Toshiba back with DVD that plays HD

[Greg Clark]

Here we go again.... Anyone got any details?

[Tony Tibbetts]

The press releases have been pretty vague. My guess is that it is a.) an new proprietary format using current DVD technology or... b.) a new type of upscaling/deintelacing chip setup similar to what Oppo is doing with the Anchor Bay VRS technology.

I recall back when HD-DVD bit the dust a Toshiba Honcho was making statements about new forthcoming DVD players that would uprez to HD with stunning results or what not (all hyperbole and I can't seem to find a link to the exact article).

So all that leads me to believe that it would be the latter uprezzing scenario. Maybe they've developed a new tech for that. I have an old Oppo 981 and it makes DVD's look pretty amazing. Apparently the new 983 model with VRS completely surpasses that. I have yet to see it myself, but all the reviews seem to say it is so.

I personally don't think it will ever match HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, but the technology is advancing. So who knows?

This is all guess work and assumption, but I'd be willing to bet on them doing that then trying to institute another format war.

But, then again the goal with HD-DVD was format dominance, not hardware dominance. Either way, they've got to have something interesting up their sleeve to trudge back into this arena after the beating they got last time.

It will be interesting to see what they've got.

[Philip Williams]

I believe this is their new Super Upconversion product, which is apparently based on the Cell processor (as used in the PS3). I believe the idea is that these players will process several frames at once to construct each currently displayed frame with as much detail as possible. While the tech promises to be better than current upscaling solutions, it ain't gonna match up to Blu-Ray's true 1080P.

Frankly I'm not sure how well this will go over. The enthusiasts will go with Blu-Ray and the mass market will likely find the Toshiba's too pricey compared to standard upconversion players (I *highly* doubt Toshiba will sell these for $79-100). You'll basically get the die hards buying this to supplement their BD players but other than that... not sure I see a real market segment.

Personally I've still got my fingers crossed that Toshiba will produce an uber Blu-Ray player with HD DVD and Super Upconversion. I think they should have gone that route right after Warner bombed them, but oh well...

[Greg Clark]

I am tired of editing wonderful HDV footage and having to downcovert to an inferior final product for the customer. I live in Canada where Blue Ray players are still selling for $500. Customers won't purchase the players until there is a significant price drop. Frustration!

[Khoi Pham]

Originally Posted by Greg Clark

I am tired of editing wonderful HDV footage and having to downcovert to an inferior final product for the customer. I live in Canada where Blue Ray players are still selling for $500. Customers won't purchase the players until there is a significant price drop. Frustration!

Don't you have Walmart up there? they are selling Magnavox Blu-ray player for $298.00, and Sony said they will have Blu-ray drive that can read Blu-ray and write to DVD for less than $100.00 by this Christmas. Price will come down.

[Greg Clark]

Khoi I hope you are correct. If the blueray players drop that much by Christmas clients will start buying them. The clients have the HD television now. This will be an easy sell if you are right about the price.

[Khoi Pham]

Those a Blu-ray drive for computers, not players, here is the link don't know how accurate that is but I think it could because those drive now are around I think $200.00 from Pioneer.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Blu...-ROM,5591.html

But Walmart prices are not bad, $298.00 for a Magnavox player.

[Jon Fairhurst]

FWIW, the Wal-Mart unit is a Funai-made Profile 1.1 player. It will also be sold at Best Buy under the "Insignia" brand.

http://www.electronichouse.com/artic...lu_ray_player/

[Bill Koehler]

Originally Posted by Greg Clark

Here we go again.... Anyone got any details?

Actually, I just wish there was a link as to what you are talking about.

When I go and look at the higher end Toshiba products such as:

http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/dvd/prod...?model=sd-6980

I note that it is DivX Home Theater Certified. It could mean that you can author HD content using DivX and burn to a normal DVD disk. Of course the length will be limited, but still sufficient for a lot of projects.

[Bill Koehler]

Got your email note, Greg. Thanks for the update.

And the link is:

http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/1...s-ask-why.aspx

[James R. Leong]

Just saw the Magnavox Bluray Player for $299. CDN at Walmart Canada. Also the Insignia Bluray at Best Buy is $349 CDN. London Drugs still has the Toshiba HD-DVD A3 for $99. The Venturer HD-DVD A3 clone is $69 at Walmart Canada.

[Jim Boda]

Originally Posted by Greg Clark

I am tired of editing wonderful HDV footage and having to downcovert to an inferior final product for the customer. I live in Canada where Blue Ray players are still selling for $500. Customers won't purchase the players until there is a significant price drop. Frustration!

Unfortunately, the cost of Bluray seems to continue to rise until we get closer to the Christmas season.

This Uprez product seems to be hitting a different market though. Sony also has 1080p uprez DVD players. Toshiba seems to be placing themselves in a position to win the uprez market until the cost of Bluray substantially lowers and HD displays continue to saturate the market.

[Gints Klimanis]

Originally Posted by Greg Clark

I am tired of editing wonderful HDV footage and having to downcovert to an inferior final product for the customer. I live in Canada where Blue Ray players are still selling for $500. Customers won't purchase the players until there is a significant price drop. Frustration!

Don't forget all of those Sony PS3's that can play BD-R's while most standalone BluRay players can't.

Currently, the best bet for distributing HD discs is on dual layer DVD-Rs.