The Bottom Line
Pros
- Good video upscaling performance
- Good CD playback quality.
- Very easy-to-setup.
- Very slim and compact.
- Affordable Price Point for those still shying away from Blu-ray.
Cons
- Extended Detail Enhancement Modes provide only marginal improvement.
- No DVD-Audio or SACD playback - No 5.1 channel analog audio output option.
- No USB port for playback of digital still images or digital audio files.
- Cheap looking case and remote control.
- Remote control not backlit. - Small remote control buttons.
Description
- Single play DVD player with DVD-Video, DVD-R-/RW, CD, CD-R/RW, MP3 and WMA CD, Jpeg Photo CD, and Divx file playback.
- DVD video upscaling to 720p, 1080i, 1080p output via HDMI connection (adaptable to DVI- HDCP).
- 1080p/60 and 1080p/24 output capability. NOTE: 1080p/24 output requires 1080p/24 compatible HDTV and 480p/24 source material.
- Component video (progressive and interlaced) outputs; S-video and standard Composite video outputs.
- Digital Optical, Digital Coaxial, and one set of stereo analog audio outputs.
- Supports Dolby Digital and DTS bitstream output for external decoding via home theater receiver or preamp/processor.
- Three intelligent Extended Detail Enhancement Modes: Sharpness, Contrast, and Color enhancement.
- Wireless remote and Easy-to-use onscreen menu system.
- Player Dimensions: 16.93-inches(W) x 1.97-inches(H) x 7.80-inches(D)
- Weight: 3.5 lbs
For a closer, physical, look at the XDE-500, also check out my Photo Gallery
Guide Review - Toshiba XD-E500 Upscaling DVD Player - Review
Using its HDMI output at 720p, 1080i, and 1080p settings in conjunction with the Westinghouse Digital LVM-37w3, and Samsung LN-R238W LCD Televisions, and using the Silicon Optix HQV Benchmark DVD video test disc, the XD-E500 produced good results overall. See Test Result Samples.
In terms of detail, color, and jaggie elimination, the XD-E500 faired very well on most cases. However, there were some jagged edges present on the flag test. Background video noise was also present on some sources, but on par with many DVD players I have tested. On the other hand, the XD-E500 did well on the moire pattern elimination test.
On the other hand, real-world DVD images were comparable to the Oppo DV-980H DVD player used for comparison, but not as good as the Oppo DV-983H reference upscaling DVD player, especially with fine detail and complex motion (such as flag waving).
As part of the "Extended Detail Enhancement" part of the XD-E500's upscaling feature, there are three additional settings that are available to further tweak the image quality: Contrast, Color, and Sharpness. I found these functions did make a difference in how the image looks on screen, but I didn't think that they provided significantly better results than the images produced on the two comparison DVD players used for this review.
Audio performance of the XD-E500 was very good. Dolby Digital/DTS surround sound options worked well, with excellent directional placement. Also, sound reproduction from standard music CDs was also very good.
One thing I didn't like about the XD-E500 was the remote: small buttons and no backlight.
The XD-E500 offers good video and audio performance. However, it is not the breakthrough upscaling DVD player that its marketing materials suggest.
