Available in 19, 22 and 26-inch screen sizes, the screens all feature a stand that swivels vertically for wall mounting, a built in DVD player (obviously), an integrated digital tuner and at least one HDMI input (the 26-inch has two). The 19-inch model also has Toshy’s first 6-star MEPS rating. They’re all only 1366 x 768 resolution, but considering their minute screen sizes, that’s all you need anyway.

Pricing is pretty sweet, with the 19-inch costing $849, 22-inch for $949 and 26-inch for $1,049, although you’ll almost certainly be able to pick one up for less.

Toshiba also have a promotion running where you can get a free inverter, which’ll let you power up the screen from a DC power source. you know, in case you want to watch Watchmen on your next camping trip. As you do…

[Toshiba]

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the product and return it to the nearest Wal-Mart for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Wal-Mart Stores at (800) 925-6278 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.walmartstores.com

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx

[CPSC via CNN Money via Engadget]

With one of the catchiest names we’ve ever seen before – SD-P92SKY – the portable DVD thingy has a swivelly 9-inch LCD screen with a 640×234 resolution, an SD card slot that will play back DiVX files (so will the DVD drive) and MP3s, and a 3 hour battery life. There are two headphone jacks, and the whole thing weighs 1.2kg.

Not my cup of tea – especially for the $399 RRP – when my iPhone does just as good a job, albeit with a smaller screen. But if it’s your cup of tea, the SD-P92SKY is available now, and I promise I won’t judge you.

[Toshiba]

First of all, it’s a TV stand for your flat panel display. It’s got a built-in amplifier, speakers and subwoofer that output at 80 Watts RMS, which takes care of the audio situation. There’s an AM/FM radio built in, as well as an iPod dock that supposedly supports all current model iPods, plus USB and memory card ports which can play music directly. For your video needs, there’s an upscaling DVD playing with HDMI output that will scale your discs up to 1080p.

The price? An even grand, which seems like a pretty decent price. Sure, I have my reservations about performance quality in any product that does so many different things, but as the base of a secondary home theatre setup, you’d be hard pressed to find better value.

[Audion]

There are some serious issues at work here: Best Buy sold a machine as new when it obviously wasn’t, and that’s no good. But the proof is so gloriously graphic, I’m tempted to overlook it.

This customer bought a supposedly new DVD player from Best Buy, and when he came home, he found not only that the product was used, but that the proof was a DVD left in the drive with the not-even-trying-to-be-clever name of Buckets O’ Cum. It’s pretty shady tactics for the retailer to be repackaging returned products for full price, and it shouldn’t be acceptable. But if you’re going to screw up and leave the smoking gun, so to speak, in the product, it might as well be something that’ll bring a few giggles to the customer you’re taking advantage of. So to speak. [Consumerist, very NSFW photo here]

Not only can HD Guru not tell the difference between many standalone and TV upscalers, they point out that:

As seen in the HD Guru tests of 2008 HDTVs, the internal scaling circuits have been upgraded, compared to previous year’s models and are generally superior to the scalers within many upconverting DVD players.

Extrapolating that point, you could actually be doing yourself a disservice by using an old DVD upscaler with a fancy new television.

Needless to say, HD Guru recommends you stick with Blu-ray players if you’ve got a few hundred bucks burning a hole in your pocket. [HD Guru]

The new version keeps the radio, amp, vinyl playback and robot anthropomorphism, but adds a CD and DVD player as well. The price will undoubtedly still be high when it comes on the market, but… well… let’s just say there are less classy designs on which to spend your money. [Boingboing]

Take their latest DVD player, the XD-E500 DVD upscaler. It’s marketed on the fact that it can take your vanilla old DVDs and upscale them to HD-like quality with 1080p output. That sounds pretty good (although the press release says that standard def DVDs are 480p – not in Australia, Toshiba!). But then there’s the price: $199.

Sure, the Toshy’s got some pretty catchy-sounding tech on board (XDE Technology, anyone?) for upscaling, plus DivX playback, HDMI CEC connectivity and a host of connections, but is it worth $200 bucks? Sony’s latest Blu-ray player has an RRP of $449, but you can pick it up for $380 online, and it will not only upscale your DVDs, but playback Blu-ray movies as well. Even at $150 for the Toshy, don’t most people already own a DVD player?

Still, if the infinite format war takes Blu-ray as its next victim, Toshiba will probably be the company laughing all the way to the bank.

Toshiba Fast Forwards To Clear And Crisp Viewing With New XD-E500 DVD Upscaler

SYDNEY, 10 October 2008

Consumers can unlock the benefits of HD-ready TVs and enjoy their standard DVD collections in near High Definition picture quality, thanks to new Toshiba XDE™ technology now available in its latest DVD player.

XDE, or “eXtended Detail Enhancement,” is more than just DVD upconversion. XDE takes DVD picture quality to a whole new level. In addition to providing upconversion from 480i/p up to 1080p, XDE offers user selectable picture enhancement modes that allow for greater detail, more vivid colors and stronger contrast that bring standard DVD quality closer to the HD experience. XDE technology lets consumers enjoy their existing DVD libraries in a whole new way.

“Consumers have embraced the DVD format and have invested in large libraries of their favourite movies. Now, the Toshiba XD-E500 allows them to experience their existing DVD library and the tens of thousands of DVD titles in enhanced detail and richer colour at near HD picture quality with the Toshiba price and quality promise,” says Francois Spina, AV Product Manager – DVD at Toshiba Australia.

Your movie your way
The XD-E500 offers consumers the ability to customise their viewing experience to their taste with its three picture mode settings, Sharp, Color and Contrast.

