Toshiba Ships First U.S. Notebook Computer with HD DVD-R Drive for Complete HD Experience

Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the availability of the Qosmio(R) G45-AV680, a cutting-edge audio-video notebook computer with Dolby(R) surround sound technology and the first U.S. model to feature an HD DVD-R optical drive and full 1080p playback resolution.

IRVINE, Calif. (BusinessWire EON) July 24, 2007 -- Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the availability of the Qosmio^® G45-AV680, a cutting-edge audio-video notebook computer with Dolby^® surround sound technology and the first U.S. model to feature an HD DVD-R optical drive and full 1080p playback resolution.

By adding a writable HD DVD drive, Toshiba once again sets the bar for high definition experiences on the PC. Consumers get a portable home theater for watching their favorite films in stunning 1080p quality or unlocking interactive experiences.

As the first U.S. notebook computer with an HD DVD-R optical drive, the Qosmio notebook provides users with a state-of-the-art multimedia machine that can burn up to 30 GB of data, including home-videos, entire photo albums and music libraries onto a single HD DVD recordable disc. In addition to storage capacity, the HD DVD-R optical drive also plays HD DVD movies at a resolution six times sharper than the DVD format.

“Already Toshiba’s premiere audio-video solution, the new Qosmio is a remarkable step forward in the digital renaissance, in terms of putting high-definition capabilities and creative multimedia tools into people’s hands,” said Mark Simons, vice president and general manager, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. “Whether you want to immortalize a recent European vacation on HD DVD, simply enjoy the perfection of studio-produced high-definition films with stunning Dolby surround sound or listen to music, the Qosmio puts a world of opportunity at our fingertips.”

The enhanced technology of HD DVD provides Qosmio users with a groundbreaking level of interactivity that will change how people watch movies. Features such as in-movie commentary and downloadable internet content will provide layers of valuable options that reach deeper into the moviemaking process, highlighting interesting details concerning real-life set locations, as well as high definition movie trailers and music videos.

A key benefit of using a notebook computer as a conduit for HD DVD playback is the standard 1 gigabit Ethernet and 802.11n¹ wireless² internet connections, which makes it possible to quickly and easily access internet content. New releases, such as Warner’s blockbuster “Blood Diamond,” provide enhanced High Definition content that’s only available through the internet.

“HD DVD is the future of high definition entertainment, and the Qosmio G45 is an example of the incredible opportunities in store for consumers,” said Ken Graffeo, executive vice president of HD strategic marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment, and co-president of the HD DVD Promotional Group. “By adding a writable HD DVD drive, Toshiba once again sets the bar for high definition experiences on the PC. Consumers get a portable home theater for watching their favorite films in stunning 1080p quality or unlocking interactive experiences.”

The Qosmio G45-AV680 sports a striking piano-key white glossy finish, which is starkly contrasted by a silver volume control knob and Qosmio AV Controller. Adding to the effect, each control knob is backlit by a halo of blue light. An impressive machine right out-of-the-box, the Qosmio G45 comes with such high-end features as four Harman Kardon^® Bass Reflex stereo speakers, a built-in subwoofer, a 1 Bit Digital Amplifier and Dolby Home Theater^™ technology. This high-end speaker configuration dramatically enhances the visual experience by delivering a sophisticated suite of audio technologies, such as Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Pro Logic^® II, Dolby Headphone and Dolby Virtual Speaker. As a result users have the freedom and flexibility to enjoy rich surround sound in a variety of playback environments as well as more vivid and engaging experiences from a user’s favorite music, HD movies and games.

Built around a stunning 17-inch diagonal widescreen Ultimate TruBrite^® display, the Qosmio G45 delivers an image resolution of 1080p. While at home, users can connect the Qosmio’s HDMI port to a High Definition TV to expand the functionality of their home entertainment center. Once connected to an HDTV, the Qosmio G45 can deliver a 1080p movie with all of the quality users expect from HD DVD. Additionally the Qosmio includes the TOSHIBA USB HDTV Tuner, an external device for viewing and recording live high definition TV from an antenna, satellite set-top box or cable line.

