But despite this undeniable fact, Toshiba, the company who pioneered HD DVD technology, maintained its position to market the said technology. Only recently, in Singapore, Toshiba launched their new Satellite A200 notebook series - the first mainstream notebook to carry HD DVD-ROM drives at an affordable price.

And just last week, they have announced that the new Satellite A200 notebooks is now available here in the Philippines. Local consumers can now own a laptop with an HD DVD ROM that they can share and enjoy anytime and anywhere.

"Everybody knows that whenever you use a technology like HD DVD, content is one, if not the most, important factor," said Lim Kim Meng, Country Manager, Toshiba Singapore, Ltd. "If you don’t have content, you cannot enjoy it. So, we intend to bundle content along with it as long as there is available media and with the consent of the local censorship.

"Our positioning for this model now is not because of the price but on the technology. We are trying to push the envelope hoping that eventually consumers will understand that Toshiba is all about innovation."

The new Satellite A200 notebook carries a 15.4-inch WXGA TFT Clear SuperView display and built-in Harmon/Kardon speakers. You can’t help but wonder how they were able to include two hard drives (giving you up to 400GB of storage space), an integrated 1.3-Megapixel digital camera, fingerprint reader, and of course, the HD DVD ROM drive while keeping the total weight of the notebook at about 2.72 kilograms.

"On the mainstream market, there is the notion that having a desktop PC is still better. But to those who have embraced notebook PCs, like the Satellite A200, Toshiba gives you additional option to enjoy HD DVD movies anywhere you go. Having HD DVD playback on a notebook means that you carry entertainment with you," said Melvin Seah, Assistant Manager - Product Marketing, Toshiba Singapore, Ltd. "Many of our competitors have adopted HD DVD drives on their own systems also. This is proof of recognition of Toshiba’s innovation and we welcome them; there’s no issue about it because our notebooks are built differently from their own."

Despite having a large viewing display, the Satellite A200’s HD DVD playback feature can be shared to a broader audience when connected to an HDTV or HD Projector via HDMI connection.

According to our friends from Toshiba and Tricom Dynamics, Inc. - the exclusive distributor of Toshiba products in the Phlippines - they see HD DVD as the next multimedia format to take over, as many studios like Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures are backing up the technology.

"Yes, offering the Satellite A200 with HD DVD technology at this very moment is risky. But at the same time it isn’t because the price of the notebook is only 8 to 10 percent higher than that of a laptop of the same level but without an HD-DVD drive," said Vicente Tantuico, Jr., Executive Vice President and COO of Tricom Dynamics, Inc..

"And most people are willing to shell out an additional 10 percent in order to afford a future proof mobile PC. Also, with more movie studios entering the HD DVD arena, more titles will soon become available in the market."

With the Satellite A200, consumers are prepared for the next level of entertainment because it simply looks better, sounds better, and works better. "We say that it’s future proof in the sense that this notebook will surely last longer compared to others because of the HD DVD technology," he said. "It is not yet widely spread in the Philippine market and yet we are offering it to the mainstream market. I would think that the Satellite A200 would last two or three years without any problem compared to notebooks with DVD Super-Multi drive specifications."