Toshiba Gigashot GSC-DW1 HD DVD Burner – It’s HD, it’s DVD (It’s Just Not HD-DVD)

Few would argue that Toshiba’s newly announced Gigashot GSC-DW1 HD DVD Writer was probably intended from the outset to be a HD-DVD device but, with the HD format war now over, the Gigashot GSC-DW1 is to be made available with standard DVD HD format burning capabilities – it’s HD, its DVD but HD DVD it’s not.

Aimed squarely as an accessory to Toshiba’s range of Gigashot A/K series of HD cameras, Tobhiba’s GSC-DW1 HD DVD burner will allow for the burning of HD footage via a USB 2.0 connection to single layer DVD-R discs which, when you consider that this equates to a mere 35 minutes of footage in true, top notch HD, makes the device of somewhat limited appeal. If fact, in all honesty, and with all due respect to Toshiba (who are still no doubt licking their wounds following the failure of their HD-DVD format), we really cannot quite fathom who this device would actually appeal to.

Still, it looks nice – which is a bonus.

Sporting HDMI output, at least the GSC-DW1 will play ball with HDTV units though we suggest this will not be enough to save this drive from immediate obscurity when it’s released to the Japanese market later this month for around $170.

[via]