Toshiba Announces Desktop HD DVD Recorder

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Toshiba's newest recorder is for OEMs only

Toshiba today announced (PDF) a new HD DVD recorder, the SD-H903A. The SD-H903A sports a regular 5.25” form factor coupled with a SATA interface which makes it ideal for desktop and home theater PC systems. The drive is also compatible with other optical disc formats including various DVD and CD formats as well.

As the SD-H903A is a first generation HD DVD recorder the write speeds are limited to 1x on HD DVD-R and HD DVD-R DL media. DVD-R and DVD+R write speeds are limited to 8x and 2.4x on DL media. CD-R writing speed is also limited at 10x, disappointingly.

“HD DVD adoption is growing rapidly in all applications – from gaming to A/V editing. With its remarkable resolution, higher storage capacity and interactive offerings, HD DVD brings a superior media experience to consumers. Toshiba’s new writer will greatly transform current PC offerings,” said Scott Maccabe, vice president and general manager, Toshiba Storage Device Division.

Users expecting to purchase the SD-H903A for their desktop or home theater PC systems will be disappointed as Toshiba is only shipping the drive to OEMs. Toshiba expects to begin sampling the SD-H903A to OEMs later this month.