Toshiba Introduces First HD DVD Laptop

May 10, 4:05 PM (ET)

By GARY GENTILE

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Toshiba has introduced the first laptop capable of playing next-generation, high-definition DVDs.

The Qosmio G35-AV650 supports the HD DVD format, which Toshiba helped develop, and also plays standard DVDs. Its dual drive can write data onto both standard DVDs and dual-layer discs, which can store twice as much information.

HD DVD is the first of two competing high-definition DVD formats to hit the market, with a standalone player and such movies as "Million Dollar Baby" and "Goodfellas" already out. Products in the rival Blu-ray format, backed by Sony Corp. (SNE), are not expected until later this year.

The $3,000 Toshiba laptop sports 17-inch-wide screens that can display images in 1080p high-definition format. An HDMI port supports transfer via cable to high-definition TVs with 1080i resolution.

The computer also has a digital TV tuner that can play signals from a cable or satellite feed and a recorder that allows viewers to pause live TV or recording programs.

The multimedia features can be accessed via remote control without booting up the computer's Windows operating system, making it faster to just watch video or listen to music.

The laptop comes with two 100 gigabyte disk drives to store TV shows and other files.