1946 replies to this topic

[dJOS]

dazbug, on Oct 26 2006, 11:35 AM, said:

Tell me about it, unless it was fixed recently, but my remote is sooooo responsive. Just like any other remote i own.  Maybe we got a good remote or something, who knows.  No lip sync problems, no remote problems, loading time is around 30 sec max if that.  There is no issue with this player (well mine). Couldn't be more happier

I can honestly say that I have never used the remote apart from putting batteries in it and using it to power on my A1 for the first time - it was perfectly responsive but I wasn't impressed with the circa 1985 styling and lack of tactile feedback.

That said I have a URC MX-850 RF universal remote which I had already programmed to run the A1 before I even got my player so the, imo, poor remote was not an issue for me.

[mav]

dazbug, on Oct 26 2006, 11:35 AM, said:

Tell me about it, unless it was fixed recently, but my remote is sooooo responsive. Just like any other remote i own.  Maybe we got a good remote or something, who knows.  No lip sync problems, no remote problems, loading time is around 30 sec max if that.  There is no issue with this player (well mine). Couldnt be more happier

I was actually kind of hesitant on getting this machine due to the comments people were making over at AVS forum about the remote, I have to say I think those folks must have been smoking whoopie weed or something.  

I do like the backlight feature of the XA1 remote, it comes in very handy indeed and it looks very classy.

I had a little trouble as Derek knows with upgrading the firmware to V2.0 but it was due to the iso I copied from the mirror source given at AVS forum. I think that the mirror copy has been tampered with so i advise others to use the following link to get the iso image as I know it works.


http://www.thereidcl...IAL_RELEASE.iso

The mirror copy of the above does not work and produces an error during the upgrade between the 45 and 50% mark, you will find the mirror copy linked over at the AVS forum. My advice is to stay clear of it.

[SDL]

mav, on Oct 26 2006, 02:40 PM, said:

I was actually kind of hesitant on getting this machine due to the comments people were making over at AVS forum about the remote, I have to say I think those folks must have been smoking whoopie weed or something.  

I do like the backlight feature of the XA1 remote, it comes in very handy indeed and it looks very classy.

I had a little trouble as Derek knows with upgrading the firmware to V2.0 but it was due to the iso I copied from the mirror source given at AVS forum. I think that the mirror copy has been tampered with so i advise others to use the following link to get the iso image as I know it works.
http://www.thereidcl...IAL_RELEASE.iso

The mirror copy of the above does not work and produces an error during the upgrade between the 45 and 50% mark, you will find the mirror copy linked over at the AVS forum. My advice is to stay clear of it.

I'm trying to save some money and you are making this sound too good - lucky buggers!

[momaw]

Just spoke to Castel (again) and here is the latest for the Oz release.  The release is still slated for December.  There will be 2 players (as we knew) but the price's have changed.  They are now $1199 for the basic model and $1999 for the more advanced machine.  That is an increase of $200 on previously reported pricing (for the standar machine).  The region coding is where it gets even more interesting.  HD-DVD WILL be region free, however, SD DVD will be limited to region 4.  Now I don't know if there will be a way to change that as yet.

Given this, the decision over whether to import of buy locally has just gotten alot more interesting for those on the fence such as myself.  I think that if sd dvd is region locked then the US machines are looking alot more appealing.  Sure they are locked to 1 rather than 4 but they are certainly cheaper.  

Seems they are trying to make the use of SD DVD a painful experience (I am sure most who are looking at this type of machine have a mixture of region coded discs).  Is this part of a plan to get people out of SD or put them off buying a HD player?

[MarkH]

momaw, on Oct 26 2006, 03:54 PM, said:

Just spoke to Castel (again) and here is the latest for the Oz release.  The release is still slated for December.  There will be 2 players (as we knew) but the price's have changed.  They are now $1199 for the basic model and $1999 for the more advanced machine.  That is an increase of $200 on previously reported pricing (for the standar machine).  The region coding is where it gets even more interesting.  HD-DVD WILL be region free, however, SD DVD will be limited to region 4.  Now I don't know if there will be a way to change that as yet.

Given this, the decision over whether to import of buy locally has just gotten alot more interesting for those on the fence such as myself.  I think that if sd dvd is region locked then the US machines are looking alot more appealing.  Sure they are locked to 1 rather than 4 but they are certainly cheaper.  

Seems they are trying to make the use of SD DVD a painful experience (I am sure most who are looking at this type of machine have a mixture of region coded discs).  Is this part of a plan to get people out of SD or put them off buying a HD player?

As some members on this thread have bought the XA1 machine for less than $800 shipped, I think its a no-brainer. Buy an import! Speak with your wallet! Obviously with emerging technology, both BR and HD-DVD are within the same price structure DVD was when it hit the market, but when the SRRP goes up by $200 in the space of a couple of months...well, enough said. I think Toshiba will have a problem on their hands with HD-DVD adoption in this country, largely thanks to greed from distributors.

