blueray 1.65% and others Vs DVD 98.35%,,, this is yet anther brick in the works by toshiba and rightly so as the players are expensive, expensive media etc... so am all for DVD/Toshiba

my penny

I think the horse is dead...

"But it looks like that Toshiba is looking to get DVD players much closer to Blu-ray in terms of other features as well"

Sigh. When I buy a directx 10 (or 10.1) graphics card from, let’s say nVidia, I expect ATi to come out with something just as good if not better.

I don't expect ATi to invest time and money in trying to develop a directx 9 video card that 'almost performs close to where nVidia's card does'...

I think there are plenty of upscaling DVD players out there for people who can't or don't want to upgrade to Blu-ray.

Toshiba needs to get with it and either start developing their own Blu-ray products or start working on the next big thing and not waste tons of resources on trying to reinvent the wheel with soon-to-be obsolete standard DVD players.

Because no matter what chip it has, no matter how much it upscales, it's still playing a standard definition, last generation DVD. Ok, I'm done... o,O

... this time through the back door. I bet they will push some downloadable HD format.

um...
some of the very first DVD's that I bought had internet features if I played them on my computer. this is nothing new nor special.
this is bordering on criminal imo.
no matter how good the scaling is, you cannot show details that are not there at all.

That is if you buy the DVD DL disc, then you can download the 1080p version.

It's all about how much will this cost and how good will it be able to upscale. If they are in the price around $100, and do a great job of upscaling, I'm in for 2. DVD media is way cheaper than Blu-ray(not to mention the $400 players).

Be ware, Blu-ray still hasn't won anything yet. I'm still waiting for the price for both the media and players to come down.

We've already seen the reviews showing that this is possible using Kaleidescape's method (which involves an internet connection to obtain additional data).

The big deal is how cheap can Toshiba do this for?

If many people already say Blu-ray 'isn't worth it' for the improvement it offers - and the vast majority with 32" - 50" HD TVs seem to say exactly that in survey after survey - then how much less of a gap will there be with this tech?

That's not to say there is no difference
(which is the usual disinformation route the PS3/Blu-ray fanboys then take).
But why would most people care if they have a 32" - 50" HD TV and do not have a recent & very expensive audio set-up?

Blu-ray is still stuck in the PS3 game console niche and clearly it is staying that way for a long time yet
(especially as Sony et al keep on announcing new $400 Blu-ray players).

SD DVD will be big for a very long time so better players make a lot of sense.

If these really can breathe new life into the billions of existing SD DVD discs in collections across the world then it may turn out to be a really big hit.

This was approved weeks ago. You just found out about it now?

Most likely, this is for download to burn services, such as Sonic Qflix.

Ok, does anyone actually know what the Download part is about?

If it just involves downloading a few goodies on your computer (like the old internet features) it sucks.

If on the other hand it involves improving the image quality by downloading extra information, that could be interesting.

If you think about it a PAL DVD has 576 lines, meaning you only needs to download 144 lines of information to get to 720 lines. Also with a PowerDVD , WinDVD and Xbox360 update they would probably get a nice installed base as a lot of peoples using these programs / consoles have a broadband connection already. Also adding an ethernet or Wifi adapter and a GB of flash memory as buffer to a stand alone player would cost way less than going BD.

This would be a nice "middle of the road" solution between HD download (which are too big when most Europeans have broadband capped at 20 GB per month) and BD discs and players (which are too expensive).

no way i'd buy another DVD player, no matter it's features... simply put. I won't waste money on a player that does everything mine does now except for download content, what a waster. I'm sure many people feel the same. It not like it's something new and we should just spend the extra money on the better features offered by this model, but seriously, who doesn't have a DVD player already?

