Well, yes and no. The SRT semiconductors' upconverting algorithms are based on the Cell, but are not actual Cell trips. We also learned from Toshiba's Scott Ramirez that the actual Cell upconverting demoed at IFA will not make it into production. Full pricing and details, including more low-end sets, are below.

TOSHIBA ANNOUNCES FALL LCD TV LINEUP FEATURING FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND UPCONVERTING TECHNOLOGY FOR TVs

Super Resolution Technology (SRT) Delivers New Level of Picture Quality Making SD Content Feel Like Full HD

CEDIA, DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 3, 2008 – Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. (“Toshiba”) today unveiled SRT™, Super Resolution Technology, a new technology that changes the way standard definition content is viewed. SRT upconverts standard definition content to feel like HD. Toshiba also launched 11 new LCD TVs in four new series to its broad range of Toshiba, REGZA® and Cinema Series® brands.

Toshiba is solidifying its position as an innovative leader in the LCD TV market. SRT brings clean, sharp edges and bright, vibrant colors to standard definition content making DVD collections and non-HD TV channels look better than ever before. Also new is AutoView™, a feature that automatically adjusts picture settings based on the ambient room lighting and the type of video content being displayed, which can help consumers save energy while improving the viewing experience.

“The TV industry is now hyper-dynamic, with faster change in both technology and price points,” said Scott Ramirez, VP, Marketing. “Toshiba is now setting the new pace of change by announcing a second new TV line-up for fall 2008. We are introducing new leading technologies, like SRT, and also strengthening our core models for the key selling season. Toshiba's growth in LCD TV is already outpacing the industry, and this new line-up will help
- more -
solidify Toshiba's position as a true leader.”

Toshiba Makes Standard Definition Feel Like HD
Making its debut in Toshiba’s REGZA LCD TVs is Toshiba’s SRT, a new technology that overcomes an industry-wide issue, in which consumers are often watching standard video signals on their HDTVs. Using a unique proprietary processing system, SRT improves image sharpness, brightness and color, enhancing standard movies, TV shows, camcorder movies and most video games to near HD quality. This new technology is available in Toshiba’s REGZA RV535 and XV545 series.

Toshiba Takes the Guesswork out of Home Theater Viewing
Through the use of a built-in light sensor and intelligent algorithms, AutoView ensures increased image quality at all times, no matter the surroundings. Consumers don’t have to worry about the glare from afternoon sunlight or eye strain when watching TV in a darkened room. Not only does AutoView make life simpler and the picture better, but it can potentially lower power consumption, providing energy savings for the home. Like SRT, AutoView is available in the RV535 and XV545 REGZA series.

THE FALL 2008 TOSHIBA LCD TV SERIES:
Cinema Series Returns!

XV545 Series – REGZA Cinema Series with SRT, AutoView, ClearFrame and Double Skin Cabinetry

Toshiba is relaunching its exclusive and highly-regarded Cinema Series LCD TVs with the REGZA XV545 series. The top-of-the-line Cinema Series XV545 line offers advanced technology and picture quality and is available in 42.0-inch, 46.0-inch and 52.0-inch sizes (diagonal). This lineup includes Toshiba’s new SRT upconversion technology, the AutoView feature for enhanced image quality at all times, no matter the surroundings, as well as Toshiba’s new Double Skin Cabinetry. With double skin, the cabinet’s outer skin is translucent, allowing
- more -
you to see through to a second interior skin with texture behind it – creating a feeling of dimension and a rich, luxurious look.

For fast action movies and sports, the XV545 line features Toshiba’s ClearFrame™ technology, which virtually eliminates motion blur. The 120Hz system doubles the frame rate of an LCD TV from 60 frames per second to 120 frames per second, creating tire-spinning action sequences and game-winning sports moments that are more crisp and clear. All REGZA models with ClearFrame 120 Hz technology include Film Stabilization mode for a picture with smoother motion, and for those customers preferring a more film-like experience, Toshiba has also implemented a 5:5 Pull-Down process. This series also features 14-Bit PixelPure® 4G Internal Digital Video Processing with 10-Bit LCD panels for 16,384 levels of gradation and Toshiba’s ColorBurst™ wide color gamut for rich lifelike color. In addition, the XV545 series includes four HDMI inputs with REGZA LINK (HDMI™-CEC) and Toshiba’s SoundStrip® speaker technology, which allows for home theater sound in a small strip beneath the screen.

