HDTV Television

Toshiba Corp. said it will start selling the world’s first recorders for the HD DVD disc next month.

The new recorder, the RD-A1, combines an HD DVD burner with a one-terabyte hard disk and can record and store up to 130 hours of high-definition broadcasts, Toshiba said in a statement.

HD DVD players are already available, but the RD-A1 will be the first model that can record disks.

The recorder hits stores in Japan on July 14 and will carry a suggested price tag of 398,000 yen ($3,470), Toshiba said.

The electronics maker hopes to sell 10,000 recorders by the end of 2006, according to company spokeswoman Junko Furuta.

???We are confident that the new HD DVD recorder will meet the market demands for the ability to record digital broadcasts in high definition and is built with high-end specifications with an emphasis on convenience and ease-of-use,??? Toshiba marketing VP Jodi Sally said. ???It has the same playback functions as the HD DVD players we have already shipped.???

The move intensifies competition with the HD DVD format’s rival camp, led by Sony Corp. (SNE), which will sell players based on a competing standard, Blu-ray Disc.

Sony has been selling Blu-ray recorders since 2003 in Japan, but prices have been high and uptake low.