HD DVD player & up-scaling for DVDs only 59.99! (Toshiba HD-EP30-K-TE)

Member Name: mattman101

Product:	Toshiba HD-EP30-K-TE
Date:	23/03/08 (284 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: VERY cheap and an excellent little product that you'd normally pay 4 times as much for

Disadvantages: None

Toshiba HD-EP30-K-TE - HD DVD Player & DVD Up scaling

I bought this HD DVD player yesterday and I can't begin to express what a good deal it is. I bought it at Comet where it's now down to 59.99 from 99.99 and comes with two FREE HD DVDs (Bourne Supremacy and 300)! The reason it's so cheap and such a bargain is because HD DVDs are now being done away with and Blue Ray is becoming the dominant HD media. Although in spite of this this is still a deal not to be missed. HD DVDs are now coming down in price as a result too! Not only does it play HD DVDs but it also up scales your current DVDs to a near HD standard. That means all your old DVD collection can still be played on the player in near HD quality, all for 59.99. And just to add to all this, from reviews on other sites on this product, it would seem this one is much better than others that cost around 200 pound. But now into a little more detail:

HD DVD Player:
The player as I've already said is capable of playing HD DVDs. This however is NOT Blue Ray disk. HD DVDs are different and require a HD DVD player to play. HD DVDs offer films up to a resolution on 1080p, although to get this resolution you'll need a TV that displays 1080p otherwise you'll have to choose from one of the other options (1080i, 720p, 720i etc...). My TV plays at 1080i so I havn't seen how it plays on highest quality, but on 1080i it plays pretty damn good. The picture is very clear and much better than DVD quality (300 looks pretty cool in HD).

DVD Up scaling:
The DVD up scaling feature is the main reason I bought this player as it allows me to keep all my old DVD collection and view it in a quality that is very near to HD (A little less than 720p). I compared 3:10 to Yuma on DVD and then on the HD DVD player earlier and the picture quality difference is defiantly visible, however when I compared Toy Story it's even more so. The picture crystal clear and I was very happy with the up scaling result.

Internet connection: This feature will allow you to update special features on HD DVDs etc.

Outputs:

Output to your TV is HDMI, however I didn't have a HDMI input on my TV (as it is a Dell TV/Monitor) so I bought a DVI to HDMI converter from Maplins for 19.99 (you don't lose any picture quality through doing this). The player can also be connected various ways to a sound system and also to the TV.

Other details:
The Player is a bit taller than your average DVD player however this should be expected as it is a HD DVD player but is very pleasing to look at. The front is a reflective black with a display panel that is pretty impressive and in no way resembles anything you'd expect for 59.99.

Overall the HD DVD player is a bargain, however it won't be around for long as Toshiba isn't producing them anymore so hurry and buy one before they're all gone! I mean it's 59.99 and you get two free HD DVDs in the box! You couldn't really ask for more. I'm trying to think of a fault but I simply can't give you any, for this price you just can't go wrong.

Summary: Brilliant little deal, now i can play HD movies :D

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