Product of the Day, Day 27: Toshiba XDE-500 DVD Player
Toshiba XDE-500 Upconverting DVD Player
The Toshiba XDE-500 upconverting DVD player was introduced on the heels of the defeat of Toshiba’s HD DVD format to Blu-ray Disc. Toshiba went on record saying thy will never make a Blu-ray player (though we will see how long that holds out) and would instead concentrate on improving DVD upconversion. The XDE-500 was the result. While it definitely doesn’t produce a true high definition image with high definition sound like Blu-ray does, it deserves to be on your shopping list if you need a new DVD player for your HDTV.
XDE stands for “eXtended Detail Enhancement.” XDE analyzes the picture and adds sharpness where specifically needed, rather than sharpening the whole picture. There are also contrast and color modes.
At the time of its introduction the XDE-500 was quite controversial. Many reviewers decried the results, calling them artificial and overblown, and called the XDE-500 the result of sour grapes more than anything else. Others said they liked what they did to their DVDs. I reviewed a unit last year and liked it, as did everyone who I demonstrated it to. It really did make my DVDs look better, and I especially liked the color mode, not finding it overblown in most cases, though certain DVDs benefiited more than others. When I wrote my newspaper column and mentioned the XDE-500 I commented that at $149 the price was too close to that of a Blu-ray player. Now the XDE-500 can be had for a small fraction of that price and rates a very easy recommend.
Right now the XDE-500 is an incredible bargain at $79 retail, and as low as $69 from amazon.com. At that price you can’t go wrong as it will handily outperform any $50 upconverting DVD player, and you may like the results from the enhancement modes. Blu-ray players can be had from Wal-Mart for as little as $168 now so if you want the best image and sound quality and will be buying Blu-ray Discs, spend the extra $99 and get the Blu-ray player. If you want to bring out the best from your existing DVD collection, get the XDE-500.
On that note I should mention that most inexpensive Blu-ray players aren’t stellar upconverters. If excellent DVD picture quality is important to you, a strong case can be made for having BOTH a Blu-ray player and an XDE-500 given the $69 price, as the XDE-500 will make your DVDs look better than almost any Blu-ray player will. If you are not as critical, the Blu-ray player may suffice.
Only 69 bucks? Sounds like an impulse buy to me 
though it does not take much arm twisting to get me to buy electronics!
Save money and support this site by ordering from Amazon.com:
Amazon.com: Toshiba XD-E500 Upconverting 1080p Extended Detail DVD Player
