HDTV Reviews

RCA is getting ready to ship an HD-DVD player to compete with Toshiba’s first offering

It looks like RCA will have the next HD-DVD player launch with its HDV5000 in May according to some sources. The launch of RCA, which is a Thomson brand, comes after Toshiba’s HD-A1.

Wal-Mart states a tentative arrival date for the player of May 18, 2006 and will be ready to ship just as soon. The HDV5000 is backwards compatible with DVDs and CDs and will be able to up-convert DVD video to high-definition quality. The set up player will feature 5.1-channel audio output which is standard on most, if not all, DVD players nowadays and will also feature HDMI output for digital audio/video signals directly to HDTV sets. Another feature is a network connection which will allow the player to retrieve extra content.

There is no word yet on any other features of RCA’s HD-DVD player but we’re thinking the specifications probably won’t exceed those of Toshiba’s HD-A1 player. Pricing on the HDV5000 is set to about $500 at places like Wal-Mart, which already has the player on pre-order. At this price the HDV5000 directly compete’s with Toshiba’s HD-A1.

Content in the HD-DVD format has also been said to launch this week with titles popping up at retailers for around $29.99. Obviously, to reap the intended benefits of HD-DVD titles an HDTV is required with the proper connections.

Qosmio G30 notebook with HD DVD-ROM drive : InterVideo, Inc. announced today that InterVideo WinDVD HD is being bundled with Toshiba Corporation’s new Dynabook Qosmio G30/697HS Series Notebook PCs the world’s first notebook PC with an integrated HD DVD-ROM drive. The new Qosmio G30 will be available throughout Japan in mid-May. “We’re very proud that WinDVD HD meets Toshiba’s high qualification standards and are honored that it will be delivering high-definition video playback for the industry’s first HD DVD laptop computer.” “The work we did in refining WinDVD HD’s high-speed decoding process and next-generation content navigation capabilities will provide Qosmi G30 notebook users with a whole new level of audio/video enjoyment.”

InterVideo’s WinDVD HD
Offering all of the benefits of the high-definition experience without the complexity, InterVideo’s WinDVD HD can be used to navigate and play back the crystal-clear, interactive content on HD DVD discs. The universal player also supports all DVD/video/audio in any format, eliminating media compatibility issues. With WinDVD HD, the viewing experience is further enhanced with a mixture of unprecedented audio effects, including Dolby surround sound and DTS-HD audio support for the highest-quality audio performance available.

Qosmi G30 notebook - Power & Performance
Designed to let users move easily between computing tasks and multimedia applications, Toshiba’s Qosmi G30 notebook PCs provide the power and performance users need in a high-end audio-video computer that can also be used as a home entertainment center. In addition to providing playback of HD DVD content on a single-sided 15GB or double-sided 30GB disc at a maximum bit rate of 36.55 Mbps, the new Qosmio can read and write to current DVD and CD discs, including DVD+/-R DL (dual-layer) media.

Qosmi G30 17-inch widescreen - Full-HD liquid crystal display
The new Qosmio is equipped with a 17-inch diagonal widescreen, full-HD liquid crystal display which supports 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution and the ability to playback HD DVD content (1920 x 1080 pixel). An HDMI output is also included that allows the PC to be hooked up to an HDTV and to act as the video source for a large-sized TVs or home theater projectors. InterVideo’s WinDVD playback engine is incorporated in over 125 million installations worldwide for both personal computer and consumer electronics devices. InterVideo’s DVD playback engine is available for licensing to OEMs, system integrators and platform builders in PC, CE set-top boxes, handheld mobile devices, and video game consoles.

Now that Toshiba’s HD-A1 HD DVD player is finally available in stores — and there are even some discs out to play on it — reviews are starting to trickle in, mainly from dedicated early adopters, who’ve braved confused sales clerks, cumbersome boxes, and a remote with more options than Windows Vista, to try the player themselves. We saw one of the first such reviews, from The Man Room, yesterday. Now, we’ve had a chance to check out a few more (props to PC World’s Martyn Williams, who not only got one of Toshiba’s Japanese HD-XA1 players to review, but even checked out the bundled Japanese films “Biohazard” and “Moonlight Jellyfish”). If there’s a consensus opinion, it’s that HD DVD may be great for early adopters and HD connoisseurs, but less discerning viewers may not see what the big deal is. As Ben Drawbaugh puts it on HDBeat: “Bottom line is that HD-DVD is great, but will you notice? If you can’t tell the difference between DVD’s and HBO HD than you might be just as well off with a upconverting DVD player. If you never noticed HBO-HD’s cropped movies, non-dynamic sound and compression artifacts you may be better off sticking with HBO-HD. If you do notice these annoyances you won’t be disappointed with HD-DVD or Blu-Ray.”
Source: http://gadgets.engadget.com