SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers in San Antonio, TX may not know it, but they will soon become the first to experience a special technology breakthrough. Together with Bjorn's flagship store in San Antonio, Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. will demonstrate the next generation of DVD products - HD DVD, also known as high definition DVD. Toshiba's HD DVD player will be displayed and demonstrated for the first time to consumers anywhere at a retail location in the United States. Demonstrations will take place at 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM and 6:30 PM.

"This is an extremely exciting event for Toshiba and Bjorn's," commented Bjorn Dybdahl of Bjorn's Audio Video. "Being able to show consumers the tremendous potential of HD DVD and to see their reactions is something we have been looking forward to."

This is the first in a series of retail demonstrations around the country that will allow consumers to experience HD DVD's superior image quality on a large, Toshiba 1080p high-definition projection TV using Texas Instruments Digital Light Processing(TM) technology, and to see the difference HD DVD will bring to home entertainment. In addition to video and audio advantages, HD DVD introduces a new level of home entertainment that allows consumers to get additional convenience, interactivity and technology features at the touch of a button.

"HD DVD is real and we are very excited to be displaying it at retail," said Jodi Sally, Vice President of Marketing, Toshiba America Consumer Products Digital A/V Group. "With the increased sales of high-definition televisions, consumers increasingly want HD content in a packaged format for their displays and HD DVD naturally fits in with this trend."

Features of HD DVD
HD DVD is standardized by the DVD Forum, the international association of some 240 companies, and its physical, file and application formats have been all approved by the Forum.

In addition to a versatility that supports many applications, including players, recorders, PCs and automotive devices, HD DVD's main features are:

1) The same disc structure as DVD, two 0.6mm-thick polycarbonate discs bonded back-to-back, makes it easy for HD DVD to achieve backward compatibility with DVD. It also allows for more cost efficient manufacturing of discs and hardware devices.
2) Robust playability, with no need for a disc cartridge to protect against surface blemishes and fingerprints.
3) The ability to meet all capacity demands. HD DVD-ROM discs achieve a capacity of up to 45 gigabytes. High data capacity is achieved by adopting a shorter wavelength blue-violet laser and advanced data processing technologies, offering the ability to store large capacity data sources including high-definition images.
4) Adoption of iHD technology to deliver enhanced user interactivity on PCs and allowing optimization for both AV and PC applications.

For more information on the HD DVD Promotion Group please visit:
http://www.hddvdprg.com/

About Toshiba
Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is a limited liability company, owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, a world leader in high technology products with subsidiaries worldwide. Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is a pioneer in DVD and DVD Recorder technology and a leading manufacturer of a full line of home entertainment products, including flat panel TV, rear and front projection and direct view televisions, combination products and portable devices. Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey with production facilities in Lebanon, Tennessee. For additional information please visit http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/.

About Bjorn's
Bjorn's Audio Video is a specialty audio/video retailer specializing in HDTVs, home theater, and in-home installation. Bjorn's has been in San Antonio Texas since 1975 and is known for introducing and educating consumers on new technologies. For additional information please visit http://www.bjorns.com/.

Digital Light Processing and DLP are trademarks of Texas Instruments.