To keep the avid gamer one step ahead, the line also offers Gaming Mode, which enhances the gaming experience by reducing game controller delay. When activated, Gaming Mode allows the video signal to bypass select picture circuitry to shorten the overall signal to screen response time. What this means is that the gamer has improved reaction time and a better overall experience.

Like all of Toshiba’s new LCD TV lines, the XV545 features a CineSpeed™ panel for faster response times, DynaLight™ control for deeper black levels and is ENERGY STAR® compliant.

RV535 Series – REGZA 1080p Full HD with SRT, AutoView and Double Skin Cabinetry
The REGZA RV535 series, available in 42.0-inch, 46.0-inch and 52.0-inch (diagonal) screen sizes, features Toshiba’s PixelPure 4G 14-bit internal digital video processor, with 4,096 levels of gradation, as well as four HDMI™ inputs with REGZA LINK (HDMI-CEC) and Toshiba’s SoundStrip speaker technology. Like the XV545 line, the RV535 lineup includes Toshiba’s new

- more -
SRT upconversion technology and AutoView, as well as Toshiba’s new Double Skin Cabinetry.

RV525 Series – 1080p Full HD
Available in 40.0-inch and 46.0-inch (diagonal) screen sizes, Toshiba’s RV525 series provides 1080p Full HD resolution, offering consumers impressive high-definition quality at attractive price points in beautiful high-gloss cabinetry. The RV525 series features DynaLight Dynamic Backlight control for deep blacks, Native Mode™ to restore picture size, Gaming Mode for fast controller to screen response time and a high-res PC input.

AV502 Series – 720p HD
Replacing Toshiba’s AV500 series in the 26.0-inch, 31.5-inch and 37.0-inch (diagonal) sizes, Toshiba’s new entry-level 720p LCD TV series offers high-gloss black cabinetry and a thinner bezel than its predecessor, plus two HDMI inputs and a PC input, creating a very feature rich entry-level lineup. Toshiba is also adding a 21.6-inch (diagonal) screen size into the existing AV500 series. Wrapped in a high-gloss cabinet and standing less than 18-inches high to fit beneath standard kitchen cabinets, this set joins Toshiba’s 19.0-inch (diagonal) AV500 models.

In addition to the four new series Toshiba is introducing, Toshiba will continue to offer select, popular models from its current line of LCD TVs. For more information or to find out which TV is right for you, please visit www.REGZA.com.

Expected Availability & Pricing of New Fall Lineup:

REGZA Cinema Series XV545 Series
42XV545U ($1799.99 September)
46XV545U ($2299.99 September)
52XV545U ($2799.99 September)

REGZA RV535 Series
42RV535U ($1399.99 September)
46RV535U ($1799.99 September)
52RV535U ($2299.99 September)

RV525 Series
40RV525U ($1099.99 September) [$999 price quoted at press conference]
46RV525U ($1599.99 October)

- more -
AV502 Series
26AV502U ($649.99 August)
32AV502U ($749.99 August)
37AV502U ($899.99 August)

AV500 Series
22AV500U ($499.99 September)

About Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C.
Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, a world leader in high technology products with subsidiaries worldwide. Toshiba is a pioneer in DVD and DVD Recorder technology and a leading manufacturer of a full line of home entertainment products, including flat panel TV, rear projection and direct view televisions, combination products and portable devices. Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey. For additional information please visit www.tacp.toshiba.com.

Important Notes:
Effect of SRT enhancements may vary depending upon the input signal and content quality.

However, if you're looking at this from a pure monetary view, the amount of DVDs installed and the fact that the Blu-ray library is really tiny compared to the DVD library, Toshiba's decision might make them some decent cash. The end result is that consumers shouldn't expect a Toshiba Blu-ray player for a little while. [TGDaily]

The Price: $399

The Verdict: Video quality is as least as good if not better than the previous Oppo 981HD we reviewed, which also does 1080p over HDMI. Even better than the 981, this DV-983H adds in a USB port in the back so you can play back DivX/XviD files off of a USB drive directly, without having to burn movies/TV Shows onto a disc first.

