Ok it might not be official yet but it looks like the HD format war is effectively over. Following my previous post on the Toshiba HD-EP30 and praising Toshiba for releasing a budget priced HD DVD player and making the next gen format available to the masses it seems they are admitting defeat and pulling the plug on the format.

The loss of the so called format war for HD DVD has been talked about since January when Warner Brothers, Hollywood’s largest distributor of DVDs switched their support from HD DVD to rival format Blu-ray. On Friday there was another nail in the coffin when the U.S giant Wal-Mart announced that they would stop selling HD DVD and exclusively support the Blu-ray format. The announcement by Wal-Mart came in a week when major electronics seller Best Buy and online video rental giant Netflix declared their allegiance to Blu-ray.

NHK, a Japanese broadcaster reports that although Toshiba is expected to continue selling HD DVD players at stores for the time being, it will cease production of all HD DVD-compatible equipment and will close its HD DVD factories in Northern Japan. Losses could reach tens of billions of yen (several hundred millions dollars) if the company decides on the pullout, it said. No comment was available from Toshiba on Saturday. The HD DVD camp also includes Microsoft, Intel, Universal Home Studios, and Paramount Home Entertainment.

The format war between the Toshiba-backed HD DVD and Sony Corp’s Blu-Ray, often compared to the Betamax-VHS battle in the 1980s, has slowed the development of what is expected to be a multibillion dollar high-definition DVD industry. The loser of the battle will become a mere footnote in consumer electronics history, much the way Betamax was forgotten after VHS became the technology of choice for home video players, according to industry analysts.

Toshiba HD-EP30

RRP £250

Buy the Toshiba HD-EP30 from Toshiba@HomeCinemaGear from just £119.99

Toshiba helped to bring DVD in to many homes in the formats early life by being one of the first to release cheap DVD players. They are now trying to do the same for HD DVD with the HD-EP30 at an RRP of £250. This is an incredibly low price for a Hi-Def disc player at this stage of their relatively short life.

Peformance doesn’t appear to suffer for being a budget model either. What HiFi magazine tested the product with the HD DVD version of Mission Impossible 3. They report that the opening scene which features a pan of a long flight of steps showed only the faintest of wobble whereas many other players allow this scene to break up completely. The HD-EP30 also coped well as the camera continued to pan across the room past many dinner jackets showing every crease and fold. Standard DVD playback is equally impressive and the HD-EP30 will also have a decent stab at CD audio playback.

It comes as no surprise that there had to be a downside on such a cheap player and with the HD-EP30 its the audio features. No HD audio formats can be output via the HDMI connection. Also missing from the spec are any 5.1 analogue connections. The HD-EP30 will convert any HD audio to PCM and output this via the HDMI or digital optical port.

All things considered at this price point I don’t think there can be any complaints and Toshiba should be praised for bringing HD viewing within reach of the masses.

Technical Specification

Please be aware that the features/specifications can differ from country to country.

General

DVD Video
HD DVD Video

Compatibility - Playback

CD audio
CD-DA
CD-R
CD-RW
DVD-R: (Does not support CPRM)
DVD ROM
DVD-RW: (Does not support CPRM)
DVD Video
HD DVD

Sound

Dolby Digital audio decoder
Dolby Digital Plus
Dolby True HD
DTS-HD (core)
NICAM Stereo (VHS)

Interactive Features

Interactive HD DVD capability

Connections

Analogue 2 channel audio
Optical audio
Component video output
Composite video
Ethernet
S-video
HDMI output: 1
USB: 1

For & Against

What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision

“…

For - Astoundingly good HD images for the price; great DVD performance; ethernet port for updates; price

Against - No way to output genuine HD audio

Rating - 5 out of 5

…”

Average rating on Toshiba@HomeCinemaGear - 5 out of 5 from 32 reviews.

The Toshiba HD-EP30 is currently available from Toshiba@HomeCinemaGear for £119.99

Toshiba 47Z3030

RRP £1,700

Buy the Toshiba 47Z3030 online from Toshiba@HomeCinemaGear from £1,207

One of the drawbacks with LCD TVs is the tendancy to suffer from motion blur. That is they loose clarity with fast moving images. One way to reduce if not eliminate this effect is doubling the standard 50Hz refresh rate to 100Hz. Toshiba was one of the first to use a refresh rate of 100Hz but has opted to only use this on it’s top end Z series screens.

As such the 47Z3030 features 100Hz image processing which seems to do a good job of reducing the aforementioned motion blur. Home Cinema Choice tested the 47Z3030’s full HD 1080p/24fps performance by hooking up the screen to a Sony BDP-S1E and giving Pirates Of The Caribbean on Blu-ray a spin. The magazine comments “…their movements certainly lose less resolution than they do on Toshiba’s own non-100Hz sets …” They go on to say that the very fastest action does leave a definate trace of blur but the result is at best quite natural and not overly distracting.

