Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
Round the back of the unit you'll find almost every connector you could ever want. There's HDMI and component-video for HD output, plus composite-video and s-video connectors for standard-definition displays - although hooking it up to an SD display would be somewhat pointless. In addition to two-channel audio output, you'll also find connectors for 5.1 audio so you can hook it up directly to a surround sound amp without a decoder. Co-ax and optical digital audio output ports are also present if you want to use your own surround decoder, and there's the obligatory internet connection that discs can optionally use for additional features, or the player itself for firmware updates.
The remote control bundled with the HD-E1 was disappointing. It had a fairly basic design and not in keeping with the player's price tag and equally high-end audience. The buttons where difficult to read in low-light conditions - ie. when you're watching a movie with the lights off - and it generally felt a bit cheap.
For the HD-XE1, however, Toshiba has pulled out all the stops and made the remote control department work double-time to produce something much, much better. It retains the ability to control your TV - just punch in the code in the manual and you've got quick access to power, volume, etc - but design-wise it's miles ahead. It's finished in a brushed black metal effect and it has a good amount of weight and sturdiness to it. The buttons are backlit, so finding your way around the controls in the near-dark is no longer a problem. Once you know where everything is, you can also turn the backlight off to preserve battery life - which is just as well since it takes four AAA batteries. The button placement is logical, and finding your way around the controls is simple.
COMMENTS
Since when is 650 smackers "reasonable"?
Title says it all - most people buying TV sets spend less than 650 quid, so why would anyone buy this extremely expensive HD DVD player that costs more than their TV set does? The reviewer has a complete cheek to call it "reasonably priced", when it's 200 quid more than a PS3 and about the same price as an XBox 360 + HD DVD, both of which clearly offer far better value for money than this unit.
Wake me up when a dual format HD DVD/Blu Ray standalone player costs 100 quid and a recorder for both formats costs 200 quid - only *then* will these standalone units gain any noticeable market share (note to clueless companies here - no-one with a sane brain will buy a single format player or recorder until the format war is over). And never mind the cost of both pre-recorded and blank recordable discs in both formats - both still overpriced, especially the blank discs, now that dual layer DVD 8.5GB blanks can be had for less than 1 pound each now.
XBox 360
The XBox 360 + HD-DVD drive will also work out slightly cheaper - assuming you can find one of the strangely elusive drives. The real downer is that you'd have to watch your movie with the 360 bellowing away in the background.
Anyone here got any experience of the 360's HD-DVD drive?
32" not viable for 1080p???
I disagree about this - you've got to remember that the relentless pursuit of perfection in technology means that decades from now 14" sets are likely to be high def, if not higher def. They're even talking about 2160p now, your comments are suggestive that even 40" sets will be too small for 2160p!!
Besides, I think the human eye is perfectly capable of discerning great detail even at such small screen sizes. After all, the 17" PC monitor I'm using right now is running at 1280x1024, it can display a 720p image nicely at 17", so why oh why can't a 32" accommodate a 1080p image?
This actually frustrates me because the corners of my living room are a little too small to accomodate anything greater than a 32" set and they don't currently make 1080p sets any smaller than 40", at least I haven't found any.
I'll just have to wait until things go holographic maybe, or wirelessly injected directly into the visual cortex for the ultimate in picture quality!!
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