The XD-E500 was purchased in Canada. I asked my sis the cost but she won't tell. I assumed it was bought at BestBuy 'coz of the plastic bag. I googled the site - 99 canadian dollars, slightly less than 4k.
My quick review.
1. The unit is light but well built. At the back the A/V connections seem complete (component, HDMI, optical out, etc.) The LED display is vey limited bordering useless, shows only chapter#.
2. Linked the DVD player with my Toshiba 37C3500 via HDMI (audiopro) for reference. Regza link worked! Decided to use TV remote.
3. Partly watched Region 1 LOTR-TROTK and Happy Feet. For LOTR was impressed with the improved detail (@ sharp mode by default). The picture seems richer and more alive than before. Played around with color and contrast mode and you can see subtle chages. Next was HF, was dismayed I never recalled seeing so many artifacts (don't know the proper term) specially between the letters on the starting credits. It improved a bit, less harsh, when I turned the enhancer off. I think the DVD resolution of this movie was at fault. But clearly I noticed new details I havent seen before like the penguin's coat (fur) so much more apparent.
4. For HDMI connection the resolution available are only the ff; 1080i, 1080p, 1080p-24 and auto.
5. Tried to make it multi region to test my local Region 3 discs. It worked liked a charm. Inserted another animation "Meet the Robinsons" to confirm the artifacts I saw in HF. None this time, the copy was better. Also, this is the first time I noticed little Goob has slight redness in the veins of his eyes due to lack of sleep while 4-eyes was making his pb & j gadget.
6. Connected my Nextbase DVD via component, upscale to 720p and rerun HF to observe the difference in pq. To my surprise the artifacts seen previously was less significant. The pq is better it seems.
7. For its price I think this multi-region DVD upscaler is worth it specially if you alrady have a collection of DVDs and until Blu ray player & disc become more affordable.
8. The only negative so far, its 110v as I was impatient to wait for local distribution.
will do more tinkering later this week.