As the most complete entertainment notebook available, the Qosmio G45 also takes the gaming experience to the next level, through NVIDIA’s GeForce 8600M GT GPU, which empowers gamers to take full advantage of Microsoft’s cutting-edge DirectX 10 graphics technology to deliver modern visual effects. The DirectX 10 enabled NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT graphics card propels next-generation games to new heights of realism by producing realistic textures in hair, facial and body features, while providing a richly detailed environment for an immersive gaming experience.

To download large files, such as movies and television shows in a fraction of the time, while providing greater security, faster internet browsing, and a richer wireless internet experience, the Qosmio G45-AV680 incorporates the draft 802.11n wireless protocol. For users, this new wireless technology delivers transfer speeds up to five times³ faster than the previous 802.11g standard.

To maximize the functionality of the Qosmio and its HD DVD-R drive, the digital lifestyle application Ulead^® DVD MovieFactory^® for TOSHIBA has been included. With this value-added software, Qosmio users can easily import and edit high-definition and standard digital home movie footage to create personal family masterpieces. In turn, the Qosmio G45-AV680 makes it possible to add the finishing professional touch to personal films and home movies that were originally captured using an HD or digital camcorder by burning them onto an HD DVD complete with graphical menus and chapter markers. With this feature, the Qosmio brings HD DVD production capabilities within reach of the video enthusiast.

The Qosmio G45 is available at www.toshibadirect.com, as well as a variety of major consumer electronics and computer stores nationwide in the following configuration:

Qosmio G45-AV680 Unique Specifications (ESUP $3,199.99(4))
-- Genuine Windows Vista(TM) Ultimate (32-bit version)
-- Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T7300(5)
    -- 2.00 GHz, 4MB L2, 800MHz FSB with 64-bit(6)
-- 2048MB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM memory(7)
    -- Maximum capacity 4096MB
-- Intel(R) Turbo Memory
    -- 1024MB
-- 320GB using two Serial-ATA hard disk drives(8)
    -- Primary 160GB + Secondary 160GB
-- HD DVD-R/DVD SuperMulti (+/- double layer) drive (in one optical
   drive) supporting 13 formats
-- Toshiba USB HDTV Tuner (External)
-- 17-inch diagonal widescreen Ultimate TruBrite(R) display
    -- 1920x1200 native resolution (WUXGA)
    -- Supports 1080p content
-- PCI-Express(TM) x16 graphics subsystem, featuring:
    -- NVIDIA(R) GeForce(TM) 8600 GT with 512MB DDR2 discrete graphics
       memory, plus up to 255MB dynamically allocated shared
       graphics(9) memory using NVIDIA(R) TurboCache(TM) technology
-- 1-bit Digital Amplifier
-- Four built-in Harman Kardon(R) Bass Reflex stereo speakers with
   subwoofer
-- Dolby Home Theater(TM)
-- Intel(R) Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n)(1)
-- Toshiba Remote Control
-- Embedded Webcam and microphone
-- Fingerprint reader

The Qosmio G45 series is available with a one-year standard, limited warranty¹⁰, which includes carry-in support at Authorized Service Providers throughout the country; or customers may utilize any of the 4,460 UPS Stores and Mail Boxes Etc. locations nationwide for packaging and delivery of the product to a centralized depot for prompt turnaround service. Customers can also choose to upgrade the notebook’s service plans, including up to four years of extended warranty coverage.

All new Toshiba notebooks are RoHS-compatible11, effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances. Toshiba also offers a computer trade-in and recycling program to reduce environmental impact and promote efficient utilization of resources. All Toshiba computers qualify for free recycling, while non-Toshiba computers and other consumer electronic products can be recycled for a small fee. For more information please visit: www.reuse.toshiba.com.

