Toshiba's latest is "Less than perfect"

[radagast]

Toshiba is managing to piss off their HD-DVD customers with this BS about upconverting:

"Acknowledging that their new eXtended Detail Enhancement (XDE) tech does not actually replace a true HD source like HD DVD or Blu-ray, Toshiba is hoping to attract all those consumers who are mostly satisfied with their HDTVs and DVDs by offering the XD-E500 up-converting DVD player today.

The new XD-E500 retails for $149 (although it debuts for $179 today at Amazon) and offers DVD up-scaling that’s superior to what’s been offered in their own lower-end models, and probably from other up-scaling DVD players.

The XDE player offers a choice of three video enhancements: (1) sharp for edge detail (2) rich color (3) more contrast, of which you can select two to be active at any time. I’m sure forthcoming articles and interviews will reveal why you can only select two at a time, and we’ll be on the lookout for the inevitable comparisons against the highly vaunted Oppo up-converting DVD players, as well as true HD media.

Toshiba’s website for the new player, http://www.toshibaxde.com hasn’t gone live yet so we don’t really have a lot of pictures to show from the sales pitch, but you can see some before/after enhancement shots over at Amazon.

Toshiba’s product description page states the following:

This product does not play HD DVD or Blu-ray discs. It upconverts standard definition (480p) DVD content to HD (720p, 1080i or 1080p) to match the resolution of your HD display. Although near the picture quality, it does not produce or output native HD video content.

In other words, it’s not “The Look and Sound of Perfect” but just “Good Enough.” I’m curious to see whether “good enough” and “near HD” take a hold in the marketplace. I know that you and I are probably not amongst that crowd of buyers, but I’m sure you’ve got at least a few acquaintances who think a big screen is all it takes to have a great home theater."

http://www.hddvd.com

[Scooby Blu]

A crock to be sure ! Well they have to try "something" ?

[Mr. Hanky]

Man, is there anyone in Toshiba with some name saavy to vet them on the obvious?!...Toshib-axde! No one over there realizes the silly parody that is inadvertently embedded in these names they come up with? Surely, they cannot be doing this on purpose because they have that much of a sense of humor with their customer base?

[Uxi]

Why don't they just throw HDDVD in there as a... uh.. added feature or something?

[radagast]

Originally Posted by Uxi

Why don't they just throw HDDVD in there as a... uh.. added feature or something?

It would make it more expensive to include a blue laser to read hd-dvds. However, Toshiba claimed to have a technology that could record HD on red-laser DVDs. So what happened to that?

[RUR]

Originally Posted by Uxi

Why don't they just throw HDDVD in there as a... uh.. added feature or something?

According to the bitter-boyz over on HDD, we apparently never needed HD DVD.

[Joe Cain]

Originally Posted by RUR

According to the bitter-boyz over on HDD, we apparently never needed HD DVD.

Then what the heck is their "H" for?

(pardon the sentence construction)

[AliceT]

Toshiba just needs to jump on board BD. I expect that sometime next year they will. Theres nothing "wrong" with upscalers, but id say thats something you buy if you cant afford BD, and they are pricing the machine at $200, at that point, just buy a BD player!

[RUR]

Originally Posted by AliceT

Theres nothing "wrong" with upscalers, but id say thats something you buy if you cant afford BD, and they are pricing the machine at $200, at that point, just buy a BD player!

Righto, that's one of the problems. Prospective buyers must have just enough money, and be impressed enough, to spend 4-5X the price of a lesser upscaler in order to "upgrade" to XDE, but not enough money and not enough attraction to instead choose a BD player, some of which certainly be sold @ very attractive prices come the holiday season. That may turn out to be a rather limited set of consumers.

Another potential problem is the extent of B&M support. It wasn't too long ago that the CEO's of BB and other major retailers declared that they were tired of consumer confusion and consequent loss of sales and that, to help eliminate this problem, they would cease sales of HD DVD product. Fast-forward to this holiday season.... To what extent will those same CEO's motivate their sales force to sell lower margin Toshiba XDE players vs. higher margin Blu-ray players?

