Toshiba today announced the world's first slim HD DVD drive for notebook PCs that can read and write to HD DVD, standard DVD and CD discs. Sample shipments of the new drive, SD-L902A, are scheduled to start by the end of this year.

SD-L902A integrates a blue-violet laser diode that can read and write to HD DVD-R discs and that offers support for high-density HD DVD-ROM discs, including high definition movie and video images. The drive also offers the functionality of a super multi-drive, with high-speed read and write to all flavors of standard DVD and CD discs.

At only 12.7 millimeters in height, SD-L902A meets the stringent space specifications for slim drives integrated into highly portable notebook PCs. This is due in part to HD DVD discs having the physical structure as standard DVD, allowing use of an optical pick-up head with only a single objective lens. The result is a space-saving solution, and a drive able to read and write to HD DVD-R discs, to read HD DVD-ROM discs, and to read and write to standard DVD and CD discs.

SD-L902A uses a single objective lens system for both the HD DVD and DVD formats and offers 1x HD DVD-R writing for single layer and double layer HD DVD-Rs, 3x for DVD-RAM, 2x/2.4x for DVD±R DL 4x for DVD±R SL, 4x for DVD±RW, 16x for CD-R and 10x for CD-RW. Reading capabilities of the drive include HD DVD SL/DL, HD DVD-ROM, DVD, and CD.

Toshiba will demonstrate the new drive at CEATEC JAPAN 2006, at Makuhari Messe from October 3 to 7. Look for the drive at the Toshiba booth (1A09) and the HD DVD Promotion Group booth (1A06).

Toshiba will continue to develop HD DVD drives and contribute to market penetration of the HD DVD format.