HDTV Reviews

Toshiba at the start of the year released two HD-DVD players on the european market, the budget HD-E1 and the higher end HD-XE1. The HD-EX1 ofcourse costs more than the basic E1, but is it worth the extra money if all you want to do is play back HD-DVDs? TrustedReviews take it for a spin and say, unlike the entry level HD-E1, the HD-XE1 can output the pinnacle of high definition – 1080p. Of course this player can also output 720p and 1080i, and if you really want to, 576p/576i and 480p/480i. The HD-XE1 doesn’t support 1080p 24 yet, but Toshiba informed me that this will be coming in a firmware update due in a couple of months. With the Ethernet connection, you can download and install firmware updates quickly and easily.

The ever impressive King Kong HD DVD looked truly impressive when played on the HD-EX1. The lush jungle scenes looked alive, with an exceptional sense of depth creating an almost 3D effect. Unfortunately for Peter Jackson, when I played King Kong on the HD-XE1, the picture was so sharp and clear that all the CGI effects looked terrible. What looked seamless when watching the film on standard DVD now looked obviously fake – I guess that’s the next challenge for film makers, dealing with the high definition age.