Could Toshiba\'s upconverting technology add to Blu-ray\'s consumer difficulties? Image: DeclanTM/Flickr.
After conceding defeat to Sony’s Blu-ray platform in the hard-fought high-definition format race earlier this year, Japanese consumer electronics giant Toshiba has put the loss of HD DVD behind it and come back to market with technology that could yet help pull the rug from beneath Blu-ray.
Specifically, despite Blu-ray’s ascension to industry standard, high pricing and the need of an accompanying HDTV for proper appreciation have left the winning HD format unable to make a significant impression with consumers.
A recent ABI Research study revealed that most tech consumers are more than content with the solid performance and low pricing attributed to existing DVD and have no plans to invest in Blu-ray in the immediate future.
With Blu-ray apparently languishing outside the notable sales influence of the Sony PlayStation 3, which comes with a Blu-ray player as standard, Toshiba Corp. is now offering up a new conventional DVD player that provides a performance boost to the long serving silver discs.
Labelled as XDE (eXtended Detail Enhancement) technology, Toshiba’s unconversion unveiling has today birthed the XD-E500 player, which will retail for $149,99 USD. While around double the price of other upconverter-equipped hardware, the XD-E500 is still likely to be less than half the price of bottom-tier standalone Blu-ray players.
According to an AP report, a recent Toshiba demonstration of the XD-E500 saw the player producing “a subtle but noticeable sharpening of the image” on an LCD HDTV when the same test DVD was played in a regular upconverting player (worth $70 USD) and also in the XD-E500.
Despite the increase in performance, Toshiba has been quick to stress that the XD-E500 is not meant to stand as an HD alternative to Blu-ray, but to simply improve the playback quality of standard DVD discs.
“This product does not play HD DVD or Blu-Ray discs,” notes Toshiba’s official Web site. “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.”
However, while that may be true, Toshiba’s Louis Masses, director of product planning for Toshiba America’s audio and video group, has said the technology will be made available for other players and the company will strive to aggressively advertise the brand.
With such potential consumer saturation, XDE could further mire Blu-ray in market stagnancy if prospective HD buyers opt for slight improvement at a markedly cheaper price rather than making the jump to Sony’s high-definition but high-price solution.
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