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.
Thanks for this info. I am one with an extensive DVD collection .. will definitely check this out when I get a couple nickles to rub together!
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The best DVD player for upscaling video, and cleaning it up such as removing mosquitoes (variable user setting), is the PS3. The processor in it can decode and resize 48 DVD streams simultaneously, so some serious cleanup on one stream is peanuts. It’ll also do this for video files stored on the hard drive. I was an old Get Smart fan and rented the Nude Bomb. Not only was the movie bad (sadly), but the transfer was HORRIBLE. The PS3 cleaned it up pretty well.
Oh yeah, the PS3 plays games too.