Toshiba will try to re-strategies its efforts to lessen the blow it suffered from the defeat by Sony's Blu-ray
The high definition format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray was a hot and heavy one. They both used tactics that were of worth but, a winner and loser was inevitable.
It didn't matter how low the price got or how many free movies you got with the purchase. The critical and deciding factor for both the camps and consumers was, the
content. Which format was most likely to release the most wanted and anticipated movies.
After the detrimental blow HD-DVD suffered from Warner Bros. unexpected decision to release movies only in Blu-ray format, the death and defeat of the HD-DVD format was all but certain.
Since the defeat, Toshiba has been wondering how to pick up what little self image and respect it had left. They came to the conclusion if they couldn't win the next generation format war, they would get to it as close as possible. I am talking about DVD upscaling (same as up-conversion).
The great thing about upscaling is you can use your existing DVD collection. There would be no need to purchase Blu-ray's. Granted, your still going to need a high definition TV, which in this day in time are affordable.
Most of todays consumers already own one. You would of course need a upscaling DVD player. All upscaling DVD players are not equal. Even though HD-DVD is a dead format, the now heavily discounted HD-DVD players are the best upscaling DVD players you can buy for that price (some under $100) and can produce a very good HD picture. While many will still say "real" HD is better, the question would be how much better, whether's it's better enough during normal viewing (as opposed to sticking your face next to the TV to observe the details) and at what price is real HD worth the extra quality?
Lastly, you most definitely need a HDMI cable. A HDMI cable is a HDMI cable, plain and simple. All digital cables, unless faulty, will perform the same. There is no need to spend $150 on a HDMI cable, unless one wishes to buy an extra long cable (and in this case, a good brand avoids possible digital artifact problems).
I plan myself to purchase a HD-DVD player (now that the war is over) solely for its upscaling abilities and take full advantage of my existing DVD library.
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