Following HD DVD's defeat, Toshiba announced that it was working on new upconverting technology that could deliver picture quality near that of Blu-ray. The company has finally unveiled its XDE, or "eXtended Detail Enhancement," technology. Available in Toshiba's new XD-E500 DVD player, XDE provides upconversion from 480i/p up to 1080p and offers user selectable picture enhancement modes that bring standard DVD quality closer to the HD experience.

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Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. ("Toshiba") today announces its new video enhancement technology for DVD with the introduction of the XD-E500. XDE, or "eXtended Detail Enhancement," is more than just DVD upconversion. XDE takes DVD picture quality to a whole new level. In addition to providing upconversion from 480i/p up to 1080p, XDE offers user selectable picture enhancement modes that allow for greater detail, more vivid colors and stronger contrast that bring standard DVD quality closer to the HD experience. XDE technology lets consumers enjoy their existing DVD libraries in a whole new way.

"Consumers have embraced the DVD format like no other technology and invested in large libraries of their favorite movies. As the market moves towards high definition, XDE lets them experience their existing DVD library and the tens of thousands of DVD titles in a whole new way," said Louis Masses, Director of Product Planning. "XDE offers consumers a simple solution to add on to their HDTV purchase. XDE works with existing DVDs to deliver a near HD experience with enhanced detail and richer colors. Toshiba is delivering to consumers what they want -- a high quality experience at an affordable price."

The XD-E500 will be shipping later this month for a suggested retail price of $149.99. If you'd like to read more, Toshiba's entire press release can be found here.