High-definition disc players are great news for owners of HDTVs. With the high-performance HD-XA1 Toshiba adds to the extraordinary picture and sound capabilities of the HD DVD format with this player s refined construction quality convenience and cosmetics. For starters notice the motorized door which provides an uncluttered look by hiding the disc drawer and function buttons.Regular DVDs can look really good on an HDTV but DVDs can t deliver true high-definition video even if you re using an upconverting DVD player. As TV screens have grown bigger and better DVD s limitations have become more noticeable especially on the 1080p displays and on screens sized 50 inches or larger. HD DVD discs are designed to be viewed on an HDTV. Every aspect of this format has been carefully thought out to maximize your home theater experience.When designing their high-definition players Toshiba s engineers started with a clean sheet of paper. Because HD DVD discs have smaller data pits and spin at higher speeds than a standard DVD the drive mechanism must be manufactured to very tight tolerances. And the chassis has to be extra strong and rigid to resist vibrations that could interfere with reading the discs. Toshiba employs a double-chassis construction and large isolating feet to provide a stable foundation for the drive.An HD DVD disc can hold three times as much data as a DVD enough for several hours of HD-quality video. Along with much better picture quality HD DVD s increased disc capacity allows for higher-definition sound too.To ensure backward-compatibility with your existing DVD and CD collections the HD-XA1 actually uses a dual-laser mechanism: a blue laser for playing high-definition HD DVD discs and a conventional red laser for playing DVDs and audio CDs. The HD-XA1 can also improve the look of all your DVDs by upconverting the video signal to better match your HDTV s high-resolution screen.The sleek remote control has backlit keys for use in a darkened home theater. The remote s motion-activated sensor automatically illuminates without having to search for the light button in the dark.