Toshiba Shows Laptop HD DVD Writer Drive

The first slim-type HD DVD writer drive suitable for use in laptop computers is being unveiled by Toshiba at the Ceatec Show, Japan's biggest exposition, which opens this week in Tokyo.

Toshiba's entry is the SD-L902A drive, standard size so it can fit in the drive bay of most laptop computers. It can read and write HD DVD, DVD and CD discs, Toshiba representatives say. The first laptop to feature the drive is its Qosmio G30, which has just a read-only version. The writable drive could appear in laptops in 2007, says Martyn Williams, IDG News Service correspondent covering the show.

HD DVD is one of two formats battling to replace DVD as the de facto storage standard for high-definition movies. A single-sided HD DVD-R can store 15GB of data; a disc for the competing Blu-ray Disc format can store 25GB on a single side.

This year's Ceatec is expected to see the unveiling of several new products for the two new formats. The show kicks off Tuesday with a Sony news conference, when the company promises a new Blu-ray Disc product. Sony hasn't said what it will be but the company recently showed a prototype Blu-ray Disc video recorder. A similar prototype recorder was also recently displayed by Hitachi.