The news
Toshiba's 1080p-outputting HD DVD player, the HD-XE1, is at last available in the UK, pitched at an all-up suggested price of £650 but already selling online from a number of outlets, including Amazon UK, for a few quid over £500.
As well as being the first-available 1080p HD DVD player (well, Tosh is the prime mover of the format), the HD-XE1 also betters its cheaper stablemate, the £320 HD-E1, by having the latest version of HDMI - V1.3 - and a number of extras.
Both Tosh models can upscale standard-definition DVDs to 720p and 1080i resolutions - output via HDMI - but the HD-XE1 adds full 1080p HD upscaling, as well as play back, and other goodies.
There's a 297MHz/12-bit video DAC that supports Deep Color technology - an option added to the HDMI standard in version 1.3 and reckoned by Toshiba to improve colour tones and achieves finer colour gradation on compatible TV sets. Sadly, though, compatible sets are still the exception, rather than the norm.
The HD-XE1 also has gold plated sockets and some additional socketry - see the image below and the pics and specs in this HEXUS.lifestyle news piece. In addition, the specs of the HD-XE1 alone are below, on page two.
Although the HD-E1 and HD-XE1 are the first HD DVD players to hit Europe, they're actually second-generation models - the first-gen HD-XA1 player having been available for a good while in Japan and the USA (see - March US launch for Toshiba HD DVD set-top players).
HD-XE1 (click for larger image)
Significantly - and far from co-incidentally, we feel - the HD-XE1's arrival coincides with studio announcements of new titles on the HD DVD format. Currently, though, that means there are still only 95 titles announced for release, though Tosh reckons that there's "plenty more to come before the summer".
So, fancy one of these 1080p darlings? Check out the specs on page two and the official release on page three, then let us hear your take in this thread in the HEXUS.lifestyle forum.
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community :: discussion thread about this articleHEXUS.lifestyle - news :: UK launch of Toshiba HD DVD players delayed six weeks
HEXUS.lifestyle - news :: March US launch for Toshiba HD DVD set-top players
HEXUS.net - news :: Toshiba shows world's first HD DVD writer for desktop PCs
External.links
Toshiba UK - HD-XE1 home pageToshiba UK - HD-XE1 specs page
Toshiba UK - HD DVD home page
Amazon UK - HD-XE1 selling page
Wikipedia - HDMI V1.3
