Toshiba XD-E500 Upconverting 1080p Extended Detail DVD Player
Toshiba XD-E500 Upconverting 1080p Extended Detail DVD Player
Toshiba’s new xDE (Extended Detail Enhancement) DVD player aims to save your DVD collection. First, the xD-E500 converts your standard DVDs from 480p to full 1080p resolution. But that is not all… oh no, that is not all. xDE uses a chipset with parameters specially developed for Toshiba and a combination of user-controlled picture improvement techniques including upconversion, edge enhancement, and color remapping to deliver a new level of near HD video quality from Standard DVDs.
Full 1080p Upconversion
Video upconversion from 480p standard DVD resolution up to 1080p full HD resolution via HDMI takes your current DVDs to a new level, for an amazing viewing experience on today’s HDTVs.
Sharp Mode
Sharp Mode provides edge enhancement. By naturally enhancing the edge of a picture, the outline and detail of that picture becomes clearer and more detailed.
Detail Enhancement improves the edge detail where necessary in the picture without added video noise. xDE technology can adaptively control each edge signal in a picture. If an edge signal is high, picture noise is created, on the other hand, when an original edge level is low, xDE technology adaptively enhances edge & noise level, as needed Added noise reduction technology increases the effect of edge enhancement. The result is a sharper, more detailed image.
Contrast Mode
With contrast enhancement, gradation becomes clearer, adaptively by enhancing contrast. Contrast is enhanced in darker scenes without affecting the lighter scenes. This mode is best for movies with dark scenes, such as a SciFi movie. Since its adaptive, the level of enhancement varies with each scene.
Contrast Enhancement intelligently adjusts contrast levels where needed without boosting surrounding contrast. For example, here is an example of the effect of boosting contrast in a shady area under a tree without adjusting the contrast levels of the tree.
Color Mode
Color Enhancement intelligently adjusts colors only where necessary to provide more vivid color reproduction. For example, grass can be made greener without impacting surrounding colors in the image.
After Color Enhancement: reds are redder, greens are greener
The above image is intended to help illustrate how a specific function operates and is not indicative of actual relative differences
Premium Styling
The XD-E500 boasts premium styling with a slick high gloss faceplate and textured design. The slim chassis makes it a great addition to your home theater.
Toshiba XD-E500 Upconverting 1080p Extended Detail DVD Player Review
As an owner of a SONY Blu-ray and a 2 TOSHIBA HDDVD players, I was very hesitant to believe that a standard DVD player could do a better job at upscaling standard DVD’s than the Hi-Def players. SURPRISE!!!, it does. Not only does it upscale to 1080p/24fps, but it reduces the noise of the upscaling process, and almost eliminates the edge or halo effect of standard DVD’s.
A complete machine with HDMI, component, composite, S-Video, optical and coaxial sound outputs.In addition, there are already suggestions that the region lock can be removed to make it an ALL region player!.
My only complaint is that the unit does not center the 4:3 DVD’s in the 16×9 screen, but it stretches them to fill the screen like the older players. This can probably be improved with a firmware update from TOSHIBA.
I think,for the price, this unit is a savior of the DVD collection we own but often times are embarrassed to show once we have become spoiled with HD titles. For the price, you have nothing to loose and much to gain.
Leave a Reply