I use a HTPC, so I'm in the majority, but DVDs look great upscaled when compared to my 5-yr old progressive DVD player. I don't have any experience with current upscaling DVD players, but if Toshiba pulls through with a $100 player that upscales as well as, or better, than my PC, they'll have a real product that people will want to spend money for. Yes, it's not HD, but DVD is also not that bad. And yes, I have seen HD content on my TV (46" 1080p), and I do acknowledge the picture improvements. It's just not "worth" the extra cost to me (and to a lot of others). I am one of those who would prefer a great script over a marginally better picture...

once again , HD DVD fan boys open their mouth without thinking.
first, you have to buy a new dvd play from toshiba again that can do internet download.
no one else is going to make and sell DVD-DL....espically after the HD DVD mess and toshiba pull out...making everyone else pay for all the R&D.
second, regular def DVD is NOT HD DVD...no matter how you upscale it. you put is side by side and you can tell...unless you have a mini 20 inch TV.
anything over 50 inch is going to tell big time.
third...who is creating the content? download what?
junk from movie that is alredy on DVD?
if I want to Download....mine as well buy from itune,
netflix (settop box), or even Sony PS3 store...
where there is already millions of boxes at home...
xbox probably will get into that too...
so with all the competitors... this DVD DL is not going to fly if it requires new equipment...
espically toshiba has no studio support like sony does on their ps3 and itune with their existing itune installation base.
you end up with a plan that dies before it even starts.

this is not for you either , because you are too cheap to even buy a upscale dvd player for 50-70$.
definately too poor to buy a decient size hd tv

It has to do with manufacturing DVDs on demand.

http://www.dvdforum.org/images/CSS_Managed_Recording_Guideline20071001_final.pdf

I had compared this device to 3 different upscaling dvd players. it was all available upscaling dvd players at that time: Toshiba, Samsung, and Sony.
Toshiba and Samsung upscaling dvd players was just a little bit better or the same than a regular good dvd player. Sony upscaling dvd player fail to establish any HD conection over HDMI/DVI. So, all three was useless.
Finally, the device I am talking about. This is HD DIGITAL RECEIVER/DVD Player LST-3510A from LG. It upscales regular dvds to 1080i on DVI output as all upconverting dvd players. But, ... WOW. It is closer to Blu-rey dvd on PS3 then to regular dvd player at 480p resolution. It is batter then PowerDVD. I have no idea where all those details are coming from. One can count how many hairs are sticking out of unshaved face, and see how long they are.
The device was grate, but pricey. $450 for LG, compare to $350 for Sony and about $150-$200 for Toshiba and Samsung. But, it was totally worth it. Every penny. Why? Because it unlocked HD capabilities of HD ready TVs. It was stupid to spend thousands on HD ready 1080i big screen LCD TV and to save a hundred on toy that turn HD ready into HD working.

Toshiba's new DVD Download/DL toy is not new and late by 5 years. All Blu rey players (and HD DVD) have upscaling capabilities for dvd. PS3 plays dvd at a very decent quality without upscaling through HDMI. But, any way, any real HD is better than any upscale SD. And, how about upscaling 1080p to 2160p? Better then Blu-ray DVD? Isn't it?
I just do not understand people who just was able to afford few grands 1080p TV and willing to wait years just to save a hundred on a dvd player... until the TV will be obsolete?

I don't own any Blu ray media out side my ps3 games. After renting BR movies then comparing them to my On demand and digital downloaded movie i could see nor hear anything different. On a 54 inch Samsung HDTV that replaced my crappy Sony 36 inch XBR bravia which now sits in the Garage. Still cant see the Real BIG feat from 1million pixel to 2 million pixels maybe i haven't brainwashed my self enuf yet like those who claim to see. I don't need extras just want the dam movie. When you goto the Movies. And pay $7.50 for a ticket and $2,700 and an arm,leg,liver,and eyeball for a Coke,popcorn,and some bostonbaked beans,which is a candy btw. You don't have nor see any of this extra junk i never bothered with on DVDs. Might be hard to belive but a HD movie @ 2.2 megapixel or 1080 by itself english subs;wow a 120kilobyte file;without extra junk.Takes up a little over 9.8 gigs of space average. Largest i Downloaded so far was 15gigs.Point is there is way more than one way to get your hd. And charter Comm. Does a dam good job with there on Demand HD.

Toshiba is a dual layer upscaler, all it needs is a USB,ESATA/SATA/NETWORK CONNECTION ETC and it will wipe the floor with blue-ray for many years to come With DL DVD`s

Sony will give china a licence to manufacture blue-ray players at the cheap.. but what about the discs coz you're stuck with the player without the discs and they will cost 1 arm and 2 legs (thats the plan you see to make money of the discs once they have sold you there so called cheap players) SONY THE TRICKSTER