[Anthony P]

In other words, it’s not “The Look and Sound of Perfect” but just “Good Enough.”

I though HD DVD was "good enough" now they are going with "almost good enough"

[Kirsty_Mc]

Originally Posted by radagast

It would make it more expensive to include a blue laser to read hd-dvds. However, Toshiba claimed to have a technology that could record HD on red-laser DVDs. So what happened to that?

It's in the pipeline along with the 51Gb HD-DVD

They are however missing the obvious point. If you can perfectly upscale NTSC / PAL to 1080P (), then just imagine what you could do with a 1080P Blu-ray... Living Room Imax anyone???

[dadkins]

Originally Posted by Kirsty_Mc

It's in the pipeline along with the 51Gb HD-DVD

They are however missing the obvious point. If you can perfectly upscale NTSC / PAL to 1080P (), then just imagine what you could do with a 1080P Blu-ray... Living Room Imax anyone???

Yeah, that's it! Sure!

Toshiba would be smart if they stopped trying to "reinvent the wheel" and get with it.
HD DVD tanked - get over it!

[tommyboy81]

Got to say this about Toshiba. They got ballz

[Kirsty_Mc]

Originally Posted by tommyboy81

Got to say this about Toshiba. They got ballz

Sure... that's what they think with!!!

[RazorFromHRSnet]

Originally Posted by RUR

Another potential problem is the extent of B&M support. It wasn't too long ago that the CEO's of BB and other major retailers declared that they were tired of consumer confusion and consequent loss of sales and that, to help eliminate this problem, they would cease sales of HD DVD product. Fast-forward to this holiday season.... To what extent will those same CEO's motivate their sales force to sell lower margin Toshiba XDE players vs. higher margin Blu-ray players?

IMO, as someone who worked in Best Buy in the Home Theater Department, and then when it opened, Magnolia HT, I think these players are essentially DOA. If they were $99, then they might sell. It's easy to say "this is the best upconverter out there, and it's $99." For $159 people are going to take a hard look (most of them dont' understand and dont want to believe there's a difference between a $39 DVD player and a $299 DVD player). A BluRay for $199 is definitely an easy sell - especially because, contrary to what the media wants you to believe, you don't need to upgrade your collection!

Honestly, the biggest problem with BD sales right now is that I flat out hear Best Buy HT associates telling people, with their brand new TVs, "Oh, BluRay isnt' for you because this TV is only 720p." Sony needs to begin education people IMMEDIATELY that if you have an LCD or Plasma TV (even a 480p one, IMO) that BluRay is for you!

[Uxi]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

I though HD DVD was "good enough" now they are going with "almost good enough"

Heh.


Seriously, though... the CEO just needs to committ seppuku already and get it over with. Toshiba should be making a decent Blu-ray player that they can HDDVD playback on to not entirely stuff those suckers who backed their losing horse. They can throw in this super-upconverting turd polishing snake oil as a means of trying to differentiate themselves from Sony, Pioneer, etc.

They're leaving money on the table and making themselves look not only like fools, but like extremely sore losers.

What was the time frame on Sony going to VHS, anyways?

[radagast]

Originally Posted by Uxi

Heh.

What was the time frame on Sony going to VHS, anyways?

Sony stuck with Beta for a long time.

[HeavyHitter]

From reliable sources I've heard from, this new Toshiba unit cannot hold a lick to even the XA2 Reon based unit, let alone Blu-ray or real HD.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by tommyboy81

Got to say this about Toshiba. They got ballz

Some would call it just more of their stupidity.

[Monkey]

Originally Posted by Kirsty_Mc

Sure... that's what they think with!!!

LOL, they probably thought they did with HD DVD.. I bet MS edged them on a bit as well before stabbing *****ing.

At this point I wouldn't call it balls..