Dolby Digital 5.1 and Digital DTS Surround 5.1 still sound good. I ordered an optical cable from Amazon.com so I could run the surround sound from my HD DVD player to my reciever. The first thing I did was watch 12 Monkeys. Man, there is a definate advantage to living in a house over an apartment. Mainly being able to crank the volume up on your sound system. The Universal logo shook the house! lol It was awesome! I am totally having a movie night this weekend. Finally have a home theater I am happy with (for now!) If you are interested, Saturday, most likely before we go see Iron man. Get back to me if you are interested.

That's the one alright. Found one for $230 from Amazon.com new. HD DVD is coming back!!! If I gotta do it myself damnit! LOL!! Obviously i'm not serious about that. But I figure it's not a bad investment due to there being over 450 HD DVD titles available now. I have been collecting SD DVD's for about 12 years and only have 350 or so. So I think HD DVD will hold me till the UHD formats start hitting in about 4 or 5 years from now. With the upconversion (agreeably the best in the industry) I can enjoy new releases on SD DVD in 1080p. Not true 1080p mind you, but somewhere in the middle of SD and HD, which is not super-fantastic, but it's not bad by any stretch either. Here are some specs for those who like to look at them:

Video

HD Output 720p/1080i/1080p

Benefit: Leading-edge, efficient video compression standards makes it possible to experience the full potential of your HDTV.

1080p/24 Frames Per Second (24p) Support

Definition: 1080p/24p offers a smoother, more film-like viewing experience. The HD-A35 outputs images at 24 frames per second, the same frame rate used by directors when using film to create motion pictures. Watch your favorite movies in their native frame rate with compatible HDTVs.

Audio

Advanced Audio including Dolby® TrueHD, Dolby® Digital Plus and DTS® HD (core only), along with legacy formats including Dolby® Digital DTS®

Definition: Advanced Audio capability brings increased sonic realism to movie soundtracks.

Convenience

Web-Enabled Capability

Definition: Open a whole new world of entertainment experience that can include access to exciting studio-provided enhanced features.

Backwards Compatibility

Definition: With backwards compatibility you can enjoy your existing library of DVDs and CDs, and through the process of upconversion and output through HDMI, your movies are scaled to match the resolution of your HD display for near-HD picture quality.

CE-Link HDMI-CEC

Definition: CE Link offers the capability to communicate with and control another CE device in a completely new way. For example, using CE-Link with “One Touch Play,” consumers will be able to turn on a HDMI-CEC capable HDTV and a Toshiba HD-A35 player, and start playing a movie with a single touch of a button on the player’s remote.

Jackpacks

Ethernet Connection

Definition: Connect your HD DVD player to the internet to allow it to receive updates that will support future applications and services.

HDMI™ with Deep Color

Benefit: Deep Color™ provides smoother image transitions, improved contrast and detail, and displays up to a billion possible colors all in the comfort of your own home theater.

The very day (today) I was just telling the wife about how my Xbox 360 has been as solid as a rock compared to everyone else's I knew of and it dies. Well, it's not dead per say, but it freezes up after a few minutes of being on whether it's playing a game, watching a DVD/HD DVD, or just sitting in the Dashboard. My personal opinion is that one of the two fans died and the single fan can't dissipate the heat generated by the VPU quickly enough.

Another problem with this is that without my Xbox 360, I can't watch HD DVD's. I have The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, and Clerks II coming in this week too! I'm thinking now i'm gonna buy a stand-alone player. An HD-A35 I think I can get for under $150 from ebay or something. Those were the top of the line 3rd generation players from Toshiba before Sony cheated and bought out WB and Fox effectively killing HD DVD. That'll do better with sound anyway than the Xbox 360. The 360 HD DVD add on can only output audio in two formats, neither of them is Dolby TrueHD either. Nor does it support 7.1 surround sound.

I still have my Wii to fallback on though. Now is a good time to get some solid play-time in on Smash Bros. Brawl. And I need to finish up Mario Galaxy as well. I have been meaning to get back online with Mario Strikers also. No better time than the present, eh?

First stop to Fred Meyer and it was in my grasp! They actually had a bunch of copies just sitting in the glass case waiting to be bought up! I have been Brawling non-stop now for like 2 hours! It will continue into the night over at my friends house!

...I am on a mission. A quest. A holy crusade! For today bears the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii! My route is thus: Fred Meyer, Wal*Mart, Target, GameStop, Software Etc., EB Games, and finally Best Buy. That should take me in a big circle from East Bremerton, through Silverdale, and back around into West Bremerton and then home. If the need arises, I may even go to the Port Orchard Wal*Mart and Fred Meyer. But I think I should be able to aquire a copy from my original route.

 
Pic not really related, but damn is it funny!