X-bit labs

First Notebooks with Blu-Ray, HD DVD Drives Unveiled.

Category: Mobile

by Anton Shilov

[ 01/09/2006 | 04:36 PM ]

Mobile computers capable of next-generation DVD playback were formally unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show. Toshiba naturally demonstrated HD DVD-supporting Qosmio notebook, whereas HP decided to take both sides following reject of its proposal by Blu-ray development group and aim to be format agnostic.

Toshiba unveiled its new Qosmio laptop based on the new version of the Intel Centrino mobile platform running dual-core microprocessor Core Duo T2500 (2.0GHz), equipped with HD DVD optical drive and Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 graphics processor. The notebook will not be available commercially for a while and is likely to surface in shops later during the year, possibly after the launch of consumer HD DVD players in March, according to PC Watch web-site.

HP unveiled its Pavilion dv5000z notebook featuring AMD Turion 64 mobile processor and, depending on the configuration, Blu-ray or HD DVD optical drive. HP demonstrated successful playback of movies in both formats emphasizing that for computer makers there is no difference which kind of DVD drive is inside and it is up to consumers to decide whether to obtain a Blu-ray or HD DVD-supporting system.

Since Blu-ray and HD DVD technologies both feature advanced copyright protection mechanisms, output of video onto analog devices is not possible, hence, all the laptops capable of next-gen DVD playback should feature HDMI interconnection.

Sony, the main driving force behind the Blu-ray disc, did not showcase any laptops featuring the BD drives, however, it again demonstrated external and internal optical drives for personal computers along with its well-known BD consumer equipment. In addition, the company showcased the PlayStation 3 console that features a BD drive. The company, unfortunately, did not turn the console on.