The rest of the system isn't bad either: DVI output for driving a second monitor at 1,920 by 1,200 pixels, support for up to 4 GB of RAM, gigabit Ethernet, four USB 2.0 ports, and FireWire port, Dolby Surround Sound with four speakers, 7.1 192 KHz/32-bit audio, 7-in-1 card reader, an 8× dual-layer DVD burner, and an Express Card slot. 1 Beyond will fit out the system with WIndows XP or Vista, and Adobe Creative Suite 3, Avid Express Pro with Mojo, and Grass Valley Edius are available as bundled software.

Of course, the GoFlex317 is intended for on-the-go high-definition video production and post-production work, not LAN parties, and carries a starting price tag in line with those purposes. Of course, the company might Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme versions for a slightly lower price. Might be worth asking.

And if the GoFlex317 doesn't satisfy serious notebook fans…1 Beyond also makes military grade ruggedized notebooks.

Key features of the GoFlex317 HD:

Disk performance and reliability:

• Three SATA2 100 or 200 GB 7200rpm internal drives
• Performance of >60 MB/sec at RAID 5
• RAID 0/1/5 support

High system performance:

• Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4Ghz/ E6700 2.66Ghz or Core 2 Extreme Edition X6800 2.93Ghz CPU, 1066MHz FSB
• Up to 4 GB Memory
• PCI-Express buss
• Real time HD video editing with Effects

Superior Graphics:

• Latest NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX, 512MB, PCI-Express
• 17” 1920 X 1200 resolution polished LCD
• DVI connection for 2nd and 3rd monitor

Additional features:

• 8x DVD burner dual layer drive (Blu-Ray optional)
• High Definition audio, 8 channels 192 kHz/32-bit quality
• Dolby Surround Sound, S/PDIF, 4 speakers
• Built-in digital video camera and microphone
• Gigabit LAN, Wi-Fi A/G/N, Bluetooth, Infrared
• Express card slot
• Built-n 7-in-1 Card reader: MS, MMC, SD
• IEEE 1394 Firewire port, 4 USB 2.0
• Full size keyboard with separate numeric keypad

Toshiba this week announced that it is to launch its first notebook PC with built-in rewritable HD DVD drive.

The Qosmio Series 2 will initially launch in Japan, where arguably they can put it to much more use that us lowly high-definition-catcher-uppers in the West.

The notebook will feature either the 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo T7500 or 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7250 processor, 15.4 or 17 inch display offering 1,280x800 or 1,920x1,200 resolution respectively, plus 2GB of RAM, up to 400GB hard drive, TV tuners, and battery life of over three hours. Pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Ultimate (with Premium and Business capabilities)

Taking their place as a decent portable entertainment device, these notebooks can receive two TV channels at once, and record high definition content to standard DVDs, albeit in small amounts, thanks to HD Rec technology.

For those who've been in a cave for the last couple of years, Toshiba are probably one of the biggest fans of HD DVD (having developed it), and this notebook adds to their portfolio of devices which can read and write the high definition disc format.

They'll cost from $2,600 to $3,500, but no word on if and when they'll be arriving over here.

Source: TechDigest.tv