Toshiba Debuts HD DVD Writer, Backup Drives

By Geoff Duncan January 5, 2007

Toshiba Debuts HD DVD Writer, Backup Drives

No sooner does La Cie announce a Blu-ray disc burner for computers than the primogenitor of the HD DVD formatToshiba decides its dear HD DVD format can’t be seen as lagging. So, Toshiba has announced (PDF) its SD-H903A HD DVD burner for PCs.

The standard-height SATA units will be able to both read and writer HD DVD media, as well as standard DVD and CD discs. Unfortunately, the burn time for single-layer or dual-layer HD DVD media is a pokey 1× so anyone looking to back up their video or data to HD DVD discs had better be patient or very good with their scheduling. The SD-H903A writes DVD and CDs at slightly more contemporary speeds—8× for most DVD formats (4× for DVD-RW, 2.4× for DVD±R DL, and 3× for DVD-RAM), while CDs top out at 10× and 16×—but the unit isn’t going to be pushing any bandwidth barriers. Nonetheless, it is the first dedicated HD DVD write-capable drive for desktop PCs, and it’s a start. No pricing information is available, but sample shipments to manufacturers should start later this month.

In the meantime, Toshiba has also decided to enter the personal storage market with a series of 2.5-inch, USB 2.0 external hard drives in 100, 120, and 160 GB capacities (PDF). The drives are powered via USB—no separate AC adapter—and are bundled with the NTI Shadow backup software which autmatically runs in the background, automatically saving updated files to the external drive. (Shadow is available for both Mac OS X and Windows; no word on whether both versions will ship with Toshiba’s drives, but the drive specs claim Mac OS X compatibility.) The drives sport black aluminum cases, a blue power indicator light, and measure 5.6 inches long 3.5 inches across, and less than one inch tall. Expect the drives to reach market during the first quarter of 2007 with prices starting at $139.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Computing

Dell’s XPS 13 for $599 deal is back, and who knows for how long

The Dell XPS 13 in front of a window.

Dell almost always has great laptop deals and for a little while now, it’s been selling an older model of the Dell XPS 13 for just $599. That deal continues today but we’re really not sure how long it’s going to stick around for. It feels like it must be ending very soon. The laptop usually costs $799 so you’re saving $200 but overall, this is a fantastic deal for the hardware involved. If you’re keen to learn more before the deal ends, keep reading.

Why you should buy the Dell XPS 13
Dell is one of the best laptop brands out there so you simply can’t go wrong with purchasing from it. With this model, you get a 12th-generation Intel Core i5-1230U processor along with 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage. There’s also a 13.4-inch full HD+ screen with 1920 x 1200 resolution, 500 nits of brightness, and anti-glare properties. That’s fairly standard stuff at this price but it’s the build quality of the Dell XPS 13 which makes it stand out so much.

Computing

M4 vs. M3: How much better are Apple’s latest chips?

An official rendering of the Apple M4 chip.

Apple has announced the M4 chip, its successor to the M3 that’s currently found in a bunch of Macs and iPads. The M3 is an excellent chip and a real leap above the M2 that came before it, so the question is whether the M4 can manage a similar feat.

Right now, the M4 is only in the iPad Pro, and that means information about how good it is and what it does is rather limited. But if you’re interested in finding out more, you’re in luck, as we’ve gathered up everything we know about Apple’s M4 chip and compared it side by side with the M3. If you want to learn more about Apple’s next chip -- and how it compares to the M3 -- read on.
Where can you find these chips?

Computing

iMac deals: New, renewed and refurbished iMac computers

Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display review close

If you're in the Apple ecosystem and need a desktop computer rather than something like a MacBook, then you'll want to go for the Apple iMac, which is one of the best all-in-one computers on the market. There are quite a few screen sizes and specs to pick from, and if you're willing to go for a renewed option, you can get some older yet still powerful iMacs for a great price with desktop deals. Even if you aren't, there are still some great Apple deals you can take advantage of to save yourself some money, which is why we went out and scoured the internet for the best deals we could find. If you need something portable, check out MacBook deals. For extra savings, check out refurbished MacBook deals.
Apple 21.5-inch iMac (2018) Renewed -- $409, was $460

Even cheaper than any of the MacBook deals going on, this Apple 21.5-inch iMac (2018) might be a few years old but it offers plenty of juice for the price. That's the beauty behind many iMacs -- they last a long time thanks to offering reliable hardware and the benefits of MacOS, which tends to mean they stay fast for awhile. In the case of the 2018 21.5-inch iMac, you get a 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 processor paired up with 16GB of memory which is a great set of specs for ensuring you can get plenty of work done.