Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Player

Anyone with a blog named "HDTV Expert" must have a valid opinion or two on the next generation HD DVD player from Toshiba? Right? Actually. its a fairly good view of what you can expect if you purchase the HD-A2. Things look fairly good for this unti with much quicker loading times, a slimmer profile and a nicer remote.

From the article:

The HD-A2, like other blue laser players, missed its ship dates more
than once. It was pure luck that I stumbled across one at a Best Buy
store in Montgomeryville, PA earlier this week. The player had
literally just come in the door — it didn’t even have a price sticker
yet.

It appears that Toshiba has scored a major coup
by getting its next-gen player to retail before Pioneer, Panasonic, and
Sony even have their first-gen Blu-ray players shipped in any quantity
to big box stores. Is it worth the price ($499?)