Other features on the picture quality side include Toshiba’s ActiveVision M100HD processing for improved colour, contrast and sharpness. Plus 10bit processing for a wider colour pallette and MPEG noise reduction. The 47Z3030’s 1080p/24fps performance is improved further by featuring a 5:5 pulldown facility that replicates the exact image frames in sets of 5 to reduce the juddering artefacts that some 1080p/24fps sets can suffer from.

The downsides are a poor black level performance with dark sides looking decidedly grey and a shallow viewing angle with brightness and contrast really suffering when viewing from a wide angle.

The sound however fares better probably due to the speaker technology being provided by Onkyo. The overall sound quality is good with power, clarity and believable mid bass.

Technical Specification

Please be aware that the features/specifications can differ from country to country.

Picture

Visible screen size (cm): 119
Screen format: 16:9
Display resolution: 1920 x 1080p
1080 HD ready
Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 15000:1
Active Vision M100 HD
100Hz
Standard TV up-scaling
Exact Scan Mode
Brightness (cd/m²): 500
MPEG noise reduction
3D Digital Comb filter
Digital noise reduction
24 fps with 5:5 pull down
Viewing angle (degrees): 178
Wide colour gamut
Dynamic Gamma curve correction
xvYCC Broad Colour Space
10-bit processing

Interactive Features

Digital Text
Electronic Programme Guide: 8 day
Now and Next Information
Favourite channel memory
Fastext

Audio

Sound output (RMS) W: 20
SRS WOW
ONKYO speaker technology
Stable Sound

Tuning

Digital Ready
Freeview Digital Tuner
Analogue Tuner
Auto Set-up

Connections

HDMI with Deep Colour: 3
REGZA link (CEC functionality)
Component video
RGB (via SCART): 2
SCART: 2
S-Video
Side AV input
PC Input: WXGA
Analogue audio input
Optical digital audio output
Sub woofer output
Headphone

Other Features

Off timer
Panel lock
Integrated Signal Amplifier
Wall Mountable (VESA)
Swivel pedestal stand

Dimensions

Width (mm): 1132
Height without ped. stand (mm): 710
Height with ped. stand (mm): 765
Depth without ped. stand (mm): 147
Depth with ped. stand (mm): 352
Weight without ped. stand (kg): 32.2
Weight with ped. stand (kg): 35.5
Power consumption - typical (W): TBC
Power Consumption - stand-by (W): < 1

For & Against

Home Cinema Choice

“…

Highs: Colour response; sharp and detailed high-definition pictures.

Lows: Black level; limited viewing angle.

Overall: 3 out of 5

…”

The 47Z3030 is available from Toshiba@HomeCinemaGear from £1,207

RRP - £199

Buy the Philips DVDR5500 online from Philips@HomeCinemaGear from £109.99

With hard disk recorders becoming more and more popular the lifespan of DVD recorders is under threat. Philips has released this and brought out a product to bridge the gap. The DVDR5500 combines both a hard disk recorder and a DVD recorder into one slim elegant looking device. It can record to both DVD- and DVD+ discs and with a hybrid TV tuner, recording both analog and digital TV is a breeze. The DVDR5500 also has the ability to upscale DVDs to 1080i resolution. This recorder also features USB Direct for quick and easy transfer of photos and music.

Packing all of these features into one unit and for an RRP of £199 Philips may have given the DVDR5500 a chance.

Technical Specification

Picture/Display
A/D converter: 10 bit, 54 MHz
D/A converter: 10 bit, 54 MHz
Picture enhancement: Progressive Scan
HDMI version: 1.1

Tuner/Reception/Transmission
Digital TV Tuner: Freeview
TV system: PAL B/G PAL D/K PAL I SECAM B/G SECAM D/K SECAM L/L’

Video Playback
Compression formats: MPEG1 MPEG2 DivX 3.11 DivX 4.x DivX 5.x DivX 6.0
Playback Media: CD-R/CD-RW DVD+R DL DVD+R/+RW DVD-R/-RW DVD-Video Video CD/SVCD

Video Recording
Audio compression: Dolby Digital
Compression formats: MPEG2
Recording enhancements: Divide Erase Manual Chapter Marking Program Name Recording Station ID Recording Auto Chapter Marking Selectable Index Pictures
Recording Media: DVD+R DL DVD+R/+RW DVD-R/-RW
Recording Modes: Extended Play (EP) High Quality (HQ) Long Play (LP) Standard Play (SP) Standard Play Plus (SPP) Super Long Play (SLP)
Recording system: PAL

Audio Playback
Compression format: MP3 MPEG2 Multichannel PCM WMA
Playback Media: Audio CD CD-R/RW DVD+R DL DVD+R/+RW DVD-R/-RW MP3-CD MP3-DVD USB flash drive

