on the bc ferries and spend the day on Vancouver Island. If you thought Van was nice then Van Island would be like heaven to you

[RoadLizard]

Originally Posted by MikeAK

Which one of these players would offer the better PQ for SD DVD upscaling?

Well, I have an A2 and an A30. The A30 is now the main player and I believe it upscaled better than the A2 did. Granted, the A2 is not exactly the A3, but its a worthy comparison, IMO.

If you can get an A30, I feel its worth the upgrade over the A2 or the A3.

[MikeAK]

Thanks to everyone who gave their opinions.

[Rich86]

Originally Posted by MikeAK

Very cool

Next time your out there and have a day to kill you should jump on the bc ferries and spend the day on Vancouver Island. If you thought Van was nice then Van Island would be like heaven to you

My wife and I actually did exactly that back in late April. We spent time in Buchart Gardens (awesome place) and made our way down to Victoria before heading back up the island for the return ferry. We were on a tour van, so subject to their schedule, but it was a pretty packed 12 hour day overall and we enjoyed ourselves greatly. Next time, we would do it on our own and surely spend more time in Buchart Gardens and maybe stay over in Victoria. We managed to get up to Whistler on another day also. Another enjoyable place to be.

[Blacklac]

The A3 and A30 both use Anchor Bay, but they are different chips.

I would pick the A30. I have an A2 (as someone else already said, not the same but close) and an A35. The A35 was noticeably better at upconverting. Slightly sharper and cleaner, better colors and an overall more realistic picture IMO. The same for HD viewing.