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Toshiba HD DVD player (HD-A1) sets the standard

Toshiba's HD-A1 HD DVD player marks the winds of change

Sony and Toshiba are both disputing the new format that will set the standard in media content.

Toshiba has teamed with Microsoft, Sanyo, NEC, New Line and Universal.

Sony Blu-ray's playmates are Apple, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Pioneer, Dell and movie studios Sony, 20th Century Fox and Disney.

Though technical debates and market-share struggles will keep on for years, Toshiba's HD-A1 is out and about. At msrp $499.99, one gets the following:

Video features

HD Content Output via HDMI (Disc Native Resolution)

Video Up-Conversion for SD DVD (720p/1080i)

Enhanced Black Level (0IRE /7.5IRE Selection)

Letterbox / Pan & Scan Support

Disc Playback: HD-DVD/HD DVD-R/DVD/DVD-R/DVD-RAM/DVD-RW/CD/CD-R/CD-RW/

Audio

Built-in Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS and DTS-HD Decoders

Dolby True HD Compatible (2 Channel)

Multi-Channel 24-bit/192kHz Audio DACs

HDMI Audio support up to 5.1 L-PCM

Dynamic Range Control

Convenience

Pre-programmed Remote Control w/ TV Controls

Tri-Lingual OSD (English, French/Japanese)

Bit Rate Display

Tray Lock

Time Search

Jackpacks

HDMI™ (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)

ColorStream Pro® Component Video Output

Coaxial Digital Output

Opitcal TosLink® Digital Audio Input (1)