[AndrewW]

momaw, on Oct 26 2006, 03:54 PM, said:

Just spoke to Castel (again) and here is the latest for the Oz release.  The release is still slated for December.  There will be 2 players (as we knew) but the price's have changed.  They are now $1199 for the basic model and $1999 for the more advanced machine.  That is an increase of $200 on previously reported pricing (for the standar machine).  The region coding is where it gets even more interesting.  HD-DVD WILL be region free, however, SD DVD will be limited to region 4.  Now I don't know if there will be a way to change that as yet.

This post makes me sad

Even though I have purchased a US import, it was a spare of the moment opportunity and decision, and up until a couple of days ago I was going to purchase an Oz player at release.

That, however, was based on an assumed sub $1000 release price.

At $1200+, I would definitely be waiting a bit, and that is not good for HD-DVD chances of winning the format war.

This particulary scuks, considering there are US retailers taking pre-orders of the HD-A2 for US$400, so there is no justification for the increase in Oz pricing.

Andrew.

[dJOS]

mav, on Oct 26 2006, 02:40 PM, said:

I was actually kind of hesitant on getting this machine due to the comments people were making over at AVS forum about the remote, I have to say I think those folks must have been smoking whoopie weed or something.  

*puts joint away*  

mav, on Oct 26 2006, 02:40 PM, said:

I had a little trouble as Derek knows with upgrading the firmware to V2.0 but it was due to the iso I copied from the mirror source given at AVS forum. I think that the mirror copy has been tampered with so i advise others to use the following link to get the iso image as I know it works.
http://www.thereidcl...IAL_RELEASE.iso

The mirror copy of the above does not work and produces an error during the upgrade between the 45 and 50% mark, you will find the mirror copy linked over at the AVS forum. My advice is to stay clear of it.

Yes this link is the one to use, as mav mentioned it has worked perfectly for me also and it is suitable for both the A1/XA1.

PS. For those not aware, the XA1 is the A1 in a much sexier case + a backlit remote control.

AndrewWilcockson, on Oct 26 2006, 04:11 PM, said:

This post makes me sad

Even though I have purchased a US import, it was a spare of the moment opportunity and decision, and up until a couple of days ago I was going to purchase an Oz player at release.

That, however, was based on an assumed sub $1000 release price.

At $1200+, I would definitely be waiting a bit, and that is not good for HD-DVD chances of winning the format war.

This particulary scuks, considering there are US retailers taking pre-orders of the HD-A2 for US$400, so there is no justification for the increase in Oz pricing.

Andrew.

On the flip side it is still $400 cheaper the the crippled Samsung BluRay player and street prices should bring it below the $1k mark.

[Trigg]

momaw, on Oct 26 2006, 01:54 PM, said:

Just spoke to Castel (again) and here is the latest for the Oz release.  The release is still slated for December.  There will be 2 players (as we knew) but the price's have changed.  They are now $1199 for the basic model and $1999 for the more advanced machine.  That is an increase of $200 on previously reported pricing (for the standar machine).  The region coding is where it gets even more interesting.  HD-DVD WILL be region free, however, SD DVD will be limited to region 4.  Now I don't know if there will be a way to change that as yet.

Given this, the decision over whether to import of buy locally has just gotten alot more interesting for those on the fence such as myself.  I think that if sd dvd is region locked then the US machines are looking alot more appealing.  Sure they are locked to 1 rather than 4 but they are certainly cheaper.  

Seems they are trying to make the use of SD DVD a painful experience (I am sure most who are looking at this type of machine have a mixture of region coded discs).  Is this part of a plan to get people out of SD or put them off buying a HD player?

Since when has any one on this forum paid RRP.  I'm sure street price will be a bit different.  And if there is a region hack at least you will be able to play NTSC discs on a PAL machine.  Not sure whether a region hack on an NTSC machine will allow you to play PAL discs.

I am also assuming that the machines coming out in Aust will be the A2 with HDMI 1.3, potentially worth the premium of the import for future proofing.

[MarkH]

Trigg, on Oct 26 2006, 04:14 PM, said:

Since when has any one on this forum paid RRP.  I'm sure street price will be a bit different.

Very true, but it still means after haggling your price down youre still paying up to $200 more than we thought we would be when prices were tentatively said couple of weeks ago...

[momaw]

Trigg, on Oct 26 2006, 04:14 PM, said:

I am also assuming that the machines coming out in Aust will be the A2 with HDMI 1.3, potentially worth the premium of the import for future proofing.

I believe only the $1999 model has 1.3 and and $1199 model has 1.2 (if the us specs are anything to go by).

[Trigg]

MarkH, on Oct 26 2006, 02:17 PM, said:

Very true, but it still means after haggling your price down youre still paying up to $200 more than we thought we would be when prices were tentatively said couple of weeks ago...

The price difference is the premium you pay to ensure that if anything goes wrong you don't have to send it back to the US to get fixed. Touch Wood!

[MarkH]

momaw, on Oct 26 2006, 04:19 PM, said:

I believe only the $1999 model has 1.3 and and $1199 model has 1.2 (if the us specs are anything to go by).

1.2a to be precise!! Call me Mr. Pedantic!

