The Toshiba HD-A1 and XA1 players are the first in a new wave of next-generation DVD machines capable of reproducing high-definition signals of 1080×1920 scan lines. That´s quite a step up from the 480 lines produced from standard-definition DVDs, and it means a whole lot more pixels reaching your screen, up to six times as many overall. Which means a far better, more detailed picture, no matter what size screen you´re watching.

Most of the reported 10,000-15,000 HD DVD players shipped to dealers apparently went to Best Buy, and if that retailer is representative, only 2-3 players were allotted to each store, along with a handful discs. The players were gone within a day—some dealers had put them up for sale on the 17th.

In a piece of questionable if not misleading promotion, Toshiba prominently displayed King Kong in its print and online ads for the HD DVD format. While everyone expects to see that Universal film on HD DVD eventually, a high-definition release of that DVD has not, to the best of my knowledge, been formally announced.

Setup is simple enough. The HD-A1 supports HDMI and Component output for HD signals, and can also output 480p over S-Video and composite. Audio output options include coaxial and optical digital, as well as stereo RCA and 5.1 analog. An Ethernet port allows for future firmware updates and access to interactive web content. Once wired up, the HD-A1′s on-screen menu system allows for resolution, output format, and sound format selections. It’s worth noting that if you start the unit for the first time via an HDMI connection you must command the unit to activate HDMI with the remote before you’ll see anything on screen. Strangely, if an HD-A1 connected via HDMI remains powered on while you switch between video sources on your TV or receiver, “HDMI ERROR” begins flashing on the HD-A1′s display, which is disconcerting.

The errors often occurred when we switched between inputs on an A/V receiver–imagine pausing a movie and switching over to ESPN to check the score of a game, for example–but on at least one occasion, our movie just stopped playing. The HDMI problems occurred when the HD-A1 was connected to a variety of receivers, HDTVs, and cables we had on hand, so we asked for a second opinion. The result: the Toshiba HD-A1′s HDMI implementation wasn’t up to industry standards with its early firmware and remains somewhat dodgy, even after the latest firmware upgrade. For many users, this may pass unnoticed, but depending upon which TVs and receivers you connect to it, the HD-A1 could perform erratically, as it did for us.