We watched several DVDs and were impressed with the quality, and the AV nerds on avsforum seem to prefer Anchor Bay's ABT1018 and ABT102 upconverting/de-interlacting magic chips to Faroudja's. On the audio side, we only have a 5.1 setup, but what we heard sounded great as well.

At $399, it's a player we'd recommend if you have a gigantic DVD library that you want to keep even when faced with the impending Blu-ray transition. After all, there's no sense in buying a movie again if you can get a somewhat reasonable upscaler (and Oppo's is much more than just somewhat reasonable). It's their new flagship model, so you know this is quality DVD playback. It's also the last upconverting DVD player Oppo will ever make, so you might want to get in on this latest generation before it goes out of style. [Oppo]

Among the sparklers are upscaling PS1, PS2 and DVD movies to 1080p, remote play on PSPs over the internet, and streaming of pictures, music, and video over the network from DLNA3 enabled devices. We haven't heard much about Digital Living Network Alliance before, but it's a bunch of companies that collaborated into making interoperability easier. We're not sure which products support this though. If Sony keeps up this line of fantastic firmware updates, the PS3 may actually be something worth buying by the middle of 2008! – Jason Chen

Press Release [Sony]

Although the high definition players are already fairly cheap (HD DVD at $299 and Blu-ray getting close), the lack of content and their uncertain future is still putting a lot of people off. What's the alternative? An upscaling DVD player that turns all of the movies you own—plus all the ones you can rent from Netflix or Blockbuster—into high definition goodness.

Sure, the quality isn't going to be as good as HD DVD or Blu-ray, but if you add in the extra features that these very refined DVD players have—streaming, Internet radio, and DivX playback—you can possibly get an even richer media experience. Here are the ten things you should know before you buy one.

0) Before we start, you should understand that Upscaling DVD players aren't the same as actual HD DVD or Blu-ray players. You still have the same amount of data in terms of pixels you came in with, namely, a lot less pixels than actual HD players. These don't turn SD content into HD content technically, they just make your SD content look a whole lot better than they do on regular SD players.

1) Does it upscale to 1080p? Not all players do—especially the very cheap ones (under $100). If you've got a fancy HDTV that supports 1080p, you'd want a player that can output everything your display can handle. However, it's not a huge deal if both your TV and the player are 1080i. The difference in quality isn't enough to make it worth your money to upgrade your equipment for at this point.

2) Does your TV support HDMI? Some players that do upscale to 1080i or 1080p only do it over HDMI. If you've got an older set with only component cables, check to make sure the DVD player you get upscales both DVDs and other video files over component and not just HDMI.

3) Does it support DivX, WMV, XviD, and other file formats? One of the benefits of getting an upscaling DVD player over either Blu-ray or HD DVD is the addition of file playback. If you regularly download TV shows or movies off of BitTorrent, you'll be happier if the player you get can play these back on your widescreen TV. For the DVD fans, you'll want to find out whether it supports playback of DVD images as well. Instead of having to switch out DVDs, you could essentially make your own DVD changer by dumping 100 of your favorite movies onto an external hard drive.

4) Does it support video/audio streaming? Instead of having to burn DVD-Rs (which could get costly) or DVD-RWs (still time consuming) whenever you've downloaded something new to watch, why not just stream the files directly from your PC or file server? If the player supports audio streaming as well, you've got yourself a nice music player in your living room at no extra cost.

5) Does it have wireless? If your player does stream, check to see if it supports 802.11g as well. You may not necessarily have your entertainment center wired up for Ethernet cables as well as it's wired for audio/video equipment. With wireless, you can stream data with no extra wiring involved.

6) Does it have 5.1 audio? Is it a built-in receiver with speaker tabs? Almost all the upscaling DVD players will have 5.1 audio with either optical or coaxial audio outputs, but if you're going the super cheap route ($50 and under), you should make sure it's got the right connections. If you don't have a receiver already, you could go the opposite route and spend a little more on a DVD player that's also a receiver built in (Home Theater in a Box gives you speakers as well).