[momaw]

Trigg, on Oct 26 2006, 04:14 PM, said:

Since when has any one on this forum paid RRP.  I'm sure street price will be a bit different.

True, but will it be as good as what some member have paid recently for the A1 or XA1?  Not likely and you will still lose the 5.1.  If you want the 5.1 you may well pay twice the price to get it local.

Trigg, on Oct 26 2006, 04:21 PM, said:

The price difference is the premium you pay to ensure that if anything goes wrong you don't have to send it back to the US to get fixed. Touch Wood!

At half the price you take a risk.

[Felix.]

Yeah particularly when there will probably be initial shortages for a product likely to be in some degree of demand. I wouldn't count on getting one much below that elevated RRP at least for the first couple of months. This is not good news from Castel and got me seriously thinking about the import option again.

[momaw]

MarkH, on Oct 26 2006, 04:22 PM, said:

1.2a to be precise!! Call me Mr. Pedantic!

Mr Pedantic

[MarkH]

momaw, on Oct 26 2006, 04:23 PM, said:

Mr Pedantic

Yes?  

[kamma]

considering the fact they are second gen players and also consider the cost of converters and the import duty.

i dont know what all the fuss is about       

[MarkH]

Trigg, on Oct 26 2006, 04:21 PM, said:

The price difference is the premium you pay to ensure that if anything goes wrong you don't have to send it back to the US to get fixed. Touch Wood!

Sorry, Im referring to the fact that up until the phone call today, the ESRP was going to be $1000 for the Australian model. Now its $200 more which means that after haggling your price down its still gonna be about $200 more than it was expected to be.

[momaw]

kamma, on Oct 26 2006, 04:25 PM, said:

considering the fact they are second gen players and also consider the cost of converters and the import duty.

i dont know what all the fuss is about       

I believe the prices the guys are quoteing are inclusive of shipping and importing.  They have also been giving good tips on cheap converters.

I'm just wondering if with a region locked sd machine it is worth the extra $500 (for the basic machine) odd over the import.  Sure warranty could be an issue, but would you pay HN $500 for an extended warranty on a $700 machine?  So long as it is tested before it is shipped (as some of these guys suppliers have done)....

[Trigg]

Who knows really. I'll wait to see what happens when they come out in Aust. I'll still have the ability to import probably the A3 at that point in time (hopefully December!) Hurry up Castel!  

[MarkH]

kamma, on Oct 26 2006, 04:25 PM, said:

considering the fact they are second gen players and also consider the cost of converters and the import duty.

i dont know what all the fuss is about       

I think its the price difference vs. US machines thats the problem, but then, with everything that gets brought in to this country. We just will never get used to being ripped off!!!

[kamma]

momaw, on Oct 26 2006, 04:30 PM, said:

I believe the prices the guys are quoteing are inclusive of shipping and importing.  They have also been giving good tips on cheap converters.

I'm just wondering if with a region locked sd machine it is worth the extra $500 (for the basic machine) odd over the import.  Sure warranty could be an issue, but would you pay HN $500 for an extended warranty on a $700 machine?  So long as it is tested before it is shipped (as some of these guys suppliers have done)....

the prices being quoted are all excluseive of import duty which is paid here $100- $200. the converters are $50-$100.

thats already up to $900 odd and there is no way anyone pays rrp of $1200 so after all is said and done you are paying about the same and have peace of mind

[MarkH]

kamma, on Oct 26 2006, 05:02 PM, said:

the prices being quoted are all excluseive of import duty which is paid here $100- $200. the converters are $50-$100.

thats already up to $900 odd and there is no way anyone pays rrp of $1200 so after all is said and done you are paying about the same and have peace of mind

From memory nobody (inc. me) who imported a HD-DVD player (or BR) from this forum got hit with import duty. Remember, the goods will have a customs sticker saying DVD player...not an $800 product.

[MeWhoElse]

kamma, on Oct 26 2006, 05:02 PM, said:

the prices being quoted are all excluseive of import duty which is paid here $100- $200. the converters are $50-$100.

thats already up to $900 odd and there is no way anyone pays rrp of $1200 so after all is said and done you are paying about the same and have peace of mind

Um, check the Customs website... anything bought on the net, under the value of $1000 (inc shipping cost) has no duties or GST added to the cost in Australia. With the Australian dolar roughly worth 75c in the US... I think you may want to do your summations again!!!

http://www.customs.g...page.cfm?u=5549

[williamtassone]

felix_ler_sha, on Oct 26 2006, 04:23 PM, said:

Yeah particularly when there will probably be initial shortages for a product likely to be in some degree of demand. I wouldn't count on getting one much below that elevated RRP at least for the first couple of months. This is not good news from Castel and got me seriously thinking about the import option again.

I can relate to that

Remember around august 2003 when Toshiba released the last of their great DVD players??

The sd-9500 at RRP $3000

It pipped the denon flagship at the time for picture quality and no-one was giving discounts for over 18 months

If the Gen 2 players arrive in December thats great but I wouldn't be counting on major discounts as demand will exceed supply