Yes, Toshiba seems resigned to some sort of HD disc-free existence, as it continues to mope about HD DVD's loss to Blu-ray and refrains from releasing a player for the once rival format, but let's set all aside for the moment. We got a look at Toshiba's new XD-E500 in action, and we must say: it does what it sets out to do. Most consumers will see a visible quality improvement when playing their DVDs, particularly in the realm of sharpness. Toshiba's new filters are "intelligent" enough to spice up the grass while leaving the sky and clouds free of noise, and while the contrast and color filters are less necessary, many consumers will enjoy their effect -- even if video purists would scoff at such alterations. As for usability, it couldn't really be much easier to flip on and off the three different enhancements, but there's also no customization of those modes to speak of. This $150 player isn't in any way Toshiba's Blu-ray killer, but thankfully the company actually seems to recognize that, and plans to market to Joe consumer who doesn't want to fork over the dough for a Blu-ray player or doesn't want to invest in a brand new video library, and won't be insulting videophiles' intelligence with claims to the contrary. If you're looking for something to magically make DVDs look like HD, this isn't it, but it bests Toshiba's best upconverter easily, and we'd venture to guess it's probably tops yours as well. All that said, Toshiba will have in store demos of the player at major retailers, and we'd highly recommend taking a gander for yourself before you take the plunge.

Loyal All-in-Wonder users from years past have probably been watching the progression of AMD's revised version of the card with extreme interest. After such an absence, however, we understand the need to be cautious before snapping this up for your upcoming HTPC. HotHardware recently received one of these units for testing, and while it was only deemed "entry level" in the gaming department, the multimedia performance was smiled upon. To quote, "the [card] did an excellent job presenting digital video content in a quality manner without creating excessive power consumption in order to do so." As expected, the unit wasn't recommend for everyone (read: non-TV buffs), but those who'd utilize the built-in ClearQAM support probably can't go wrong for $199. Hit the read link for a whole gaggle of test results.

Barely a month after Mitsubishi launched its iSP 149 series of LCD HDTVs, the company is trotting out three new lineups over in Japan. The higher-end MZW series includes the 46-inch LCD-46MZW200 (¥400,000; $3,643) and 40-inch LCD-40MZW200 (¥300,000; $2,732), both of which pack a 1080p 10-bit Diamond panel, 120Hz technology and an October 21st release date. For those with tighter spaces (and smaller budgets), the MX / MXW series spans from 19- (¥100,000; $910) to 42-inches (¥280,000; $2,550), with the most expensive sets offering a Full HD display and the lesser ones topping out at 1,366 x 768. Oh, and it looks as if Funai won't be the only one delivering a Blu-ray / LCD combo, as Mitsu's already working up a concept. Peruse the links below for all the machine translated nitty-gritty.

[Via Impress]

Read - MZW series
Read - MX / MXW series
Read - Blu-ray / LCD combo concept

"Entry-level" and "1080p projector" don't often go hand-in-hand, but Sanyo's mashing the two terms together with its PLV-Z700. The Full HD beamer provides a 1,920 x 1,080 native resolution, 1,200 ANSI lumens, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, twin HDMI 1.3b ports (along with an array of others) and a variable iris that can "control lens iris adjustment every 1/60th of a second." Unfortunately, the most tantalizing tidbit has been omitted for now (yes, the price), but word on the street has it shipping to the UK in October.

[Via AboutProjectors]

You wouldn't think that anyone in the market for a $3,000 handheld camera capable of shooting 3K HD at 100MB/s would somehow get confused enough to end up with a mediocre LG plasma TV, but it seems like the folks at RED are worried -- the company's lawyers are preparing an opposition to LG's filing for the "Scarlet" trademark, and they've filed for their own mark. It looks like RED is getting pretty serious about protecting its marks -- president Jim Jannard is politely asking RED fans to include a trademark disclaimer when they post about the company's products, and he says that the proceedings against LG are "just the tip of the iceberg." Honestly, we think RED's going to have a tough time selling a judge on the likelihood of confusion between a consumer-oriented HDTV and a decidedly pro-grade camera, but we've been surprised in the past -- we'll see how this one plays out.

Read - Jim Jannard forum post
Read - Request for extension of time to file opposition

If you've been putting off that purchase of Popcorn Hour's evolutionary A-110 HD media streamer or all new B-110 motherboard, here's a decent compilation of facts and opinions to help you make up your mind once and for all. The cats over at DigitalReviews took the time to not only detail, test out and report back on the newest duo from the company, but it also revisited the original (and heralded) A-100 in order to give a better comparison. Overall, critics did tend to prefer the A-110 over its predecessor, but the minor list of changes made it a hard sell for folks teetering on upgrading. The B-110 was seen as an even tougher sell, with only the hardcore DIY crowd likely to even find it worth investigating. Nevertheless, we won't spoil the rest for you -- head on down to have a look for yourself.

