Toshiba Strikes first: Showcases HD-DVD enabled laptop

[basanti]

Japanese technology firm Toshiba on Wednesday unveiled the first high-definition laptop computer with an HD DVD optical drive for the new generation of DVD discs and a high-resolution display.

The portable computer, introduced at the CeBIT electronics trade fair here, is the latest model under Toshiba's Qosmio range of high-end audio-video computers.

The computer will retail for a price between $3,000 and $4,000 and will be available in all countries within a few weeks, said Oscar Koenders, European computer marketing manager at Toshiba.

The computer is another weapon in the emerging multibillion dollar battle for the next DVD standard.

The fight is between Blu-ray, backed by many electronics giants like Sony, Samsung, Philips and Matsu****a's Panasonic, and HD DVD championed by Toshiba and NEC.

Both formats offer more storage capacity than the current DVD format. This is needed to store high-definition movies whose four to five times better picture detail means they contain four to five times more digital bits of information.

Blu-ray claims it offers higher capacity, up to 50GB for a dual-layer disk, which is not yet offered, while HD DVD claims it offers a cheaper system which is compatible with the current DVD standard which was set in 1995.

"We think we can offer a player at 499 euros ($600). To me it looks like we're a year ahead," Koenders said.

The first Blu-ray machines, announced by Samsung, Philips and Sony, will be roughly two to three times more expensive and most producers expect commercial introductions in the second half of the year. Samsung plans to sell its first player in May.

Blu-ray disks with pre-recorded movies will start selling in May at a price 20 percent above current DVD new release prices.

Failure of the Blu-ray and HD DVD camps to reach a unified standard has set the stage for a formats war akin to the VHS vs. Betamax battle of the 1980s. Each side hopes to reignite the sagging $24 billion home video market.

Support of the Hollywood studios is important, but the studios have told Toshiba that they in turn look to see which format gets the support from the computer industry.

"DVD (in the 1990s) picked up once the personal computer industry adpted it," Koenders said.

Computer maker Dell supports Blu-ray, but No. 2 Hewlett-Packard recently decided to also support HD DVD, whereas it earlier backed only Blu-ray.

http://news.com.com/Toshiba+unveils+laptop+with+high-def+DVD/2100-1041_3-6047193.html?tag=nefd.top

Has sony showcased how small of a form factor they have reached with blu-ray?

 

[Mintmaster]

lol at matsushita

 

[randycat99]

Those darn Matsushi boyz!

I wonder if there is an increased processor load to decode HD video, and if there is an impact to battery life? Aren't existing laptops hardpressed to make that 2 hr mark just playing a DVD?

 

[NANOTEC]

http://www.toshiba-qosmio.com/

I'd take a Qosmio over a DELL any day of the week.

I wonder if there is an increased processor load to decode HD video, and if there is an impact to battery life? Aren't existing laptops hardpressed to make that 2 hr mark just playing a DVD?

Yes there is an increased processor load because you're decoding at higher resolutions using a more complex codec, however, if Toshiba's Qosmio notebook have a built-in dedicated hardware decoder, power consumption would be significantly less. WMVHD requires at least a 3GHz P4 IIRC.

Regarding DVD on laptops, mine gets about 2.5 hours running PowerDVD 5 solely on the CPU without video acceleration. My laptop is an old P3 700MHz, 15" LCD and has a 6000mAh Li-ion battery.

 

[Ike Turner]

Sounds Bad Ass but a tiny bit expensive...

It's got everything though...

Processor: Intel Dual Core T2500 Processor (2Ghz)
Screen Size: 17" HD WUXGA (1920Â￾~1080 )
RAM: 1GB RAM (512MB x 2)
Hard Drive Capacity: 240GB HDD (2 x 120GB in RAID, 5400RPM)
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce Go7600
- Analog TV tuner, a Digital tuner
- 1Bit audio amplifier with Harman Kardon Speakers
- Built-in MPEG2 capture card
Primary Optical Drive: HD-DVD Player
Wireless: Wireless LAN Card (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g)
Weight: 9.47 lbs
Operating System: MS Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 / Remote control

 

[Ike Turner]

Sounds Bad Ass but a tiny bit expensive...

It's got everything though...

Processor: Intel Dual Core T2500 Processor (2Ghz)
Screen Size: 17" HD WUXGA (1920Â￾~1080 )
RAM: 1GB RAM (512MB x 2)
Hard Drive Capacity: 240GB HDD (2 x 120GB in RAID, 5400RPM)
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce Go7600
- Analog TV tuner, a Digital tuner
- 1Bit audio amplifier with Harman Kardon Speakers
- Built-in MPEG2 capture card
Primary Optical Drive: HD-DVD Player
Wireless: Wireless LAN Card (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g)
Weight: 9.47 lbs
Operating System: MS Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 / Remote control

Forgot to add that it obviously has an HDMI/HDCP Out connector on the back...
Sorry can't edit

 

[kyleb]

Does it? I wouldn't be surprised if HDCP protected playback only worked for the built in screen.

