For any who think HD-DVD is comparable, Toshiba most likely still has unsold equipment they would be willing to sell at a bargain price. If it hasn't already been scrapped.
I recieved the Toshiba XDE-500 dvd player for Christmas two years ago. This standard dvd player was designed to upscale regular dvds from 480I to 1080P “extra definition”, with extreme clarity for LCD HD sets, through HDMI. It is, without a doubt, the BEST (least expensive-available from Best Buy for less than 75 dollars now) upscaleing DVD player available.
Sure, it is NOT by any means as good as Blu Ray..but if you own an extensive standard dvd collection, this player is the way to go. I am amazed at the quality of the video when watching my dvds with this player.
If you want better quality, then be prepared to buy the 500 dollar plus OPPO DVD player..I am told that the OPPO is the finest upscaling standard dvd player available.
But the Toshiba XDE-500(or the newer Toshiba XDE-600) is the way to go, to get terrific well defined clarity from your standard dvd collection. (granted, it will do better on well mastered transfers, like “QUANTUM OF SILENCE”)
Note: The Tosh will only play video in 16x9 aspect format, for those older films that were filmed in 4x3 aspect ratio, it will play them as if they were in the 16x9 aspect. This can be corrected with the aspect ratio setting on your HDTV set.