The first laptop computer to feature an HD DVD-R drive, Toshiba’s Qosmio Q30, went on sale in Japan over the weekend.HD DVD-R is the read-only version of the HD-DVD format, and a single-sided disc can hold up to 15GB of data. The format, which is principally backed by Toshiba, is in competition with Blu-ray Disc, which is backed by Sony.The Qosmio G30/97A is an upgraded model of the existing Qosmio laptop computer that is already on sale in several markets worldwide. It is based on an Intel 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor and has a 17-inch widescreen display with 1,920-by-1,280-pixel resolution, which means it can show high-definition images from HD-DVD movie discs. The 4.8-kilogram machine also features a 320GB hard-disk drive, digital TV tuner and high-definition multimedia interface output. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe Toshiba announced the laptop in mid-January also displayed at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It’s on sale for about 373,365 yen (US$3,085) in Japan at present. Toshiba hasn’t announced international launch plans or prices, but says it will go on sale overseas. To coincide with the launch of the new laptop, Hitachi Maxell is putting blank HD DVD-R media on the market for about 1,500 yen per disc.-Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau) Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature Mastercard preps for the post-quantum cybersecurity threat A cryptographically relevant quantum computer will put everyday online transactions at risk. Mastercard is preparing for such an eventuality — today. By Poornima Apte Sep 22, 2023 6 mins CIO 100 Quantum Computing Data and Information Security feature 9 famous analytics and AI disasters Insights from data and machine learning algorithms can be invaluable, but mistakes can cost you reputation, revenue, or even lives. These high-profile analytics and AI blunders illustrate what can go wrong. By Thor Olavsrud Sep 22, 2023 13 mins Technology Industry Generative AI Machine Learning feature Top 15 data management platforms available today Data management platforms (DMPs) help organizations collect and manage data from a wide array of sources — and are becoming increasingly important for customer-centric sales and marketing campaigns. By Peter Wayner Sep 22, 2023 10 mins Marketing Software Data Management opinion Four questions for a casino InfoSec director By Beth Kormanik Sep 21, 2023 3 mins Media and Entertainment Industry Events Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe