Product Description

The HD XE1 combines high definition images with incomparable sound quality for an audiovisual experience that will take your breath away!The HD XE1 is equipped with Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD and DTS HD surround sound formats for optimum audio quality. Its connections include an HDMI output, audio outputs, two USB ports and an Ethernet port to accommodate all your HD and digital audio/video equipment. The HD XE1 is also compatible with a range of file formats, including MPEG4. You can adjust the player?s settings as your film is playing, or even enjoy two programmes at once thanks to the Picture in Picture mode.The future of digital home entertainment has arrived with the HD XE1!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28539 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Toshiba
• Model: HD-XE1
• Released on: 2006-12-31
• Dimensions: 25.98" h x 169.29" w x 135.83" l, 11.02 pounds

Manufacturer's Description
Toshiba, instrumental in the DVD revolution, now brings you state of the art HD DVD players, for the next generation of high definition multimedia. HD DVD offers the convenience of DVD combined with incredible image quality and realism of HDTV where sound draws you from your seat and pictures come to life.

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High Definition.
High resolution is essential to ensure a detailed and accurate image on a large screen. HD DVD offers six times the resolution of standard DVD. In addition to standard DVD resolutions: 480i, 480p, 576i and 576p, The HD-XE1 has the potential to produce 1080i and 720p lines of interlaced (i) or progressively scanned (p) information. Standard digital TV broadcasts offer 576 active lines of picture information, or around 589,000 pixels of data. An HD Ready TV is able to display 1280 x 720 lines, or around 920,000 pixels of data. The highest definition signal available today carries 1080 lines, with a possible 2 million individual pixels.Toshiba's 47 and 42WLT66 LCD TV models offer stunning high definition images thanks to 1080 HD resolution screens

How it Works.
The blue laser that reads from and writes to HD DVD has a shorter wavelength than DVD's red laser. This means that HD DVD discs offer significantly higher capacity than conventional DVDs, so providing the opportunity for far greater levels of image detail, multi-channel audio and functionality.

HD DVD Disc Capacity.
Single sided single layer 15GB HD resolution 4hrs.
Single sided dual layer 30GB HD resolution 8hrs.
Single sided triple layer 45GB HD resolution 12hrs (under development).
Double sided single layer 30GB HD resolution 8hrs.
Double sided dual layer 60GB HD resolution 16hrs.
Double sided triple layer 90GB HD resolution 24hrs (under development).

Colour Reproduction.
High definition images offer a considerably richer colour palette with greater subtlety of colour transition and enhanced contrast. The result is greater precision, incredible detail and breathtaking realism.

Next Generation Sound.
HD DVD supports the next generation digital audio formats to bring you multi-dimensional sound to match the superior picture quality. Conventional DVD audio formats, including Dolby® Digital and DTS® are supported, as well as the newly developed Dolby® Digital Plus.

HDMI
For high-definition viewing, an HD DVD player must be connected to an HDTV using the latest advance in AV equipment connection, the High Definition Multimedia Interface, or HDMI™. HDMI™ is the first industry-supported, all digital A/V connection for transmission of uncompressed video and multi-channel audio on a single cable.

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

One of the best upscaling DVD PLayers on the market!
And it plays HD DVD's. I purchased mine approximately 6-7 months ago for £450 . Even then it was superb value for money. I am not a fan of upscaled images, I much prefer HD, but this really does make the most of the DVD's that I do have. I have also recently updated the firmware on this player, so that it is now multi-region (for standard DVD) as well as being able to output bitstream audio (TruHD, DTS HD Master Audio, DTS HD, Dolby Digital +) to an HD av receiver that can decode it(i.e Onkyo 605). It also contains analogue outputs, which mean that it can internally decode TruHD and DD + and output them as PCM to an older av receiver. Oh yes, it plays HDDVD rather nicely as well!

Not better than the 360 add-on
Please ignore the reviewer who says this player is better than the 360 add-on, it is simply not possible. Why? Well the first thing is the drive is made by Toshiba, secondly the drive uses all the power in the Xbox 360 - all 3 Cores and the 512mb of ram (minus the memory used for the interface which is 32mb) whereas the drive which is actually a PC in some ways since it has a Pentium 4 processor and ram is by no means as powerful as the components in the Xbox 360.

The other part to consider is like many who only own a 720p/1080i HDTV with HDMI 1.1 version will not see any difference anyway but perhaps some if using a much more expensive HDMI cable.

I have done some comparisons bettween a 40inch 1080i Samsung and a 52inch 1080p Samsung with HDMI 1.3 by using a PS3 running on 1080p and HDMI 1.3 cables vs the Xbox 360 add-on running at 1080i with HDMI 1.3 visually in terms of this FULL 1080p nonsense flying about I can safely say there is minimal difference at best.

Once you go to High Definition resolution of 720p/1080i there is not that much difference jumping to 1080p and with the HDMI 1.3 specs its all numbers on paper unless you have 2 screens side by side you will see some difference however that again is the technology in the panel being able to give you the better colours in the first place.

Lastly...If you like waiting as long as the average waiting time of a kettle boiling then buy this, however if you like your movies to load up within a few seconds then buy the Xbox 360 add-on instead if you have an Xbox 360 or if you do not then buy the 2, it is still far better than buying this stand alone player.

Fantastic!
Having jumped into the "shallow end" of HD with the Xbox 360 HD drive I was never 100% taken with it, especially compared to the picture quality with my Sky HD box (which is superb).

Just set up the XE1 this evening and it really is a great box of tricks. I've got it HDMI to my HD TV (only 1080i) and it really is substantially better than the Xbox HD drive picture quality-wise, probably a true rival to Sky HD.

Furthermore through the 5.1 analogue outputs into my NAD surround amp's 7.1 external sockets I've got an advance on the sound quality front as the player takes care of decoding the HD audio signals most amps currently can't (albeit only in 5.1). I've only got one Dolby TrueHD disk (Batman Begins) but it is better and even normal Dolby Digital Plus sounds great. U2's Rattle & Hum (US import) finally sounds like it should.

It's also worth pointing out that sound quality from normal CD's is VERY listenable and upscaling on normal DVD's is at least as good if not better than with the Denon 2910 I used to have.

Just as a last point the build quality and finish is really top notch. No tacky plastic casing here, its all extruded metal. Even the remote is a substantial metal thing which glows in the dark, not your usual cheapo plastic job.

(You may have gathered!) I'm very, very happy with this product, the price and very quick delivery from Amazon. I'm pretty picky about this kind of thing so I don't think you'd be disappointed with a purchase.