Toshiba Corporation today announced the launch of the “RD-X5,” the flagship model of the company’s “RD Style” range of digital video recorders (DVR) incorporating a hard disc drive (HDD) and DVD video recorder. As Toshiba’s latest addition to a market that the company created and still defines, the new recorder achieves various industry firsts, including a 600GB HDD, the largest capacity in the market*1, and can record up to 1,071 hours of video images*2*3.

The new DVR also pioneers recording of copy-once content generated by Content Protection for Recordable Media (CPRM), a standard increasingly used in digital broadcasting. The “RD-X5” offers viewers the ability to save copy-once content to a Toshiba-developed dedicated DVD-R that records in the DVD VR format.

The “RD-X5” will be launched in the Japanese market at the end of November 2004.

“We are very proud of the “RD-X5” and believe it defines new benchmarks for DVR technology and performance,” said Teruo Kiriyama, Vice President of Toshiba’s Digital AV Division, Digital Media Network Company.” Toshiba led the market in integrating a HDD with a DVD video recorder in April 2001, when we launched “RD-2000” and introduced the “RD” series concept—the freedom to record to HDD, edit recorded images and save selected programs on DVD. Today, 70% of new DVD recorders integrate a HDD.”

Since that initial product launch, Toshiba has continued to promote advances in the “RD” series, focusing on the user interface and advanced functions that improve the viewing experience. Development of the “RD-X5” centered on achieving a DVR offering improved image quality, greater versatility and improved overall performance. The result is a long list of innovations.

Integration of dual MPEG-2 encoders and terrestrial analog broadcasting tuners with a ghost reduction function allow recording of two programs at the same time.

An integrated DVD Multi Drive can record to DVD-RAM, DVD-RW and DVD-R, at fast writing speeds of 5x, 4x and 8x, respectively. The “RD-X5” is also the first to DVR to support CPRM and 8x writing of copy-once programming to the DVD VR format.

Digital broadcasting in Japan, including the terrestrial broadcasts that began in December 2003, BS, CS110o and “SKY Perfect TV!” digital broadcasts, increasingly use CPRM to protect content. CPRM scrambles broadcast programs and allows copy-once recording only to DVD-R or RW discs formatted for Video Recording (VR). Saving content to DVD VR requires both a VR compatible disc and digital video recorder (DVR). Alongside the launch of the “RD-X5,” Toshiba will commercialize a DVD-R disc supporting CPRM. The disc will be available for purchase at the company’s online shopping site, from the beginning of November 2004.

In addition to recording copy-once content, the DVD-VR format allows recording of bilingual sound tracks for recorded programs, when available, for both analog and digital broadcasts, a capability not supported by conventional recording to DVD-R. Before a recording is finalized, users are also free to write data to the disc management area. This allows checking of edited content by frame and rewriting of program titles, chapters and thumbnails.

Along with the flagship “RD-X5,” Toshiba will also introduce the “RD-XS24,” which offers an 80GB HDD capacity in the world’s slimmest DVR. At only 58mm high, the slim-line “RD-XS24” minimizes the space needed for a DVR, but still integrates a DVD Multi Drive and is equipped with LAN capabilities allowing users to set program recording schedules by email. Unlike “RD-X5,” “RD-XS24”’s DVD Multi Drive only recording to DVD-R in the DVD VIDEO format.

For both the “RD-X5” and “RD-XS24,” program selection and recording is simplified by DEPG™, Toshiba’s proprietary advanced electronic program guide, which supports a folder function for editing and managing recorded programs. DEPG™ offers the WEPG™ function for receiving program information both from the Internet and terrestrial analog broadcast, allowing users to receive not only program information of terrestrial and BS analog broadcasts, but also for CATV and BS digital broadcasts, including “SKY Perfect TV!.”

“RD-X5” also offers an advanced folder function that allows recorded programs to be classified by genre or by the name of the person who made the recording, a feature facilitating faster, quicker searches of recorded programs.

Both the “RD-X5” and “RD-XS24” provide an extensive menu of network navigation functions that simplify operation of network capabilities. These include remote scheduling of program recording by email, using a PC to edit titles and to add JPEG images to a DVD-R menu, and dubbing recorded content to other DVR without image deterioration.

“RD-X5” also offers enhanced functionality. It allows program recording to be given a unique name that, when used in an e-mail sent to the “RD-X5,” automatically programs the DVR to record the program. Lists of such names can be sent in a single e-mail. The remaining capacity of HDD can also be checked by email. In addition to advanced TV and network functions, the “RD-X5” can also interface with computers via Toshiba’s “Net de Monitor” function, which supports connection to a LAN and monitoring of digital sources on a PC via Apple Computer, Inc.’s “Quick Time Player.”

Toshiba is determined to retain its market leadership in DVR through continued technology enhancements that advance the core concept of the “RD” series.