Category: Home cinema

Toshiba launching wide range of new DVD players and combos

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Toshiba has announced ten new DVD models, including five standalone DVD players, three DVD recorders (two with hard drives), and even two with VCRs built-in, for those of you still attached to tape.

Three standard DVD players — the SD-180E, SD-185E, and SD-280E — offer usual functionality you’d expect, including JPEG viewing, DivX playback, and MP3 support.

Taking a step up, the SD-480E and SD-580E offer upscaling of standard DVDs to 1080p high definition, feature HDMI outputs to connect to a suitable TV, and have Toshiba’s REGZA-Link which synchronises compatible equipment using a single remote control unit.

Andy Merrett Home cinema

eBay overflowing with cut-price HD DVD discs and players

Those eBay sellers are craftier than I first thought. Whilst the announcement from Toshiba that they were to cease production of HD DVD players only arrived this morning, the public has expected it since early January, when Warner battered the format into oblivion, by deciding on exclusive support of Blu-ray and finishing its contract with HD DVD.

A quick glance on eBay this morning has turned up 2,381 auctions for actual HD DVD discs, with some appallingly cheap options including a job lot of six high-profile films for £49 with 2 hours left (at HMV, this would retail for £124.92), the…

Katherine Hannaford Blu-ray, HD DVD, Home cinema

Toshiba makes formal announcement about not making a formal announcement; Microsoft's Xbox 360 + Blu-ray = May?

Things have changed in the few hours since we last wrote about the format wars! Toshiba has spoken! Open your ears and bow down to the mighty Tosh god as he delivers his sermon…
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Whilst they’re not surrendering just yet, the general public is awaiting an announcement later this week about the future of their HD DVD format support.

Meanwhile, rumours about Microsoft releasing a Blu-ray…

Katherine Hannaford Blu-ray, Gaming, HD DVD, Home cinema

Now you can buy a hi-def player: the five best Blu-ray players

It’s been building up to a crescendo, with Toshiba’s announcement expected sometime this week that they are indeed pulling their support of the HD DVD format. At least the conclusion to this bloody battle will result in all of you finally being able to splurge your retirement money on a hi-def player, or upgrade your tired multi-format to one of these Blu-ray players.

So, in no particular order, here’s the top five best Blu-ray players, as voted by Tech Digest and HDTV-UK.

1.) Panasonic DMP-BD30 – this baby offers full 1080p playback, Final Standard Profile functionality, picture-in-picture, audio mixing, Panasonic’s P4HD technology, 1080/24 playback, HDMI 1.3B, Deep Colour compatibility, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio decoding, SD memory card slot, AVCHD codec, and EZ-Sync. £349, or $499.95, out now…

Katherine Hannaford Blu-ray, Home cinema, Top Fives