What's Toshiba replacing the Toshiba HD XA2 with?

Cytocycle,

I had no dog in this hunt, but you are sounding a sour note. Prices will fall when all companies, including Toshiba, come to market with their own BluRay players and the format becomes a commodity just like SD DVD players are now, e.g. a model is available at every corner drug store for 50 bucks. If Sony won the right to drive the schedule for this to happen, then give them their props. The reason why two channel audio is somewhat immune to this silliness is because, in the big picture really, the stakes are so low.

Some companies will execute lower cost versions better than others (my bets are on OPPO), and high end rigs that actually work and do everything but brush your teeth will hit the market even sooner. In any case I can see all the HT buffs agonizing over whether we should use the digital converters in our BluRay player, or in our Processors. "I think the BD's HQV Reon-VX has slightly better reds, but the 7.1 sound stage and attack is a little more dynamic using the processor's DTS-HD® Master Audio compared with the BD's THX™ Ultra2™, don't you?" Wish everyone luck threading that needle.

PS - I went to Onkyo's website yesterday and noted they are touting a $899 HD DVD player as the bees knees. Ouch!

Cytocycle,

I will cede you the point about which format was better and when. As I said before, I have no horse in the race. My main points were and still are:

1. Now that Sony has won, they will do some algebra on the price to volume balance for selling licenses for machines and many more disks to many more people, and figure out how to maximize their earnings. This I think will lead to costs of BD machines of equal performance and improved usability falling from where they are now.

2. Toshiba will be one of the manufacturers selling lower cost BD machines in the not to distant future because they are in the video equipment manufacturing business and retailers will want to sell BD players.

3. There is an incredible level of redundancy of high level digital converters from DVD players to processors to TVs, making it a somewhat complex task to test all possible combinations in search of audio and video Nirvana. In some cases it is very difficult to tell a difference, driving people like us to distraction buying and moving wires around. I can see why some manufacturers are starting to sell digital-out-only transports for video.

4. I really do think Onkyo is saying "Ouch!".