Finally they are here. The HD-XA1 and HD-A1 from Toshiba officially will be the world's first HD-DVD player's to be available in your local electronics outlet and web shop soon.  Backwards compatible with DVD and CD's, the HD-DVD players can play HD-DVD movies with full surround sound in DTS-HD or Dolby Digital Plus on high-definition and also scale standard DVD's to to HD TV format. Features include:

 

• HD content output via HDMI — the first industry-supported, all-digital audio/visual connection
• Over three times the MBps of a standard DVD means a sharper, more detailed picture
• Converts standard DVDs to either 720P or 1080i to match your HDTV's performance
• Dolby® Digital Plus technology brings enhanced audio fidelity for a more realistic listening experience
• Enhanced black-level selection (0IRE/7.5IRE) for optimized brightness
• Letterbox/pan and scan support for multiple video picture formats
• Movies are more interactive than ever with HD DVD — customize your viewing experience to watch movies the way you want to

A few movies are expected in HD-DVD format shortly here after including "Finding Neverland".  HD DVD standard is backed by Universal Studios and Warner Bros. as well as Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp.

The HD-XA1 will available for $799.99 and the HD-A1 for $499.99 and Toshiba site is currenty taking pre-orders.