Toshiba HD-XE1-K-TETM - Expert Reviews

Review summary: Flying in the face of current inflationary trends Toshiba's entry-level HD DVD deck has recently had its price cut. A step-up model which adds 1080p output to the HD-E1 will soon be on sale for £450

Pros: Cheaper than Blu-ray, Great picture quality

Cons: No 5.1 analogue outputs, Poor remote

Verdict: This HD DVD player couples an eye-opening price with some great pictures, making it a serious player in this new market

Review summary: After the promising but slightly disappointing HD-E1, Toshiba has launched the HD-XE1 - a player that is able to fully exploit the best of hi-def HD DVD at a price that standalone Blu-ray players are currently not able to compete against

Pros: Superb image processing, Great high-def picture quality, Great picture quality, Affordable, Excellent audio performance

Cons: Some noise on standard-def footage, Expensive, Average remote, No European output option

Verdict: Despite a couple of (correctable) niggles, this is easily the best standalone high definition disc player we've encountered

Review summary: After the big bang of the HD disc format war, the dust has settled a little.

Award: Recommended!

Review summary: Toshiba's high-end HD DVD player offers a plethora of features and an attractive price.

Verdict: The true home cinema enthusiast has probably been waiting for a player to arrive with HDMI 1.3, 1080p output and an Ethernet port. But what that early adopter probably didn't expect was for all that to come at such an affordable price. The HD-XE1 is a hig