Digital Home Thoughts: Toshiba Announces HD-E1, HD-XE1 HD-DVD Players in Europe

"The first HD-DVD players for Europe have just been announced by Toshiba at their press conference at IFA in Berlin. There will be two models available initially, both before the end of the year. This follows the US release earlier this year. Toshiba were at pains to point out that the European machines are a second generation of player. The first to be introduced will be the Toshiba HD-E1, coming out in November this year. Capable of playing both at 1080i and 720p. An HDMI 1.2a port will be included. Audio playback will be Dobly 2.1. Expected price €599-€699. The following month (December) will see the release of the higher quality player, the HD-EX1. It will add playback at 1080p to the 1080i and 720p of the HD-E1. HDMI support will be the latest release HDMI 1.3. Dolby 5.1 will also be supported. Both machines will feature Ethernet ports, enabling Internet connections for interactivity and to access additional content."



More good news on the HD-DVD front, at least if you live in Europe. The HD-E1 and HD-EX1 will be released in November and December, respectively. It should be noted that Toshiba's third HD-DVD player to market (the HD-E1) will be released just days before Sony's first Blu-ray player is released, and for undoubtedly a much lower price. Details as to a North American release are unknown at the moment, but I would expect them to hit the shelves before Xmas (that is, if Toshiba is smart).