Toshiba, sent packing earlier this year in its battle against Blu-ray, is back again with what one might consider a low-budget HD competitor. The technology is called XDE and the first product out with it is the Toshiba XD-E500, a DVD player priced around $150.

XDE, also known as “eXtended Detail Enhancement,” is reportedly DVD upconversion on steroids. Toshiba says of it that “in addition to providing upconversion from 480i/p up to 1080p, XDE offers user selectable picture enhancement modes that allow for greater detail, more vivid colors and stronger contrast that bring standard DVD quality closer to the HD experience.” Three selectable picture mode settings - sharp, color, contrast - lets one bring closer to “true HD quality” their DVD viewing experience.

Kaleidescape is adding some new DVD players to its line up the company says rival Blu-ray in viewing experience. These players are known as the 1080p Player and 1080p Mini Player.

The 1080p Player, said Kaleidescape, is designed as a 1U rack mount device, and includes a DVD/CD-ROM drive for import and direct playback of DVDs and CDs. The 1080p Mini Player offers the video and audio performance of the 1080p Player, in a smaller package. The company says the players adapt video processing to the type of content currently being played, resulting in what is supposedly a more custom viewing experience.

Sony in Europe is showing off a new upscaling DVD player which is pretty slim. It is called the Sony DVP-NS708H.

The Sony DVP-NS708H, like other upscaling DVD players, converts standard DVD video up to 1080p. The player itself is of a slim design, sporting a high-gloss black finish and compatibility with BRAVIA Sync to cut down on extra remotes lying around the media room.