CES 2009: Toshiba's Combo Platters

Toshiba's showing off a complete line of LCD/DVD combo units. Toshiba's still betting that DVD is going to be around for quite a while -- not a single Blu-ray player in their CES booth . . . this year. 

Toshiba believes there will be a huge surge in the combo market, and are looking to help consumers get the digital TVs they'll need moving forward. Namely, TVs to replace the sets in bedrooms and kitchens, with screen sizes ranging from 15 to 26 inches combined with a DVD player to reduce clutter and offer ease of use.

New for 2009 . . .

Night of the Living Dead

Sore losers? Maybe. After throwing in the HD DVD towel, and surrendering to Sony's Blu-ray technology, you might think Toshiba would jump on the BD bandwagon like everyone else, and try to get some of that hot BD action. Instead, at the surrender ceremony, Toshiba grumbled that DVD was still pretty darn good, and deserved some respect (not to mention royalty payments to Toshiba's patent pool). Now, we see the first outcome of that grumbling: a DVD resurrection.

Instead of introducing a lineup of Blu-ray players,Toshiba is introducing a new and improved DVD player. The XD-E500 player ($150) sports Toshiba's eXtended Detail Enhancement (XDE) technology. It upconverts (ho-hum) to 720p, 1080i or 1080p in ways said to be much better than other upconversion methods (maybe). (The player does not play HD DVD discs).

In a side-by-side demo run by Toshiba, XDE did look better than another upconverter. But, pointedly, Toshiba did not compare XDE to Blu-ray. Still, at $150, the XD-E500 may represent a nice uptick in DVD technology, and may be a good deal compared to Blu-ray players selling for twice that, or more. Not to mention the savings when you consider the higher cost of Blu-ray discs over DVD.

Some mainstream consumer electronics press is disrespecting Toshiba for upgrading its DVD technology, but I disagree with that . . .

Nice Try, Westinghouse

Westinghouse is a name everyone knows; from home heating to garage door openers, it's a name you know. What you might not know is that they're in the consumer electronics biz, and hoping to become as known for TVs as they are for coffee pots. See what they're cooking up now.

Kaleidescape price drop! Cash in your stocks!

Few products invoke the raw, carnal “I must have you!” lust like Kaleidescape. They invented the concept of the DVD movie server and then wrapped it in an interface that would get Steve Jobs hot and bothered. Let’s face it; their system is awesome. And I don’t care about that computer that you’ve Franken-modded together to kind of be like a Kaleidescape. Face it: It’s not a Kaleidescape.

Oh, but the sexy-sexy joys of Kaleidescape ownership has always come with a price. That price being a wallet clutching, credit card melting, take-out-a-third-mortgage-on-your-sub-prime-loan price tag that many found excruciating. Rejoice, for Kaleidescape has heard your cries and finally answered them in the form of a price drop.