Sound
A/D converter: 16 bit, 48 kHz
D/A converter: 24 bit, 96 kHz

Connectivity
Connectivity Enhancements: i.LINK DV camcorder control
Front / Side connections: Audio L/R in CVBS in i.LINK DV in (IEEE1394, 4-pin) S-video in
Rear Connections: Analog audio Left/Right out Component Video output Composite video (CVBS) output Digital coaxial out HDMI output RF antenna in / TV out S-Video out

Convenience
Electronic Programme Guide: 7 day Electronic Program Guide
Programmable Events: 10
Programming/Timer Enhancements: Daily/Weekly Repeat Program Manual Timer

Dimensions
Weight incl. Packaging: 5 kg
Packaging dimensions (WxHxD): 571×123x412mm
Product dimensions (WxDxH): 435×324.5×43mm
Product weight: 3 kg

Power
Power consumption: 25 W
Power supply: 220-240V 50Hz
Standby power consumption: 3.1 W

For & Against
What Hi-Fi Sound And Vision

“…
For - Good looks, alluring price, enjoyable upscaled DVD images

Against - Iffy TV tuner so recording quality suffers, not straight-forward to use

Rating - 3 out of 5
…”

Average Ratings from Review Centre

“…
Image Quality 9/10
Sound Quality 9.5/10
Features 9/10
Ease of Use 8/10
Value for Money 8.5/10
Reviewer Rating 9/10
Overall Rating 8/10
…”

The DVDR5500 is available from Philips@HomeCinemaGear from £109.99

Sony BDP-S500

RRP - £599

Buy the Sony BDP-S500 online from Sony@HomeCinemaGear from £486

Convenience – and style – of a different kind is evident in the design of the BDP-S500. This model features a motorised sliding panel at the front, which opens automatically when you load or eject a disc

Another reason this player will fit so comfortably at the centre of the digital living room is BRAVIA Theatre Sync technology. This uses HDMI to let you control a home theatre setup using a single button on a single remote instead of having to switch on and select inputs on several devices one after another. So all you need to do is press Play on the player’s remote and the TV switches on and selects it as the primary input. When you’re done, turning off the TV with its remote will automatically shut down the player as well and any other components of your setup connected to it by HDMI.

Film lovers will relish 24p True Cinema. Cine cameras actually film at 24 frames per second, but televisions operate at a higher frame rate, so conversion has traditionally been necessary. The result is a 4% discrepancy from the original – the film broadcast on TV or played on a VHS or DVD player actually runs 4% faster than the original, and some soundtrack rises by 4% in pitch. When the BDP-S300 or BDP-S500 is connected to a TV with 24p capability such as the new Bravia X-Series, the original 24 frames per second are played just as the camera first recorded them. You see – and hear – exactly what the director intended.

The BDP-S500 also supports the new x.v.Colour standard, an international standard defining a colour range for moving images approximately twice that of sRGB. This means the players can handle AVC-HD discs recorded by new-generation camcorders that use x.v.Colour and reproduce the more natural and lifelike colours in full.

Even your existing collection of DVDs can look better thanks to a 1080p upscaling feature that works with HDMI-equipped 1080p-capable HDTVs, enhancing and sharpening the picture as you watch.

Technical specifications
Please be aware that the features/specifications can differ from country to country.

System
BD-ROM Playback, BD-R/RE Playback (only BDMV), AVC-HD 8c/12cm DVD Playback, DVD Video Playback, Audio CD Playback, DVD-R/RW(Video Format)Playback, DVD+R/RW Playback, CD-R/RW(CDDA) Playback, JPEG Playback, MP3 Playback

Picture Quality
1080p output (via HDMI), DVD upscaling to 1080p, 24fps True Cinema, x.v. Colour, Progressive Scan Output, Preset Picture Mode

Audio
8ch Linear PCM bitstream out, Dolby Digital decoding, Dolby Digital bitstream out, Dolby Digital Plus decoding, Dolby Digital Plus bitstream out, Dolby True HD decoding, Dolby True HD bitstream out, DTS decoding, DTS bitstream out, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio decoding, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio bit stream out

Construction
Motorized Slide Door, Display on Front Panel

Connectivity
HDMI x1, Component Video Output x1 gold plated, S-Video Output x1 gold plated, Composite Video Output x1 gold plated, Digital Audio Output: Coaxial x1 gold plated, Digital Audio Output: Optical x1, 5.1ch Analog Audio Output x1 gold plated, Analog Stereo Output x1 gold plated

Convenience
Quick Setup, Bravia Theatre Sync, Step FW/REV, Custom Parental Control, Disc Resume

Others
Screen Saver, Audio/Video Bit Rate Indicator, Start up screen, Back Ground Graphics

Specification
Power Requirements 220-240 V, Power Consumption (in Operation) 33 W, Power Consumption (in Standby) 0.4 W, Dimensions (WxHxD) 430 x 99.2 x 361 mm, Mass (kg) 4.8

For & Against
What Hi-Fi Sound And Vision
“…

For - Excellent colours, motion and detail with Blu-ray and DVD; lovely build and styling; even a reasonable CD player

Against - No DTS-HD Master Audio through HDMI; no Ethernet connection; could do with a touch more crispness and black detail to images

Rating - 4 out of 5

…”

Home Cinema Choice

“…

Highs: Excellent images, build quality, high resolution audio.

