HD DVD & Blu-ray News

Toshiba laptop features newest DVD technology

By Karl W. Hardy

Since Toshiba introduced its Qosmio (pronounced koss-me-oh) line of multimedia laptops in 2004, the company has produced some of the most innovative and feature-packed portable audio-visual powerhouses on the market. The latest model, the Qosmio G35-AV650, is the first notebook to incorporate a high-definition DVD (HD DVD) drive.

The Qosmio's wealth of features doesn't come cheap: The G35-AV650, which is powered by a 2GHz Intel Core Duo T2500 processor, retails for $2,999.99. And at 16 inches wide, 11.6 inches deep, about 2 inches thick and weighing more than 10 pounds, it might be a stretch to call this computer portable. When you add the chunky power brick, the system tops 11 pounds. And you will need the power brick if you take the laptop anywhere because the battery only lasts about two hours. Even with the optional extended battery, don't expect more than about two and a half hours of power. But many users may keep this multimedia mammoth plugged in on their desks or in an A/V rack anyway.

The system is equipped with 1 gigabyte of memory, but unfortunately, that memory is in the form of two 512-megabyte modules, which take up both memory slots. If you want to add memory, you will have to take out one or both of the modules.

The first thing you notice about the Qosmio when you take it out of the box is how big and heavy it is. But once you lift the smooth silver lid to the reveal the slick black interior, and press the power button above the keyboard, your attention will instantly be drawn to the gorgeous screen.

The 17-inch widescreen is incredibly sharp and bright, thanks to its twin lamps and its 1,900-by-1,200 pixels of resolution. Unlike some laptop screens, this one can be seen clearly from just about any angle. The screen is driven by nVidia's GeForce Go 7600 chip with 256 megabytes of memory, all the better to watch high-definition TV and movies. The laptop even provides a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port at the back so you can connect it to a 1080p HDTV. Unfortunately, Toshiba does not include an HDMI cable, which could set you back $50 or more. A coaxial adapter cable and a composite audio/video adapter cable, however, are included.

There aren't many HD DVD movies on the market yet, but the difference between them and regular DVDs is readily apparent. The Qosmio reveals the sharper images and crisper sound of the new DVD format.

Two Harman/Kardon Bass Reflex stereo speakers, which use a 1-bit digital amplifier and Dolby Home Theater digital audio enhancements, sit at the top corners of the G35-AV650's keyboard. They crank out excellent sound, which can be adjusted even with the lid closed using the volume control dial on the right side of the keyboard. The dial, however, would be more useful if it had a directional arrow and volume setting numbers.

Between the speakers at the top of the keyboard is the system control panel, which includes buttons for power, the built-in TV tuner, the CD/DVD player and screen brightness. You can use the controls to listen to music CDs and watch DVD movies and TV without launching the computer's Microsoft Windows XP Media Center operating system. The system also comes with a remote and infrared controller, which can also operate the multimedia features without booting the operating system.

Among the most impressive multimedia features are the built-in TV tuner and the system's digital video recorder functionality. You can watch TV from a cable or satellite feed and use the Qosmio's twin 100-gigabyte hard drives to record and pause live TV like a DVR. With the Dolby audio enhancements, the Qosmio can be used in a surround sound home theater system with multiple external stereo speakers. Unfortunately, the system does not include software that makes it easy to copy programs you've recorded from the hard drive to DVDs. And the HD DVD drive will read, but not write high-definition content.

The front edge of the Qosmio features the HD DVD-ROM/DVD multiburner on the left, an internal microphone, the display latch, an infrared sensor, a wireless antenna switch, and, on the right, lighted system indicators.

The left side of laptop has two USB ports, a digital media card slot, an ExpressCard slot, a PC Card slot, a FireWire port, a microphone jack, a headphone jack, and an S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) jack for high-end digital audio.

The back of the Qosmio offers connectors for a coaxial antenna and the AC power cord, heat vents, an Ethernet port, two USB ports, a VGA monitor port, the HDMI port and an S-Video out port. The laptop includes both Bluetooth and 802.11g wireless connectivity.

The Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV650 is a powerful multimedia laptop filled with good components. It will make a welcome addition to your media center or can even serve as its centerpiece.