Toshiba releases 'second-gen' HD-DVD players

Toshiba has already unveiled its 'second-generation' HD-DVD players

Toshiba has fired another salvo in the war between the competing high-definition DVD formats by releasing a new range of HD-DVD players in the US. 

Dubbed "second generation" HD-DVD players despite only coming to the market six months after the first generation, the HD-A2 and HD-XA2 players have a sleeker design than the boxy originals.

The HD-XA2 outputs at 1080p resolution using HDMI 1.3 and will cost $999 (£530) when it is released in the US in December. The HD-A2, which is out in October, offers 1080i output for $499 (£265).

Niveus Media has also announced its new HD-DVD-enabled media centre PC, which will be released at the end of September. 

The entry-level Rainier Edition media centre costs $4,500 (£2,400) and supports 1080p resolution, up to four TV tuners, 3TB of storage, 4GB of memory, ATI and Nvidia graphics and eight-channel audio. 

A number of high-definition movies have also been added to the HD-DVD line-up, including The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift from Universal Studios, Batman Begins and Polar Express from Warner Home Video and a range of music concert releases from Rhino Entertainment and Image Entertainment.