 

[London Geezer]

What's the point of watching HDDVD/Bluray movies on 17" screens?! It has to have a HDMI port to connect it to a bigger screen, or the whole thing would be bloody useless!

 

[rabidrabbit]

If you already have HD-DVD and/or Blu-ray movies, maybe you'd still want to view them occasionally on your laptop or PC, even if you had a 100" screen in livingroom.
I don't think anyone on their right minds would buy a 17" screen (or less than 32" imo) with HD viewing as a primary use.

 

[NANOTEC]

If you already have HD-DVD and/or Blu-ray movies, maybe you'd still want to view them occasionally on your laptop or PC, even if you had a 100" screen in livingroom.
I don't think anyone on their right minds would buy a 17" screen (or less than 32" imo) with HD viewing as a primary use.

Agreed...not many people hook up their laptops to a bigscreen to watch their DVDs.

 

[rabidrabbit]

That didn't occur to me, indeed some early adopters who buy a new laptop with HD-DVD and/or Blu-ray might use it as their primary player, connecting it to their livingroom display.

 

[NANOTEC]

That didn't occur to me, indeed some early adopters who buy a new laptop with HD-DVD and/or Blu-ray might use it as their primary player, connecting it to their livingroom display.

I think a normal person would buy a standalone HD DVD player for $500 instead of a $3000 laptop just for HD DVD.

 

[nintenho]

Wait a second, what OS supports HD-DVD or Bluray?

 

[rabidrabbit]

Isn't Vista supposed to have native support for HD-DVD.
Blu-ray and HD-DVD support shouldn't be too hard to add to current OS's with third party software.
I think the latest Nero software package already has support for Blu-ray burning.
The media players will be sure quick to follow, Cyberlink of PowerDVD for example is a member of Blu-ray Disc Association.

NANOTEC, I meant if someone is to buy a new laptop some months from now and buy one with HD-DVD and/or Blu-ray, he might use it also as the primary livingroom movie player.
That is if the HD drive doesn't add to the cost of the laptop too much, I can imagine quite a few those who are planning on buying a new laptop go for one with a HD drive, and postpone the buying of a standalone HD player to the future.

 

[NANOTEC]

Most of the companies currently making software for DVD will also make them for BR and HD DVD. That includes, Cyberlink (PowerDVD), Intervideo (WinDVD), Sonic, Roxio, Nero, etc. Same goes with blank media with the exception of TDK who says they'll only make BR blank discs. Neflix will also support both formats too.

 

[nintenho]

Thanks for the info. If I could give you guys rep points, I would. Wonder why it doesn't give that option.

Back on topic, the resolution for HD-DVD and Bluray is 720P, right?

 

[NANOTEC]

Thanks for the info. If I could give you guys rep points, I would. Wonder why it doesn't give that option.

Back on topic, the resolution for HD-DVD and Bluray is 720P, right?

Both support up to 1080p.

 

[London Geezer]

Thanks for the info. If I could give you guys rep points, I would. Wonder why it doesn't give that option.

Back on topic, the resolution for HD-DVD and Bluray is 720P, right?

It seems HD-DVD will launch at 1080i and Bluray will launch at 1080p. I'm pretty sure HD-DVD will move to 1080p later on, when it becomes logical to actually have 1080p material, cause we still don't have one TV that accepts 1080p through HDMI.

 

[kyleb]

I have heard that the first HD-DVD player will only output up to 1080i, but there are TVs that take 1080p over HDMI. Although the issue is pretty much irrelvent for 24fps film content, as that will most like be transfered to the HD formats at 1080p/24 and hence you can get full quality output of that though a 1080i/60 connection.

 

[rabidrabbit]

It seems HD-DVD will launch at 1080i and Bluray will launch at 1080p. I'm pretty sure HD-DVD will move to 1080p later on, when it becomes logical to actually have 1080p material, cause we still don't have one TV that accepts 1080p through HDMI.

While not TV's, there are display devices that already support 10+80p through HDMI.
Sony's VPL-VW100 projector is fully equipped for 1080p.
Being a close to €10 000 device it's still for an HT enthusiast market, but I wouldn't be surprised if more 1080p projectors will become available towards the next year, and at more affordable prices.
I personally believe you can buy a 1080p display device in the first quarter of 2007 for less than €3000, but that might be more just wishful thinking.