Toshiba Corporation today released what is said to be the world's first digital hard disk video recorder integrating a recordable HD DVD in combination with a 1-terabyte (TB) hard disk. Toshiba is the main manufacturer to back HD DVD format against the supremacy of Blu-ray, a format supported by another market leader - Sony.


The RD-A1 is the first video recorder to support recording and playback of content in the HD DVD format, the next generation of DVD format defined and approved by the DVD Forum.

Because of its high capacity hard disk, the new RD-A1 can record and store up to 130 hours of high-definition (HD) broadcasts on and record up to 230 minutes of HD content to a single HD DVD disc.

Furthermore, Toshiba's latest product delivers a wide range of advanced features made possible, according to the manufacturer, by the flexibility of HD DVD, including optimized navigation and menu displays.

RD-A1 is also said to support 1080p output via HDMI, enabling users to view "full HD" progressive scan video signals. Up-conversion of standard DVD to 1080p resolution output enhances the features of current DVD software and recorded programs.

In addition to HD DVD, the RD-A1 also supports playback and recording to conventional DVD-RAM/-RW/-R discs, and easy transfer of DVD disc content to higher capacity HD DVD discs.

The RD-A1 combines support for recording of full HD broadcasts with high capacity recording to HD DVD-R discs - up to 115 minutes of HD content to a 15-gigabyte (GB) single-layer HD DVD-R disc, and up to 230 minutes to a 30GB dual-layer HD DVD-R disc, enabling viewers to make HD DVD-R archives of their favorite TV programs or movies. The most interesting feature of Toshiba's latest product is the fact that it can record simultaneously to the hard disk two TV programs, one digital HD and one analog.