Toshiba launches laptop with HD DVD optical drive

Toshiba is one of the primary developers of the next generation storage format HD DVD and the company has shown the flexibility of the drives supporting this standard by launching the first high definition laptop computer with a HD DVD optical drive.

This makes this laptop capable of playing high definition video from the high capacity storage discs. Toshiba faces competition from the rival camp headed by Sony developing the rival Blu-Ray format. Sony is also due to launch Blu-Ray products from this month.

The new laptop from Toshiba is the latest product in their Toshiba’s Qosmio range of high-end audio-video computers. The company plans to price this product between 2,500 and 3,500 euros and it should be available in primary markets in the next couple of weeks.

It is important for support from the PC manufacturing industry for these two new formats to decide which one would be the winner in the end.