Lows: Not Profile 1.1, no DTS-HD Master Audio, No SACD.

Overall: 4 out of 5

…”

Available from Sony@HomeCinemaGear from £486

Sony Launches World’s First *1 OLED TV

Realizes astonishing 3mm-thinness (at thinnest point) and unparalleled image quality

Sony today introduced the world’s first*1 OLED (organic light-emitting diode) TV, “XEL-1″. The 11-inch OLED TV “XEL-1″ proposes a ground-breaking new TV design, with its astonishing thinness measuring approximately 3mm (at its thinnest point). “XEL-1″ also incorporates Sony’s independently developed “Organic Panel*2″, which realizes advantages such as high contrast, high peak brightness, color reproduction, rapid response time, all of which combine to deliver unparalleled image quality.

*1 As of October 1, 2007. Based on Sony research.
*2 Name of Sony OLED panel

Sony’s design concept for the XEL-1 was a new TV Design which represents the sensation of floatation.
A simple design, in which the thin, light display is sustained by an aluminum side arm, represents the sensation of floating, and has delivers a revolutionary design befitting the world’s first OLED TV. Also, the rear panel combines black and mirror-like metal surfaces, which together with the balanced front and side design completes its sophisticated overall appearance. Matching this slim and advanced body design, “XEL-1″ comes with a slim and stylish remote control.

The launch date for the XEL-1 in Japan was set at 1st December 2007 with a retail price (inc. Tax) of ¥200,000 which equates to over £870. Whilst this may seem an extremly high price for an 11″ screen Sony released the product ahead of schedule and it was sold out at launch by pre-orders. Production is expected to be 2,000 units per month and there are currently no plans for a UK release however now the technology is out there it is inevitable that it will reach our shores sooner or later.

Main Features of the “XEL-1″

1. Thinness: Proposes new TV form factor measuring approximately 3mm thinness (at its thinnest point)
As OLEDs are light-emitting, there is no need for a separate light source such as a backlight system. Sony’s “Organic Panel” consists of an organic material layer of just several hundred nanometers thickness, with two extremely thin glass panels aligned on either side of the organic material layer. This realizes a new TV form factor measuring approximately 3mm at its thinnest point.

2. High contrast: Reproduces realistic images using exquisite shades of black and flexible control of color tone and gradation
With its light-emitting structure, the OLED display can prevent light emission when reproducing shades of black, enabling “XEL-1″ to reproduce very deep blacks (contrast ratio 1,000,000:1). Furthermore, XEL-1 can control all the phases of light emission from zero to peak brightness, generating color expression and subtleties conventional displays cannot match.

3. High peak brightness: Faithfully reproduces picture glow
“Super Top Emission,” a technology unique to Sony and incorporated in its “Organic Panel” has a high aperture ratio which allows for efficient light emission from the organic materials, realizing high peak brightness. This enables “XEL-1″ to faithfully reproduce light flow such as reflections of sun light or camera flashlights through the image reproduced on the display.

4. Excellent color reproduction: Delivers pure and vivid colors in both dark and bright images
In order to use OLED to generate the full spectrum of Sony’s TV color requirements, Sony developed its own proprietary organic materials, with bright coloration. In addition, the micro-cavity structure of “Super Top Emission” and the color extracting technology within its embedded color filter enable “XEL-1″ to reproduce natural colors beautifully. As a result, the fresh colors of ripe fruit and shades of deep cobalt blue can be stunningly reproduced. The “Organic Panel” can also sustain its color reproduction capability in scenes of diminished brightness, enabling “XEL-1″ to faithfully recreate even dark movie scenes using the colors that were originally intended.

5. Rapid response time: Smoothly reproduces fast moving images such as sports scenes
Since OLED can spontaneously turn the light emitted from the organic material layer on and off, OLED is capable of very rapid response times. Newly developed OLED drive circuits enable “XEL-1″ to reproduce fast moving images such as sports scenes smoothly and naturally.

6. Low power consumption
OLED does not require a separate light source due to its light-emitting structure, therefore it can be powered using very low voltages. This means that OLED TVs consume extremely low levels of power compared with other display devices. The power consumption of “XEL-1″ is as low as 45W.

We will be watching the development of the OLED market closely and be bringing you all the latest news.