Toshiba delays DVD recorder launch

TOKYO - Toshiba said today it is delaying the launch of the world's first high-definition optical disc recorder based on the HD DVD format until the end of the month as it has not built up enough pre-launch inventory.

Slower procurement of some recorder components than expected has led to inadequate inventory, but Toshiba has encountered no long-lasting problems such as a bug in software or a glitch in production processes, a company spokesman said.

Toshiba, Japan's second-largest electronics conglomerate after Hitachi Ltd, said last month it would launch the first HD DVD recorder on July 14 in Japan. It now plans to release the product on July 27. Toshiba has no plans at the moment to ship the new machine, RD-A1, overseas.

The Tokyo-based company expects the new recorder, equipped with a 1 terabyte hard disk capable of storing up to 130 hours of high-definition terrestrial digital broadcasting programmes, to sell for 398,000 yen ($5682).

Toshiba is a leading proponent of next-generation HD DVD optical disc technology, which competes with the Blu-ray standard promoted by Sony Corp and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd., the maker of Panasonic-brand electronics.

Sony has been offering Blu-ray-based recorders since 2003, although Toshiba beat the Blu-ray camp in the launch of next-generation optical disc players by rolling out its HD DVD player in March.

Shares in Toshiba closed down 2.1 per cent at 708 yen, in line with the Tokyo stock market's electrical machinery index.

- REUTERS