Company reinforces lead
in promising new market
with Industry's largest 600GB HDD capacity
Tokyo
-- Toshiba Corporation today announced the launch of the "RD-X5," the flagship
model of the company's "RD Style" range of digital video recorders (DVR)
incorporating a hard disc drive (HDD) and DVD video recorder. As Toshiba's
latest addition to a market that the company created and still defines, the new
recorder achieves various industry firsts, including a 600GB HDD, the largest
capacity in the market*1, and can record up to 1,071 hours of video images*2*3.
The new DVR also pioneers recording of copy-once
content generated by Content Protection for Recordable Media (CPRM), a standard
increasingly used in digital broadcasting. The "RD-X5" offers viewers the
ability to save copy-once content to a Toshiba-developed dedicated DVD-R that
records in the DVD VR format.
The "RD-X5" will be launched in the Japanese market
at the end of November 2004.
"We are very proud of the "RD-X5" and believe it
defines new benchmarks for DVR technology and performance," said Teruo Kiriyama,
Vice President of Toshiba's Digital AV Division, Digital Media Network Company."
Toshiba led the market in integrating a HDD with a DVD video recorder in April
2001, when we launched "RD-2000" and introduced the "RD" series concept'”the
freedom to record to HDD, edit recorded images and save selected programs on
DVD. Today, 70% of new DVD recorders integrate a HDD."
Since that initial product launch, Toshiba has
continued to promote advances in the "RD" series, focusing on the user interface
and advanced functions that improve the viewing experience. Development of the
"RD-X5" centered on achieving a DVR offering improved image quality, greater
versatility and improved overall performance. The result is a long list of
innovations.
Integration of dual MPEG-2 encoders and terrestrial
analog broadcasting tuners with a ghost reduction function allow recording of
two programs at the same time.
An integrated DVD Multi Drive can record to
DVD-RAM, DVD-RW and DVD-R, at fast writing speeds of 5x, 4x and 8x,
respectively. The "RD-X5" is also the first to DVR to support CPRM and 8x
writing of copy-once programming to the DVD VR format.
Digital broadcasting in Japan, including the
terrestrial broadcasts that began in December 2003, BS, CS110o and "SKY Perfect
TV!" digital broadcasts, increasingly use CPRM to protect content. CPRM
scrambles broadcast programs and allows copy-once recording only to DVD-R or RW
discs formatted for Video Recording (VR). Saving content to DVD VR requires both
a VR compatible disc and digital video recorder (DVR). Alongside the launch of
the "RD-X5," Toshiba will commercialize a DVD-R disc supporting CPRM. The disc
will be available for purchase at the company's online shopping site, from the
beginning of November 2004.
In addition to recording copy-once content, the
DVD-VR format allows recording of bilingual sound tracks for recorded programs,
when available, for both analog and digital broadcasts, a capability not
supported by conventional recording to DVD-R. Before a recording is finalized,
users are also free to write data to the disc management area. This allows
checking of edited content by frame and rewriting of program titles, chapters
and thumbnails.
Along with the flagship "RD-X5," Toshiba will also
introduce the "RD-XS24," which offers an 80GB HDD capacity in the world's
slimmest DVR. At only 58mm high, the slim-line "RD-XS24" minimizes the space
needed for a DVR, but still integrates a DVD Multi Drive and is equipped with
LAN capabilities allowing users to set program recording schedules by email.
Unlike "RD-X5," "RD-XS24"'s DVD Multi Drive only recording to DVD-R in the DVD
VIDEO format.
For both the "RD-X5" and "RD-XS24," program
selection and recording is simplified by DEPG™, Toshiba's proprietary advanced
electronic program guide, which supports a folder function for editing and
managing recorded programs. DEPG™ offers the WEPG™ function for receiving
program information both from the Internet and terrestrial analog broadcast,
allowing users to receive not only program information of terrestrial and BS
analog broadcasts, but also for CATV and BS digital broadcasts, including "SKY
Perfect TV!."
"RD-X5" also offers an advanced folder function
that allows recorded programs to be classified by genre or by the name of the
person who made the recording, a feature facilitating faster, quicker searches
of recorded programs.
Both the "RD-X5" and "RD-XS24" provide an extensive
menu of network navigation functions that simplify operation of network
capabilities. These include remote scheduling of program recording by email,
using a PC to edit titles and to add JPEG images to a DVD-R menu, and dubbing
recorded content to other DVR without image deterioration.
"RD-X5" also offers enhanced functionality. It
allows program recording to be given a unique name that, when used in an e-mail
sent to the "RD-X5," automatically programs the DVR to record the program. Lists
of such names can be sent in a single e-mail. The remaining capacity of HDD can
also be checked by email. In addition to advanced TV and network functions, the
"RD-X5" can also interface with computers via Toshiba's "Net de Monitor"
function, which supports connection to a LAN and monitoring of digital sources
on a PC via Apple Computer, Inc.'s "Quick Time Player."
Toshiba is determined to retain its market
leadership in DVR through continued technology enhancements that advance the
core concept of the "RD" series.
Notes:
*1
For HDD & DVD video recorders as of September 28, 2004
*2 Image and
sound quality are set at 1.4Mbps in manual mode and DD1, respectively
*3 Up to nine hours of continuous recording is possible
* The recorded image cannot be playback with
ordinary DVD players; Images recorded to DVD-R without CPRM are recorded with
DVD Video mode, thus can be playback with the ordinary DVD player.
Source: Toshiba