* Sharp Mode offers enhanced detail that is one step closer to high definition. Edges are sharper and details in movies are more visible. Unlike traditional sharpness control, XDE™ technology analyses the entire picture and adds edge enhancement precisely where it’s needed.
* Color Mode makes the colours of nature stand out with improved richness. Blues and greens are more vivid and lifelike. Color Mode combines the improvement in colour with the detail enhancement of Sharp Mode and is ideal for outdoor scenes.
* Contrast Mode is designed to make darker scenes more clearly visible without the typical “washing out” that can occur with traditional contrast adjustment. Recommended for dark scenes where detail may be difficult to notice, Contrast Mode is also combined with Sharp Mode to provide a clearer viewing experience.

In addition to Toshiba’s new XDE™ technology, the XD-E500 also features support for PAL progressive scan playback and offers DVD, DVD-R/-RW, CD/ CD-R/-RW, Video-CD, SVCD, CD-DA and HDMI compatibility. It is compatible with Toshiba’s REGZA-Link (HDMI CEC), and also includes Component Video and Composite Video outputs, Coaxial and Optical Digital outputs and two channel audio. JPEG, DivX, MP3 & WMA support is also included.

Key Features:

* Toshiba’s new XDE™ Technology
* Sharp, Color and Contrast Modes
* DVD Upscaler: 720p, 1080i, 1080p
* HDMI connection
* REGZA-LINK (HDMI CEC)
* DivX / MP3/ WMA/ JPEG Viewer
* Pal Progressive
* DVD, DVD-R/-RW, CD/ CD-R/-RW, VIDEO-CD, SVCD, CD-DA
* Component Video Output
* Composite Video Output
* Digital & Coaxial Audio Output
* 2 Channel Audio Output

Pricing and Availability
The XD-E500 DVD player is available now from Harvey Norman, Clive Peeters, Myer, JB Hi Fi, Bing Lee, Rick Hart and speciality Hi-Fi stores, RRP of $199 inc. GST.

The XD-E500 comes with a standard two-year replacement warranty.

Important Notes
This product does not play HD DVD or Blu-Ray discs. It upconverts standard definition (480p) DVD content to HD (720p, 1080i or 1080p) to match the resolution of your HD display. Although near the picture quality, it does not produce or output native HD video content.

* To display upconverted 720p, 1080i or 1080p video content, a 720p, 1080i or 1080p capable HDTV or HD Monitor (as applicable) with an HDCP capable HDMI or DVI input is required.
* The effect of enhancements may vary depending upon disc content quality and display device capability/functionality/settings. Depending on the quality of the DVD disc, some video noise may be visible.
* Some DVD-R/DVD-RW discs may be incompatible due to laser pick up and disc design. CD-R/CD-RW discs must be recorded using CD-DA method for CD audio playback. The DVD player may not support some MP3/WMA/JPEG/DivX recordings due to differences in recording formats, disc structure, or condition of the disc (use of CD-RW for MP3 files is not recommended). See Owner’s Manual for more information.
* Use of REGZA-LINK, a feature based on HDMI-CEC, requires an HDMI-CEC compatible display device. Depending on the specifications of your display device, some or all REGZA LINK functions may not work even if your display device is HDMI-CEC compatible.

[Toshiba]

Aug 28, 2008 19:00

LG to Launch First DivX Certified(R) DVD Player from a Major Manufacturer Capable of Playing HD Video

Innovative “Floating” Player Lets Consumers Enjoy HD Content on Standard DVD Device
SAN DIEGO & SEOUL, Korea —(Business Wire)— Aug. 28, 2008 DivX, Inc. (NASDAQ: DIVX), a digital media company, and LG Electronics, Inc. today announced the DivX Certification(TM) of a new DVD player from LG capable of playing high-definition DivX(R) video.

Incorporating a stylish and sleek design capable of being mounted on a wall, LG’s new DivX Certified(R) DVD player, the DVS450H, allows consumers to play their personal libraries of high-definition digital content. With this device, consumers can enjoy high-definition DivX videos burned to DVD’s or stored on USB flash drives. Typical HD video requires a considerable amount of digital storage space, but DivX HD video provides a superior media experience by maintaining the highest visual quality while significantly reducing the digital file size of the video. Using DivX technology, a full-length high-definition movie is able to fit onto a standard DVD.

“The demand for products that play DivX video has continually driven us to produce solutions that maximize this high-quality experience across a range of product categories,” said Dan D.H. Koh, Head of Marketing Strategy Team in LG Electronics’ Digital Media Company. “Incorporating support for high-definition DivX video on this DVD player illustrates this in a significant way. We are committed to bringing our customers the very best entertainment solutions and are pleased that working with DivX fulfils this vision.”

“Bringing high-definition video to LG’s newest DVD player illustrates our mission of enabling a high-quality media experience across any device,” said Kevin Hell, Chief Executive Officer, DivX, Inc. “This new player from LG simplifies the consumer transition to HD entertainment by providing a high-definition experience on a familiar DVD platform. We are delighted to work with LG in bringing consumers a premium solution for their digital content.”

Products that bear the DivX Certified(R) logo have undergone a rigorous testing program to ensure a high-quality DivX media experience, including reliable video playback, interoperability with other DivX Certified devices and the visual quality that users expect from DivX.

LG is a major manufacturer across consumer electronics product categories who has embraced DivX Certification within a variety of different platforms, including mobile phones, digital televisions, and in-car media players.

It’s US$149 and most people still just own DVDs–hell, even if they own an HDTV more than half don’t even know what Blu-ray is. And for them, this will make their DVDs look better, and that’s good enough. So it’s not a bad business decision, either. It’s just that it feels like a little bit of a cop-out, even if Toshiba openly admits it’s not meant to battle HD, just be a bridge to it for normal people. What I really want to see is a Toshiba Blu-ray player, and I want it to be totally awesome. [Toshiba]