Toshiba to Demonstrate HD DVD Player at CEATEC JAPAN 2005

October 3, 2005

Toshiba Corp. today announced that it would demonstrate its prototype HD DVD player at CEATEC JAPAN 2005, Asia's premier international exhibition of high-technology and electronics.

The demonstration will feature HD DVD players hooked up to digital LCD TVs from Toshiba's "Z1000" series, brand new high definition TVs that are all set to debut in the Japanese market in late October. The demo will allow viewers the experience of HD DVD's superior image quality on a large, high-definition screen--and to see the difference HD DVD will bring to home entertainment.

Toshiba will also feature HD DVD discs and notebook PC integrating a slim HD DVD read drive. CEATEC JAPAN 2005 will run from October 4 to 8 at Makuhari Messe.

HD DVD is standardized by the DVD Forum, the international association of some 240 companies, and its physical, file and application formats have been all approved by the Forum.

In addition to a versatility that assures support for many applications, including players, recorders, PCs and automotive devices, HD DVD's main features are:

1) The same disc structure as DVD, two 0.6mm-thick polycarbonate discs bonded back-to-back, makes it much easier for HD DVD to achieve backward compatibility with DVD. It also assures easier manufacturing of discs and hardware devices, resulting in lower manufacturing costs.

2) Robust playability, with no need for a disc cartridge to protect against surface blemishes and fingerprints.

3) The ability to meet all capacity demands. The DVD Forum has approved HD DVD-ROM discs with a data capacity of 30GB, and higher capacities are on the way. High data capacity is achieved by adopting a shorter wavelength blue-violet laser and advanced data processing technologies, assuring the ability to store large capacity data sources including high-definition images.

4) Adoption of iHD technology to deliver enhanced user interactivity on PCs and assures optimization for both AV and PC applications.