‘Subtle but noticeable’: Toshiba XD-E500 upconverting DVD player

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Toshiba may be out of the high definition disc war altogether (not that many people are participating anyway), but it knows there’s plenty of life left in plain ol’ DVD. To that end the company has been showing off its $150 XD-E500, an upconverting DVD player that’s supposed to, I don’t know, beat the pants off other upconverting players. The AP uses the phrase “subtle but noticeable” to describe how the XD-E500 looks in comparison to another, unnamed upconverting player.

“Subtle but noticeable” isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, it must be said. Frankly, they sound like weasel words.

And who exactly is Toshiba going after here? They’re charging a premium—the XD-E500 is about twice as expensive as other upconverting DVD players—for an old technology. People who’d want to spend extra money on their home entertainment might as well go for Blu-ray. Like, who is investing in a DVD system in 2008?