Toshiba Qosmio G30

One of the main driving factors, in the development of PC products, with regards to the AV experience over the last couple of years, has been the emergence of HD. HD as most of our readers know is used to refer to the 720p and 1080p format, which promise an unparalleled audio/visual experience. While 720p is regarded as being an entry level HD format, it is 1080p which has emerged as the current gold standard. Virtually, all PC manufacturers have started making products that offer 1080p compatibility. These products are sold at a premium, as 1080p is quite stiff in its requirements. To meet these requirements, PC manufacturers have to equip their products with expensive high quality peripherals which drive up the overall cost.

For accommodating the increased A/V capacity of these new standards, the focus is now on the optical media industry. Currently the war for the next-generation media that supports True HD (1080p), has divided the optical disc manufacturers into two camps. On one side, we have Sony with its Blu-Ray format and on the other hand we have HD-DVD, which like Blu-Ray is an industry initiative and has found it own set of backers. Due to this division, products coming out from various manufacturers offer either only Blu-Ray or HD-DVD.

The product that we are reviewing here today is the Toshiba Qosmio G30, which comes equipped with a HD-DVD drive and is Toshiba's current flagship desktop replacement/media center laptop.