Toshiba Wants Back into the HD Game with XDE

Toshiba just won’t let HD disc player technology go. Six months after being blown out of the HD-format war with Sony's Blu-ray, Toshiba has a new high definition trick up its sleeve… XDE – a new upscaling technology that promises to doll-up that frumpy old 480p video signal.

The Japanese electronics manufacturer has officially announced a new DVD player that comes stacked with its new super-upscaling technology. The XD-E500 is Toshiba’s new upscaling DVD player. Toshiba wants to demonstrate how it can turn your DVD collection into eye-candy with its eXtended Detail Enhancement technology or XDE.

The creators of XDE say the secret is in edge enhancements. Sure, we can hear videophiles complaining about the increased noise associated with edge enhancements. This is why calibrated displays usually turn the sharpness setting way – way down. But Toshiba claims its video processor can apply smart edge enhancements that only apply it sparingly.

What’s wrong with good old fashioned soft, warm and very cinematic images? It’s what the golden age of cinema was built upon. Edge enhancements with clever algorithms remind me of guys using tacky pick-up lines on women. It’s usually a better idea to just be yourself. The same applies to a video signal.

Along with Toshiba’s new edge enhancement ticks the XD-E500 will also offer a 24-fps mode. A nice trick that could help cut down on 2:3 pull-down judder. But it’s probably not enough to help the XD-E500 make a splash with videophiles. The new wunder-player will sell with an MSRP of $150 and will be available later this month.