Toshiba's going to have to eventually wake up and realize that consumers want to watch actual HD content on their HD displays instead of just upscaled SD, but until that happens we'd better get used to seeing a lot more devices featuring the company's Super Resolution Technology / XDE upscaling tech -- we've already got REGZA HDTVs and the XD-E500 DVD player, and now it's three new Vardia DVRs. The ¥140,000 ($1,339) RD-X8 (pictured) is the top of the line unit with Deep Color HDMI output, a 1TB drive, dual-layer burner, and MPEG-4 / H.264 support, while the ¥100,000 ($956) RD-S503 and ¥80,000 ($765) RD-S303 are 500GB / 320GB models that drop the Deep Color outputs. No word on whether these will make the jump to the States, but without CableCARD slots we doubt they'll be in huge demand.

[Via Electronista]

Is this what you've been waiting for? The ability to record high-definition, HD DVD content to DVDs? Well, have at it boy, Toshiba just announced their new Vardia RD-A301 recorder. It conforms to the HD Rec extension which allows HD DVD format content to be stored on red-laser DVD-R/RW/RAM disks like the RD-RX7 unveiled at CEATEC. That's about 2 hours on a 4.7GB disc. Like the RD-A300, the A301 also features a 300GB hard disk. December, that's when, for about ¥100,000 (about $870) in Japan.

[Via Impress]

It's been nearly a year to the day since Toshiba unleashed a slew of VARDIA updates -- the RD-A600 notwithstanding -- but recently the firm got official with four new combo recorders. Starting things off is the October-bound RD-W301 (¥90,000; $785), which is the only newcomer to record to HDD, DVD and VHS, and it also includes a 300GB drive, HDMI / S-Video / composite outputs and a hybrid TV tuner. The RD-E301 (¥80,000; $698), which is also slated to ship next month, shuns the VHS crowd but maintains the other features already mentioned. As for the RD-S301 (¥90,000; $785), it keeps the 300GB hard drive but doubles the amount of built-in hybrid tuners and tosses in an Ethernet jack for good measure. The flagship RD-S601 ups the ante even more with a DV input, i.LINK connectivity and a 600GB HDD, and should be available for ¥120,000 ($1,047) when it lands alongside the S301 in November.

[Via Impress]

Check it Sony, Toshiba just unleashed a new VARDIA hybrid HD DVD / HDD recorder in Japan. The 600GB RD-A600 and 300GB RD-A300 feature a pair of digital hi-vision HD tuners, Firewire, and HDMI and can write to HD DVD-R and DVD-RAM/R/RW media in addition to their respective hard disks. In fact, the HDD is the only point of divergence between the models. They'll cost a tad more than $199: as much as ¥200,000 (about $1,643) for the RD-A600 model when these start shipping later in the year. Read-on for a few more pics including a shot of the backside ports.

[Via Impress]

Toshiba's introduced a pair of new VARDIA digital video recorders for the Japanese market today, the RD-E300 and RD-W300. Each box packs a fairly substantial 300GB hard drive, DVD burner, digital TV tuner, and HDMI output, with the RD-W300 throwing some VHS action into the mix -- cause nothing shows your rebellious side better than digital content stored on an analog medium. Toshiba's also seen fit to include not one but two remotes with each unit (a full-featured one and a simplified one), no doubt a well-intentioned move on Toshiba's part, but one that's also likely to cause a few bouts of dueling remotes. No word on pricing for either of 'em, but it looks like they should both be available in November.

[Via Akihabara News]