Toshiba's HD-E1 and HD-XE1

The word is out: Toshiba is releasing two new second gen HD DVD players in Europe. Both the HD-E1 and HD-XE1 are on display at IFA, and are quite a step up compared to current Toshiba HD DVD players out here in America. The HD-XE1 goes full HD with 1080p resolution and an HDMI 1.3 port which supports 48-bit color. TheseHD DVD players have also gotten a whole lot prettier than the current models out on the market.

The HD-E1 is just a lower end model, and stupidly does NOT feature 1080p resolution. The official announcement from President & CEO of Toshiba Digital Media, Yoshihide Fujii, will not be made until Saturday. The HD-E1 is due to drop this November for €599 ($769 US) and the HD-XE1 should be out in December for €899 ($1154 US). Yikes, hopefully we’ll be able to live in full HD glory without the European price.