Toshiba Readies First HD-DVD Notebook

HANOVER, GERMANY -- Toshiba is planning to launch its first laptop computer with an HD-DVD drive in Europe in April, the company said Tuesday.

The Qosmio G30 laptop will also be available in Japan and North America at about the same time, said Oscar Koenders, general manager of marketing at Toshiba Europe's PC division.

It will cost around the same as Toshiba's current Qosmio G20 notebook, prices of which depend on configuration and begin at about $2410, he said.

High Definition DVDs

HD-DVD is one of two formats vying to replace current DVDs for high-definition content such as movies. Its main backers are Toshiba and NEC and it is competing with Blu-ray Disc, which is backed by a group including Sony, Panasonic, and Samsung Electronics.

Users will be able to watch HD-DVD content on the laptop's screen or on a compatible high-definition monitor or television. The computer has HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) for hooking up to a TV and a DVI interface with copy-protection support for connection to a monitor, said Koenders.

Qosmio is Toshiba's multimedia PC line and the computer also features a TV tuner and Dolby Home Theater support.

Initially HD-DVD will be available only in the Qosmio machines, Koenders said. He estimated it will be available in some models of Toshiba's Satellite-range of machines later this year.

The Qosmio G30 will be shown this week starting Thursday at the CeBIT exhibition in Hanover, Germany.

Go here to read more news from CeBIT, the world's largest technology show.