WARNING, in this Article we will not say anything good about the HD-DVD… But if you wanna read the facts, just jump directly to the press release of Venturer…

A bit off-topic, but since it will please Toshiba to learn that they are losing the war… I am happy to report to you that:
Wanna be stuck for cheap, like all the Betamax owners in the past? Well go forward, and buy a new Venturer HD-DVD player for cheap, for a mere 50 pounds. Which is AMAZINGLY cheap… And I am sure that a lot of people will jump on this opportunity, right after purchasing a PS3

Now on a side note, I heard a lot of Fan boys in Europe telling me that the HD-DVD was in Europe the real winner, with HD-DVD almost everywhere… Well I am sorry guys, but it seems that was once again an Urban legend… Indeed ! The Website Gamedaily reports that 73% of High Def movies sold in Europe were Blu-Ray, and this without including the sales of PS3 games… So in Japan HD-DVD is almost non-existent, and in Europe HD-DVD represents only 27% of the Hi Def movie sales… Why on earth does Toshiba still continue on this path? They should maybe invest this money on a better PR team in Japan for example… Oh, and finally; did you know that our office in Japan is just in FRONT of a 13-story Toshiba building? And we will have a nice surprise for them SOON !

SHD7001 Specification:
Video
HD Output: 720p/1080i
SD Upscale with HDMI: 480p/720p/1080i
HD DVD Video
DVD Video

Audio
Dolby Digital: 5.1channel
Dolby Digital Plus: 5.1channel
Dolby TrueHD: 5.1channel
DTS: 5.1channel
DTS HD (core only): 5.1channel

Playback Media
HD DVD Video
DVD Video (R2)
DVD VR (R2)
DVD-R (video) (R2)
DVD-R DL (video) (R2)
DVD-RW (video/VR CPRM) (R2)
CD, CD-R/-RW (CD-DA) (R2)

Ports
Digital/Analogue out simultaneously
Video Output: Composite, Component
Audio Output: Analogue 2 channel, Digital Optical
HDMI Output
Ethernet (10/100base)

Press Release
The new SHD7001 standalone High Definition DVD player from Venturer celebrates the next generation of DVD format, offering the High Definition sound and vision dream at an incredible price. Delivering 1080i video output via a direct, pure digital HDMI connection to your HD ready TV the result is a striking, unrivalled picture in staggering HD quality.

The SHD7001 delivers incredible three-dimensionality for all the latest HD movies with a sharp and stable picture quality and a rich colour palette. Far surpassing the picture quality delivered by the standard DVD format, the SHD7001 HD DVD player displays colours that are sublime and contrast rich, while motion, such as in sports action or high action films, which can quite often blur, is handled with ease delivering imperfection free visuals every time.

Dolby TrueHD (5.1channel) sound completes the SHD7001 HD experience. Big bass and full dynamics deliver rich head filling sonics, representing HD DVD soundtracks as meant to be heard, virtually equal to the studio master.

Delivering value for money, the new SHD7001 from Venturer is not only a savvy High Definition DVD player it is also backward compatible with the older DVD format and boasts the ability to upscale. Transforming an existing DVD library into High Definition streams the SHD7001 takes picture quality to another level. Bright and vivid detail looks crisp and forceful and boosts performance to near HD sharpness giving standard DVDs a complete make over to make them look better than ever.

Excellent value for money is once again proven by the build quality of the SHD7001 which has by no means been compromised by the price tag of the unit. The SHD7001 looks and feels reliable and sturdy in construction and its design is both stylish and user friendly. A Black and silver, sleek finish ensures the SHD7001 looks at home with any home-cinema system set-up whilst a distinctive and intuitive menu system guarantees complete ease of use.

The SHD7001 also boasts a 10/100 Ethernet connection allowing you to take full advantage of the High Definition DVD experience. By connecting to an internet enabled network you can access bonus features, fan communities and unlock special recorded content put in place by movie studios on HD DVDs plus much more.

The SHD7001 for a limited period will be supplied with a fantastic add on package worth around £50.00, bundled as standard with two fantastic HD DVDs; Hulk and Troy, and an HDMI cable to deliver “the look and sound of perfect”!