Toshiba XDE
Posted by: JeremyB on 12 October 2008
Has anyone tried the new Toshiba players? Any good?
Posted on: 12 October 2008 by Don Atkinson
Tried? No.
Quick read about it in a hifi magazine? Yes
Magazine concluded that it was better than many standard DVD players, but absolutely no match for a Blu-Ray system.
The main point I recall them making was that the XDE revealed the limitations of the Standard DVD format which is no match for Blu-Ray.
Looks to me like we currently have a situation where you can have lots of standard DVDs which provide a mediocre experience v a few Blu-Ray dvds which provide a highly satisfying experience.
Cheers
Don
Quick read about it in a hifi magazine? Yes
Magazine concluded that it was better than many standard DVD players, but absolutely no match for a Blu-Ray system.
The main point I recall them making was that the XDE revealed the limitations of the Standard DVD format which is no match for Blu-Ray.
Looks to me like we currently have a situation where you can have lots of standard DVDs which provide a mediocre experience v a few Blu-Ray dvds which provide a highly satisfying experience.
Cheers
Don
Posted on: 12 October 2008 by TomK
Other reviews are less flattering. Toshiba are marketing it as though it's a totally new concept but apparently decks by Oppo have doing the same thing, but better, for some time now.
It'll be interesting to see what the upscaling is like in Panasonic's eagerly awaited BD35 and 55.
It'll be interesting to see what the upscaling is like in Panasonic's eagerly awaited BD35 and 55.
Posted on: 14 October 2008 by TomK
Before this thread appeared I'd been considering the XDE500 as the upscaling on my Panasonic BD30 isn't the best and yesterday I bought it so I can now comment directly. It is undoubtedly a big improvement on standard DVD (it made my mid-range Sony look quite crude, the picture being sharper, with substantially less edge enhancement, and a lot less of the lattice effect distortion that appears round the lettering on movie titles, etc.) The picture also looks better than the BD30's although sometimes the "sharpness" enhancement, while initially giving a more detailed appearance, only exaggerates the grain.
However "Blu Ray killer" it certainly aint, and if this term actually originated from Toshiba it's going to be an embarrassment they'll have to live with for a long time. Anybody expecting high def on the cheap is going to be extremely disappointed.
However "Blu Ray killer" it certainly aint, and if this term actually originated from Toshiba it's going to be an embarrassment they'll have to live with for a long time. Anybody expecting high def on the cheap is going to be extremely disappointed.