“More people are using notebook PCs to enjoy entertainment making enhanced audio an essential feature for many PC users,” said Greg Rodehau, Director, PC Business Segment, Dolby Laboratories. "By including Dolby Home Theater and Dolby Sound Room in its Qosmio and select Satellite notebooks, Toshiba is delivering a great entertainment experience to its customers and differentiating its Qosmio and Satellite product lines from other notebooks on the market.”

“A graphics processor is what turns an ordinary gaming and multimedia PC into an elite one,” said Rene Haas, general manager of the notebook GPU business at NVIDIA. “By harnessing the power of the NVIDIA GeForce GPU and PureVideo HD, Toshiba has created an elite, new-generation notebook that supports the latest in digital entertainment including DirectX 10 games and HD HDVD movies. Gamers and movie lovers will be thrilled.”

About Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (TAIS)

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TAIS is comprised of four business units: Digital Products Division, Imaging Systems Division, Storage Device Division, and Telecommunication Systems Division. Together, these divisions provide mobile products and solutions, including industry leading portable computers; projectors; imaging products for the security, medical and manufacturing markets; storage products for automotive, computer and consumer electronics applications; and telephony equipment and associated applications.

TAIS provides sales, marketing and services for its wide range of information products in the United States and Latin America. TAIS is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, which is a global leader in high technology and integrated manufacturing of electrical and electronic components, products and systems, as well as major infrastructure systems. Toshiba has more than 191,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of over US $60 billion (FY2006). For more information on Toshiba’s leading innovations, visit the company’s Web site at www.toshiba.com.

© 2007 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. All product, service and company names are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Information including without limitation product prices, specifications, availability, content of services, and contact information is subject to change without notice.

1. Draft N Performance Disclaimer. The Intel® Wireless Wi-Fi® Link 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n) adapter is based on a draft release version of the IEEE 802.11n specification, also known as “Draft-N”, which may not be compatible with, or support all features (e.g., security) of, certain Wi-Fi® equipment. Based on the theoretical bandwidth maximum enabled by 2x3 Draft N implementations with 2 spatial streams. Actual throughput will vary depending on your specific operating system, hardware and software configurations. Compatible Wireless Access Point required. http://www.intel.com/network/connectivity/resources/doc_library/ tech_brief/316286.pdf.

(Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

2. Wireless. May require purchase of additional software, external hardware, or services. Transmission speeds may vary. See Wireless Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com.

3. 5X Performance Disclaimer. Based on the theoretical bandwidth maximum enabled by 2x3 Draft N implementations with 2 spatial streams. Actual throughput will vary depending on your specific operating system, hardware and software configurations. Compatible Wireless Access Point required. http://www.intel.com/network/connectivity/resources/doc_library/ tech_brief/316286.pdf.

(Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

4. Price. Reseller prices may vary. ESUP means “Estimated Single Unit Price.”

5. Intel Core 2 Duo Processor. Intel^® Dual Core Technology is a new technology designed to deliver improved performance to the notebook PC. Performance or compatibility may vary. For more information on Intel's Core 2 Duo processors, visit: http://www.intel.com/core2duo/.

6. 64-Bit Computing. See 64-Bit Computing Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com.

7. Memory. Memory size may vary. See Memory Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com.

8. Hard Disk Drive Capacity. Hard drive capacity may vary. 1 Gigabyte (GB) means 1000 x 1000 x 1000 = 1,000,000,000 bytes using powers of 10. See Hard Disk Drive Capacity Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com.

9. Graphics. GPU performance may vary. See Graphics Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com.

10. Warranty. The terms and conditions of Toshiba’s standard limited warranty, and extended warranty and service upgrade plans are available at www.warranty.toshiba.com.

11. RoHS This product is compatible with European Union Directive 2002/95/EC. See RoHS legal footnote at www.info.toshiba.com