Toshiba readying first laptop HD DVD writer
updated 08:55 am EDT, Mon October 2, 2006
First Laptop HD DVD Writer
While Toshiba has had HD DVD drives in its Qosmio laptops since early this year, the drives have been perpetually hamstrung by an inability to write to their own format -- an edge Blu-Ray has had since Sony's AR-series portables appeared this summer. The computer maker today said it will change this by unveiling an early example of its new SD-L902A laptop drive at the CEATEC conference in Japan, according to Akihabara News. The new HD DVD drive is the first of its size to use a blue-violet hybrid laser that can both read and write HD DVDs as well as legacy formats; Toshiba claims a 1X recording speed for HD DVD discs and 2.4X for dual-layer DVDs. It should also be compact enough at 12.7mm in height to function in many thinner laptops. No details were announced of when laptop manufacturers would begin using the writer in shipping computers.
