What’s your next step if your company’s high-definition DVD format lost the war? If you’re Toshiba, you come out with a new DVD player that converts to high-def.
Toshiba America announced Monday its XD-E500 player with XDE technology — that is, “eXtended Detail Enhancement.” The company said the E500 is “more than just DVD up-conversion.” It provides conversion from 480i/p to 720p, 1080i or 1080p, as well as selectable picture-enhancement modes so that a user can get more details, more colors, and better contrast. (720p, progressive, and 1080i, interlaced, are HD video modes.)
‘A Whole New Way’
Louis Masses, director of product planning at Toshiba, said XDE lets consumers “experience their existing DVD library and the tens of thousands of DVD titles in a whole new way” as part of a “high-quality experience at an affordable price” of $149.99. The XD-E500 does not play HD DVD or Blu-Ray high-definition discs, and the converted difference is best seen on a HDTV or monitor.
The company said its Sharp Mode is “one step closer to high-definition,” providing a different kind of sharpness than what a normal DVD player provides. Specifically, the company said that XDE analyzes the full image and only adds edge enhancement where it’s needed.
The player’s Contrast Mode also works better than traditional versions, Toshiba said, in that scenes can be made darker without the usual “washing out.” The new player also offers capabilities found in most converting machines, including HDMI-CEC, DivX certification and support for JPEG, MP3 and WMA.
In short, Toshiba wants consumers to feel that they are getting closer to the HD experience without the Blu-ray price and using existing DVD collections.
‘The Real Battle’
Michael Gartenberg, vice president of consumer strategy at Jupitermedia, said the player makes it clear that Toshiba, at least for the moment, is going to fight Blu-ray…