“As any geek can tell you, HDTV comes in several degrees of resolution: 720p, 1080i and 1080p. Weirdly, Toshiba’s HD-DVD player can’t send out 1080p, which is the holy grail. (To be sure, this standard is still rare among TV sets, but it’s the wave of the future.) You should know, too, that you’re guaranteed the sensational high-resolution HD-DVD picture only if your TV set has an HDMI connector (a slim, recently developed, all-digital jack that carries both sound and picture). If you use S-video or component cables instead, you may see only 25 percent of the resolution you’re supposed to get — a maddening antipiracy feature that the studios can invoke at their option. The A1 does deliver the spectacular picture and sound promised by Toshiba. Should you buy one, then? Not unless you’re an early-adopter masochist with money to burn.” — from N.Y. Times columnist Eric Pogue’s 5.11 column, “Why the World Doesn’t Need Hi-Def DVD’s”