Compare Prices : Toshiba XDE500 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: Will the XD-E500 help Toshiba bounce back from HD DVD's demise?

Pros: Excellent upscaling ; Good DVD player ; Great value

Cons: In other respects, this player is a 'no-frills' budget model

Verdict: A couple of other options – JPEG slide-show and DivX VoD code entry – hint at the scant playback alternatives. In addition to CD-ROMs containing photos and DivX/XviD footage, the XD-E500 will also play CDs and MP3 audio files. Nothing, then, to ...

Review summary: HD DVD is dead, but can Toshiba still take a bite out of Blu-ray?

Pros: Genuinely sets new upscaling standards / Supports DiVX / Runs silently

Cons: Expensive for a DVD player / Rather cheaply built / Doesn't play Blu-ray

Verdict: It's also worth experimenting with the E500's alternative Colour and Contrast modes, which focus on making colours more lifelike and details in dark areas more obvious respectively. But we always came back to the Sharp setting in the end

Review summary: With the demise of HD DVD, Toshiba has turned its attention back to DVD.

Review summary: If you're looking to make the most of your DVD collection but you aren't up for a Blu-ray player, this Toshiba upscaling DVD player may be a good bet. Play with the three different upscaling modes to find your ideal picture, but watch out for some ...

Pros: Picture quality ; sound ; holds its own against other upscaling players

Cons: It's expensive for a DVD player ; a pain to use with certain TVs

Verdict: This is a decent upscaling DVD player that can breathe extra life into your DVD collection. The problem is, it's rather a pain to use at times, and if you own a 32-inch 1080p Philips TV you're going to be bang out of luck with it

Verdict: The Toshiba XD-E500's XDE picture enhancements don't live up to the hype. While it's a solid upscaling DVD player, its high price makes it a hard sell.