Toshiba Launches New HD DVD Players
Published by Admin on 16.9.06 at 9/16/2006 01:19:00 PM.
Toshiba said today it will make its second generation of high-definition DVD players available for sale in the United States. The players will come in two models -- the entry-level HD-A2 and the higher-end HD-XA2 -- and offer improved player performance over the current line, said Toshiba vice president of marketing Jodi Sally.
The new black players are about half the size of the original HD-DVD players, which were launched in the U.S. market back in April. Both models have new picture setting functions to let users optimize picture quality with adjustable color, contrast, brightness, edge enhancement and noise blocking settings.
The new DVD players will also double the available bandwidth for video display, enabling them to produce substantially deeper colors and sharper resolution, according to the company.
Quality Enhancements
Sally, who called the improved image and sound quality "stunning", said HD-A2 will be available in October for a suggested retail price of $500, and the HD-XA2 is expected to go on sale in December for a suggested retail price of $1,000. The HD-DVD's primary competition, Sony's Blu-ray player has a list price of $1,000.
Both Toshiba models use Ethernet connections for accessing additional content via a home broadband connection, and both support various audio formats like Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus.
Todd Chanko, an analyst with Jupiter Research, said it was too soon to tell if Toshiba's DVD player had a decisive advantage over Sony's as far as consumers are concerned, noting that both companies have been making similar changes.
"It is an interesting time to be reinventing the format when HD-TV is not quite mainstream yet," he said. "I'm not sure this announcement translates into anything meaningful for the consumer."
Fighting for Position
The announcement marks yet another phase in the fight between competing high-definition formats that has not eased, nor become any clearer in recent months. As both Toshiba, and chief competitor Sony with its Blu-ray player, continue to push their incompatible formats and improve functionality, it is almost certain someone will come up short at the box office.
Both formats use optical discs the same size as a CD or DVD, and both have much higher storage capacities than current DVDs. Link
The new black players are about half the size of the original HD-DVD players, which were launched in the U.S. market back in April. Both models have new picture setting functions to let users optimize picture quality with adjustable color, contrast, brightness, edge enhancement and noise blocking settings.
The new DVD players will also double the available bandwidth for video display, enabling them to produce substantially deeper colors and sharper resolution, according to the company.
Quality Enhancements
Sally, who called the improved image and sound quality "stunning", said HD-A2 will be available in October for a suggested retail price of $500, and the HD-XA2 is expected to go on sale in December for a suggested retail price of $1,000. The HD-DVD's primary competition, Sony's Blu-ray player has a list price of $1,000.
Both Toshiba models use Ethernet connections for accessing additional content via a home broadband connection, and both support various audio formats like Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus.
Todd Chanko, an analyst with Jupiter Research, said it was too soon to tell if Toshiba's DVD player had a decisive advantage over Sony's as far as consumers are concerned, noting that both companies have been making similar changes.
"It is an interesting time to be reinventing the format when HD-TV is not quite mainstream yet," he said. "I'm not sure this announcement translates into anything meaningful for the consumer."
Fighting for Position
The announcement marks yet another phase in the fight between competing high-definition formats that has not eased, nor become any clearer in recent months. As both Toshiba, and chief competitor Sony with its Blu-ray player, continue to push their incompatible formats and improve functionality, it is almost certain someone will come up short at the box office.
Both formats use optical discs the same size as a CD or DVD, and both have much higher storage capacities than current DVDs. Link