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HD-DVD recorders..... Soon (in Japan)! (1 Viewer)

Chris Dugger

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Toshiba readies HD DVD recorder
No plans yet for shipments to the U.S. market
By Susanne Ault 6/22/2006

JUNE 22 | Toshiba will be shipping the first HD DVD recorders to Japan in July.

There are no plans yet for this player to be introduced into the U.S. market.

The RD-A1 Toshiba recorder includes an HD DVD burner and a disc drive that can record and store up to 130 hours of high-definition broadcasts.

It streets July 14 in Japan for 398,000 yen ($3,470).

“We are confident that the new HD DVD recorder will meet the market demands for the ability to record digital broadcasts in high definition and is built with high-end specifications with an emphasis on convenience and ease-of-use,” Toshiba marketing VP Jodi Sally said. “It has the same playback functions as the HD DVD players we have already shipped.”

The recorder announcement coincides with reports that retailers are receiving a steadier supply of Toshiba’s $499 HD-A1 HD DVD player. Since the player’s April launch, many stores have been empty-handed for weeks at a time.

The HD-A1 model was in stock last week at BestBuy.com which had been wiped out of units earlier. Customer service reps at certain Los Angeles-area bricks-and-mortar Best Buy outlets noted that they were receiving a few new $499 players each week but typically were selling out quickly.

“We are airing in product every day and continuing to fill the demand,” Sally said of Toshiba’s HD DVD players.
The company estimates that its HD DVD players will reach more than 5,000 retail outlets by year-end.
 

orestes

Second Unit
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Jun 12, 1999
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Orestes
I will have to take a look at these recorders as my daughter and I will be in Tokyo on August 1st untill the 11th.

Regards,
orestes
 

Travis Hedger

Supporting Actor
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Mar 24, 1998
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695
Ah....Beasty!

If there was a way to integrate DirecTV with this, oh man oh Man OH MAN!

I think what is even MORE amazing, other than the recorder itself, is that we are looking at a 4 month window here from launch of the HD DVD format, and then having a player on the market. Even though only in Japan, it shows how aggressive Toshiba is for the High Definition market. How long was it when set top DVD recorders hit after the 1997 debut of DVD? I remember the prices used to be well above $500 for those first units. Today, you can get em for around $70ish.
 

ChristopherDAC

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AE5VI
Maybe, but the Blu-Ray recorder has been on the market in Japan already for what, two years now? The movie playback machine has been waiting for the movie studios, and in the meantime it has gotten nice add-ons like MPEG-4.
 

Rob_Walton

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Nov 3, 2004
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308
From what I've read so far it seems any discs recorded on this device would not be playable on the HD DVD players currently on the market.
 

ChristopherDAC

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AE5VI
I know that new Blu-Ray movies can't be played back on "old" BD-R decks, because of copy protection, but why would HD DVD Rs not play back on standard HD DVD machines?
 

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