Toshiba Launches XDE DVD

[Smokey]

This morning, Toshiba officially announced its new DVD upconversion technology called XDE (which utilize Cell processor), as well as the first DVD player to feature the technology, the XD-E500, which will ship this month for $150.

The idea behind XDE, which stands for extended detail enhancement, isn't that it will compete with Blu-ray, but rather that it will get a little extra performance out of your existing DVD collection and serve as a bridge to high definition--without you having to spend a bundle on new discs.

It upconverts standard definition (480p) DVD content to HD (720p, 1080i or 1080p), requiring HD Monitor with an HDCP capable HDMI or DVI input.

Three selectable setting are available on XD-E500, offering different image enhancing tweaks:

• Sharp Mode offers improved detail enhancement that is one step closer to high definition. Edges are sharper and details in films are more visible. Unlike traditional sharpness control, XDE technology analyses the entire picture and adds edge enhancement precisely where it's needed
  
  
• Colour Mode makes the colours of nature stand out with improved richness. Blues and greens are more vivid and lifelike. Colour Mode combines the improvement in colour with the detail enhancement of Sharp Mode and is ideal for outdoor scenes
  
  
• Contrast Mode is designed to make darker scenes or foregrounds more clearly visible without the typical "washing out" that can occur with traditional contrast adjustment. Recommended for dark scenes where detail may be difficult to notice, Contrast Mode is also combined with Sharp Mode to provide a clearer viewing experience.

XD-E500 also can output in 24 frames per second mode, reducing jitter associated with 2:3 Pull Down method. Viewing 24 frames per second requires an HD display capable of accepting a 1080p/24 Hz signal.

Here is more information on Toshiba's web site:

http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/dvd/prod...?model=xd-e500