[Thanks, Anton]

Let's be honest -- it's been quite awhile since Philips has been seen as a big-shot in the world of HDTVs. Evidently the company is aiming to change all that in just a few weeks, as a fresh rumor puts a stunning new set on display at IFA. Reportedly, the lightweight 42-inch Essence TV will boast a 38-millimeter depth and will be made for wall hanging. Regrettably, that's all the details that have seeped out thus far, but we'll be finding out just how much truth there is to all of this in a fortnight.

Not that most of us are on the hunt for 1U server blades to build a rendering farm out of, but it's always fun to see Sony's PS3 hardware put to a use that actually earns Sony money. The Cell-based ZEGO BCU-100 includes the PS3's RSX graphics processor and is designed for processing HD video. Sony plans to work with software developers to take advantage of the unique architecture, and will be launching 'em later this year in the States. No word on price.

[Via Electronista]

Details around the wireless edition of Sony's Bravia Internet Link kit -- most notably peeped during CES -- are coming into focus. Using that WHDI tech the kids are so into these days, this system is for Sony's Digital Media Extender-equipped HDTVs, and according to Sony Insider will debut for a price between $350 and $500 at the IFA conference in Berlin. Unfortunately, SI's info suggests we may only be spec'd for 1080i streaming of up to 5 feet, a bit less than the 200 foot range originally expected -- for only the fraction of the price of Monster Cables. Punch the read link for the rest of the details on the DMX-WL1T, while the rest of us hope Sony can turn the distance up enough to make it worthwhile.

Are you a tech-savvy urban dweller? AOC would like to have a word. The budget TV builder has a trio of new HD "Envision" LCDs in miniscule sizes ranging from 19-inches to 32-inches. The L19W861 starts 'em out at $299 and is designed to double as a computer monitor with its 1440 x 900 resolution. The 26-inch L26W861 and 32-inch L32W861 both sport a less exciting 1366 x 768 resolution, but equally compelling price points at $499 and $599, respectively. All three displays offer HDMI, PC input with audio and ATSC / Clear QAM tuners.

São Paulo, Brazil stand up, you're first in line for auto-stereoscopic (read: no glasses) 3D IPTV broadcasts courtesy of Telefónica/TVA and, we assume, that swank WOWvx-powered 1080p 52-inch Philips 3D HDTV promised to hit shelves by year end. Fortunately it now has a price, unfortunately, that price is €18,000 and requires you live in the Jardins neighborhood, hooked up to its fiber network in order to have the capacity to suck down all that 3D. Consumer accessibility is pegged at "inside three or four years", so you start saving, the SMPTE will figure out how to make it all work, and we'll sit back and remember how awesome Captain EO was that one time at Epcot Center. Everyone has to do their part.

Yeah, you read that correctly -- the obsessive audiophiles / videophiles at the Criterion Collection use Sony's PlayStation 3 as its reference Blu-ray player. In all honesty, we can't say we're too surprised. Time and again, Sony's latest console has been rated very highly as a dedicated BD deck, and the plentiful firmware updates ensure that it's always at the forefront of whatever interactive functionality is next. This snippet of factual goodness was extracted from a recent writeup that took an in-depth look at how the CC would be revamping its home theater, and even famed calibration guru Joe Kane gave his approval at using the console for playing back Blu-ray Discs. The real kicker? They also settled upon a DVIGear HDMI cable over one of those obscenely overpriced Ogre cables -- and that was after running clean out of coat hangers.

[Via CNET]

When Westinghouse launched its 40-inch LCD HDTV / DVD combo unit earlier this year, we really began to think of just how nice it'd be to broaden Blu-ray's appeal by shoving a drive into a new set for those looking for simplicity. Enter Funai -- the company currently responsible for the lowest priced standalone BD deck on the market -- which is reportedly aiming to loose an LCD HDTV with built-in Blu-ray player on the North American market next summer. The company typically brands its wares with names like Sylvania, Symphonic and Emerson, so we wouldn't expect the highest-end stuff here. That said, we're glad to see someone taking this very necessary step, even though you won't catch us recommending 'em to anyone but the technologically challenged. [Warning: read link requires subscription]

[Via CrunchGear]

While we won't complain about the performance or styling of InFocus' Play Big IN83 projector, the $6,000 price tag is a little steep. Sure, it's got that 1080p DarkChip4 DLP and styling that doesn't look like you "borrowed" it from the boardroom, but that $6,000 price tag gives us pause. InFocus is adding the Play Big IN80 model to the lineup to fill the gap, though. The specs put the IN80 above the company's X10 model -- it packs a 1080p DarkChip with BrilliantColor, can pump out 1300 lumens in the snow scenes and shares the design with its IN83 big brother, so you won't be tempted to try out your PowerPoints at home. Best of all, though is the MSRP £1,299 ($2500) when it ships in September.

[Via AboutProjectors]

While we can only imagine that the lead time for one of Popcorn Hour's A-110 HD media streamers is at least a week or so judging by the demand of the predecessor, at least one of these things has managed to make its way out. CNET's UK branch was able to wrap their paws around the latest Networked Media Tank, and while they did note that the design was essentially the same, the changes that were made (HDMI 1.3a in particular) were "seriously worthwhile." For a brief preview and a few more shots, check out the read link below.

[Thanks, John]