7) How are the extras? This is optional, but some players have extras like shoutcast Internet radio streaming, Internet TV stations, and Weather forecasts. If you're into stuff like Internet radio then make sure the player you have supports it.

8) Is it region-free? Not all players are, and if you're going to be playing back DVDs you buy overseas for $2 a pop, you should make sure the player you buy supports it.

9) Does it play back burned discs? Again, if you're going to be copying discs "you already own", you should be sure that there's support for it. Then again, there's nothing more fun than taking merchandise back to the store because it doesn't work the way you want. So, it's mostly up to you.

10) Would you be better off with a Home Theater PC? Instead of getting a set-top box that tries to emulate everything a PC can do, why not get a PC? If you're looking for all these features, plus DVRing (for recording your TV shows), gaming, Internet browsing, and BitTorrenting all in one, then you won't go wrong with an HTPC. The only thing to worry about is the price, which will probably be a bit more than what you'd spend on one of these upscaling DVD players.

– Jason Chen

Upconverting and Upscaling players [Gizmodo]

Although both this and the Apple TV stream video, they're in totally different classes. Apple TV is made for playing back movies and music purchased from the Apple store, and unless you re-encode your downloaded BitTorrent movies from DivX, it's not going to play on Apple's offering. This and the Helios X3000 are for every other non-Apple format.

In many ways, the Ziova CS505 is even better than the Helios X3000 we tested before—which technically makes it the best streaming, upscaling and DivX player we've used yet. Make the jump to find out why.

First off, the format support is pretty complete, playing back just about everything we threw at it. There's DivX, of course, plus "Windows Media Video 9, XviD, Nero Digital™, MPEG-4, QuickTime MPEG-4, MPEG-2, MPEG-1, DVD and other formats." Audio support isn't taking a nap either, with FLAC, OGG, AAC, MP3, WM9, CD and various others. You'll be hard-pressed to find something this sucker doesn't play, unless you're talking about Real Media formats.

The video quality is fantastic—noticeably better than the Helios and on par with the Oppo DV-981HD. Both DVDs and DivX files are played back at 1080i, which loses out to the Helios's 1080p, but isn't a huge deal unless you've got a very new set. It's the first player to support HDMI output with HDCP, but to most people that doesn't matter all that much.

What does matter is the player's ass-kicking ability to read files from pretty much anywhere. The CS505 can support SMB (Server Message Block) shares, which is just basic Windows shares, but can grab data off of Macs and Linux machines as well (since they support SMB). Not only that, there's UPnP support, which works with the Orb software we tested a while back, and USB (FAT and NTFS) disk drive support. That means you can dump a bunch of files onto an external hard drive, walk to your living room, and have days' worth of stuff to watch.

There's also standard photo streaming/playback as well as music streaming/playback, which both support SMB and UPnP as well. Both these worked well for us, and it was nice that the audio kept streaming when we got out of the audio menus and into the photo menus.

Oh, and there's a weather app on there, too. So you can get weather. Kinda superfluous, but neat nonetheless. The 802.11g wireless was a nice touch, but we prefer its 10/100 Ethernet since we've got so many wireless devices and don't want any skipping.

Now for the things we didn't like. First, it took about 50 seconds for the thing to boot up to where we could do something. Then there's the fast forwarding through DivX movies—not very responsive, but better than fast forwarding on our Motorola Comcast DVR. You'll often go past where you wanted to stop, and then have to rewind again.

Oh, and the unit's not exactly pretty. The silver design reminds us of a late '90s VCR or DVD player, but if you've got it stashed away in your entertainment cabinet, it's not a huge deal. Other than these, we didn't really find anything else to complain about, which is great news.

We can confidently say this is our favorite upscaling DivX and DVD player we've played with so far. It's responsive, has lots of playback options, and can handle just about every file we have. And the best part is that the price is only $299, which is only a little bit more than the Neodigit's Helios X3000 at $269. If you're into watching streamed DivX files without all the hassle of burning discs, this is the one for you. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Ziova]

However, since they are at three price points with different amounts of functionality, we can recommend them to three different types of people.

