Toshiba to add HD DVD drive to every laptop

Toshiba has announced plans to make HD DVD drives standard on all of its laptops from 2008.

This is a bold move by Toshiba to help boost the HD DVD disc format against its rival, the Sony-led Blu-ray.

To date, Blu-ray has been winning the media war and the Blu-ray enabled PS3 console has helped the format create an instant, potential customer base with more than five million units around the world.

The announcement was made by Toshiba's senior vice president, Hisatsugu Nonaka, who said:
“The demand is there; people want to watch their favorite movies in high-definition on the road.”

According to IDC, Toshiba sold 9.2 million laptops in 2006. By equipping all laptops with a HD DVD drive, Toshiba is hoping that it can mimic the success of the PS3/Blu-ray combination in the portable marketplace.

However, Toshiba will have to tightly control costs since the addition of the Blu-ray drive to the PS3 is the key reason for why it costs so much and has been suffering from sluggish sales.

Toshiba’s ambitious announcement come just days after it showcased the first re-writeable HD DVD drive for laptops.