So, the whole HD DVD format didn’t work, but Toshiba America Consumer Products is unwilling to admit high-definition defeat and align itself with Blu-ray disc, the winning high-def format developed by rival Sony.

Today, the company announced it is enhancing regular DVD technology with XD-E500, or eXtended Detail Enhancement. It’s more than just upconversion, says the company. XDE takes the regular DVD format (that’s 480i or 480p) and adds more details so it looks like 1080p (the high-definition format of Blu-ray or defunct HD DVD).

How does it make a standard DVD look high def? Think of it as Photoshop for video. Edges are sharpened because XDE “analyzes the entire picture and adds edge enhancement precisely where it’s needed” — unlike traditional sharpness control. Also, colors are richer and contrast mode makes darker scenes more visible. I didn’t test this out myself so I’m curious to see how high-def this non-high-def DVD player is.

Check it out yourself at http://www.toshibaxde.com.

Launching today, the XD-E500 is $149.99.

Related:

• Toshiba says no to Blu-ray
• Three O.C. companies affected if HD DVD loses battle

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