First, the LG DN191H. It's small, thin, and only around $80. Although there are some shortcomings—lack of 5.1 for one—it's great for people who just want to watch some "HD" content on their new HD sets, but don't really care that much about audio quality or visual quality. Be prepared to miss out on features with this one.

Next, for the mid-range crowd, there's the Oppo DV-981HD. It supports 1080p, has fantastic DivX support, and wi the Faroudja upconverting technology, DVDs look pretty darn great. You'll have to have pretty great eyes to see a difference between one player's upconversion and another player's—it's definitely not as big as the gaps between DVD and HD or DVD and upconverting—but this player does give you great image quality.

At a price of $230, it's two or three times the price of the LG player, but you get 5.1 audio, 1080p support, and a better overall experience.

Lastly, there's the Helios X3000 network DVD/DivX player. This player has both Wi-Fi and 10/100 Ethernet, which means you can stream DivX movies off your PC without having to burn them to disc. Great.

Add to that 5.1 optical and coax output, HDMI, 1080p resolution, and you've got DVD and DivX performance at least as good as the Oppo. Which is a good thing, because at the grand total of $379, you're paying a $149 premium to add that networking functionality.

So to sum it up:
•Low-enders: LG DN191H [Best Buy]
•DVD/DivX Only: Oppo DV-981HD [Oppo]
•DVD/DivX With Networking: Helios X3000 [ModernJoys]

– Jason Chen

Did we like it? You bet your mother (in-law).

The features the X3000 has in common with the H4000—5.1 surround audio via optical or component audio outputs, HDMI, component, and VGA video—don't disappoint on the X3000. Upscaling DVDs looks great on our HDTV set in 1080i, and the 5.1 surround sounded solid on our setup as well. But the new stuff performed admirably too.

The X3000 has both ethernet and 802.11g wireless (complete with antenna). By using Window's Media Connect, you can hook up to any folder on your PC and play back any supported video file—DivX, etc.—without having to burn the disc first. If your wireless connection is fast enough and home layout obstruction free, there's no cables needed to set this up either.

In addition, there's a NeoLink Server Software that comes with the player so you can install and share music and photos as well. The Helios Media Portal is a sort of online portal you can reach with your player, but didn't have all that much content when we tested it out. Sort of a novelty rather than something you're going to be using all the time.

So is the networking functionality really worth going up $200 to $379 from the H4000's $169? We'd say so. If you're a frequent connoisseur of downloaded media, it'll save you lots of time and DVD-R discs by streaming instead of burning. But if you're looking for a thrifty solution without networking, you're be fine with the Helios H4000. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Neodigits]

Update: Reader Jeff notes you can save $37 by ordering here:
Product Page [Modern Joys]

The H4000 is solidly constructed, with a metric asston of outputs. HDMI, component, composite, S-Video, VGA, 5.1 surround audio, optical audio and coax audio makes the back more holey than Jesus' beer mug.

Upscaling DVDs to 720p (they didn't have 1080p) looked fantastic, and was dramatically better than just a standard DVD player. In addition to great image quality, the fact that you can play back all of your BitTorrented movies, TV shows and British Comedies on a $169 player makes this a great deal for HDTV owners. – Jason Chen

neodigits Helios H4000 1080p Upscaling DVD Player Review [i4u]

The player has an HDMI output which can upconvert DVDs to 720p or 1080i. DivX can also be played at high definition, which is nice for DivX encoded HDTV TV shows that you can download from the internet.

No price yet, but it should be available later this month. – Jason Chen

Sharp DV-SV97H DVD player with HDMI upscaling [Tech Digest]

These up-rezzing players claim to be able to do the digital equivalent of turning water into wine, a sort of alchemy that's not really physically possible. Keep in mind that DVDs already look pretty damn good; they're already at 480p resolution when you play them back from a progressive scan player. But this is not going to be real HDTV playback, even with an up-rezzing player such as this. But how does it look? We have one of these Oppo players in-house and we'll be testing it soon, so we'll give you the full skinny as soon as we do. The good news about this player so far is that it sells for $149, not much more than everyday progressive-scan DVD players. – Charlie White

Product Page [oppo Digital]