While having an RRP of $899, the HD-E1 is tipped to drop to $799 within days of going on sale in Australia.

It will playback HD DVD, DVD Video and CD audio, with an output resolution of 1080i/720 and DVD video upscaling of up to 720p/1080i with HDMI. We conducted a review of this model which you can find here.
 
Also in the new line-up are two higher-end models – the amped up version of the E1: HD-XE1 and the HD-EP10.
 
As one of the developers of the HD DVD format, Toshiba claims HD DVD offers six times the resolution of standard DVD and is of superior quality to Blu-ray. The players will run standard DVDs and CDs as well as the new HD DVD discs.

Also among the features afforded by HD DVD is the ability to adjust settings while a movie is playing in the background, selection of specific scenes via thumbnail images and bookmarking of scenes from a pop-up menu.

While some commentators have speculated in recent months that Blu-ray had taken the upper hand in the play off with HD DVD, Toshiba is clearly expecting the launch of the new HD DVD players to elevate the format's positioning in the market.

RRP:

E1: $899

XE1: $1,599

EP10: $1,099