Toshiba to Offer HD DVD Laptops in 2005

[James Fee]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.reuters.com/audi/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=6547889' target='_blank'>http://www.reuters.com/audi/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=6547889</a><br /><br /></div>"<i>Japan's Toshiba Corp. will introduce laptop computers with HD DVD technology in December 2005, aiming to pressure rivals in the battle over formats for next-generation DVDs, the Nihon Keizai daily said on Wednesday. The paper said Toshiba, Japan's second-largest electronics conglomerate, would price the new laptops at a level similar to that of its current high-end DVD-equipped models, at around 200,000 to 300,000 yen ($1,845 to $2,770). The new laptops will be released under its "Qosmio" brand, and will play regular DVDs and CDs in addition to HD DVDs, the paper added</i>"<br /><br />An interesting announcement, but probably too late to help the HD DVD format. If Dell or HP announced that they were offering HD DVD next year, we'd probably sit up and take notice, but Toshiba's announcement won't get much press. In fact, this week <a href="http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/bdcd-dual-format-disc-announced-bluray-beats-hd-dvd-023660.php">Sony announced</a> that they would be able to produced a hybrid Blu-Ray/CD that could be read on ordinary computers. With that kind of compatibility, there is almost nothing that the HD DVD can do to overcome the huge lead that Blu-Ray has over them.

[Jason Dunn]

I don't know about that - so far all the "Blue-Ray momentum"is just on paper. Sure, there are some obscure produts out in Japan now, but that doesn't mean anything in the real-world market. I'm reserving judgment on which format will win until they actually reach the market. ;-)

[James Fee]

With companies such as Toshiba and Sanyo backing HD DVD, how can it fail right? ;)

[Felix Torres]

I don't know about that - so far all the "Blue-Ray momentum"is just on paper. Sure, there are some obscure produts out in Japan now, but that doesn't mean anything in the real-world market. I'm reserving judgment on which format will win until they actually reach the market. ;-)

All true and more.
Most of the Blu-ray action is wheel-spinning; a lot of "sound and fury, signifying nothing"; the existing recorders are mutually incompatible, the media is expensive and they won't have a standard way to manufacture the read-only discs in volume until late next year.
The specs for the BD-Rom reader drives isn't even fully in place.
And, most important of all, the studios have not chosen.

Does anybody really think that Blu-ray will ever amount to anything without the blessing of the non-Sony studios?
If anything, Sony's ownership of Blu-ray works against it; their competitors won't be too eager to see all those royalties from *their* movies going to Sony.

Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD is not a technology decision; it is a Hollywood decision. The bean-counters will decide.

I wouldn't be surprised if the studios choose option (c): Neither

Their needs *can* be met just by adopting a better codec on red-laser media; either today's WMV or tomorrow's MPEG4.

Until the studios choose, its all just positioning.
On both sides.
Worth keeping track of, but hardly worth spending money on.