Toshiba is taking another crack at high-definition DVD, sort of. Half a year after it ceased combat major operations in the format wars with Philips, Sony and the Blu-ray format, Toshiba has taken the wraps off XDE, a new up-conversion format that it claims can wring more resolution from pictures on your standard-resolution DVDs.
The premier model is available now for a list price of US$149.99. Dubbed the XD-E500, the unit converts the 480p DVD signal to 720p, 1080i or 1080p.
The mode you select depends on the resolution of your display.