Toshiba Says HD DVD Players Will Ship in March
January 05, 2006
Las Vegas, NV - Toshiba Corporation at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) announced the March 2006 commercial launch of the industry's first HD DVD players in the USA.
The new HD DVD players, HD-XA1 and HD-A1 (with reported pricing of $499 and $799), take advantage of a wide range of advanced capabilities offered the HD DVD format, the next-generation DVD format defined by the DVD Forum. Toshiba says that both models offer superior high definition images, crystal clear audio, and the enhanced functionality delivered by such features as Advanced Navigation using "iHD."
Toshiba said both the HD-XA1 and the HD-A1 are scheduled to start shipping to retailers in March 2006.
"We are excited to be able to make this historical announcement on this important new product at CES, the world's premier consumer electronics show," said Yoshihide Fujii, Corporate Senior Vice President and President of Digital Medial Network Company, Toshiba Corporation. "Going forward, HD DVD is destined to be a key driver for progress and the development of the CE, IT and entertainment industries. We look forward to building on the momentum of CES and making HD DVD a worthy successor to DVD."
Taking AV Notebook PCs to the Next Level
Along with its first HD DVD players, Toshiba will also use CES to demonstrate an advanced AV notebook PC with HD DVD-ROM drive, the new flagship of the Company's Qosmio line-up of high-end AV notebook PCs. Pricing and availability information will be announced in later Q1, 2006.
Toshiba says HD DVD's main features are:
1) The same disc structure as DVD, two 0.6mm-thick polycarbonate discs bonded back-to-back. This structure makes it much easier for HD DVD to achieve backward compatibility with DVD, and also assures easier manufacturing of discs and hardware devices, resulting in lower manufacturing costs.
2) Robust playability, with no need for a disc cartridge to protect against surface blemishes and fingerprints.
3) The ability to meet diverse capacity demands. The DVD Forum has approved HD DVD-ROM discs with a data capacity of 30GB, and higher capacities are on the way. High data capacities are achieved by adopting a shorter wavelength blue-violet laser and advanced data processing technologies, assuring the ability to store large capacity data sources, including high-definition images.
4) Adoption of iHD technology to deliver enhanced user interactivity and enable optimization for both AV and PC applications. Managed Copy function will further expand the realm of entertainment at home.
For more information go to Toshiba's website at:
www.toshiba.co.jp/hddvd/eng/index.htm
For information on the HD DVD format in general, visit the HD DVD Promotion Group's site at: HD DVD Promotion Group
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