The format war has finally gotten underway, albeit with a few near misses and battles more akin to Dad's Army than Kelly's Heroes. However, some players have stood out amongst the crowd, and the big question is which one wins; Blu-ray or HD DVD? Toshiba, Samsung and Panasonic dig their trenches...
The Winner
Toshiba HD-XE1
£650 (approx)
08704 424 424
Reviewed: HCC #142
As a high-end alternative to the HD-E1 – the
Substantially built and weighing 6.2kg, it features a full complement of 5.1 audio outputs, Ethernet, optical and coaxial digital audio, and 1080p delivered via HDMI v1.3
If you want to see how spectacular high-definition can be, we recommend partnering the HD-XE1 with this year’s award-winning King Kong HD DVD; tremendous levels of detail, remarkable colour rendition, negligible motion problems and stunning Dolby Digital Plus sound are the rewards of choosing this player.
Combined with a cutting-edge display and sound system, the HD-XE1 represents the first coming of genuine digital home cinema – and it’s surprisingly affordable too. Toshiba, we salute you!
Smoke him a kipper and give Toshiba's Martin Eastwood his award
Also nominated
Panasonic DMP-BD10B
£1,300 (approx)
08705 357357
Reviewed: HCC #137
The imposing Panasonic DMP-BD10 heralded the arrival of Blu-ray in the
In performance, upscaling and ‘remastering’ do wonders with standard-def material, but with good Blu-ray material it really shines. Look out for the latest update, the BD10A, which adds Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD audio compatability.
Samsung BD-P1000
£1,000 (approx)
0870 242 0303
Reviewed: HCC #137
The first worldwide BD deck boasted a detailed and realistic picture, and superb performance with lossless LPCM 5.1 soundtracks, clearly showing the potential of the format to early adopters. We await Samsung’s second-generation model with baited breath...
