Toshiba launches world's 1st HD DVD player in Japan

Toshiba launches world's 1st HD DVD player in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Yoshihide Fujii, senior vice president of Toshiba Corp., briefs reporters on sales of the world's first commercially available next-generation DVD player in Tokyo on March 31. The HD-XA1 player, based on the HD DVD format, was put on sale in Japan for about 110,000 yen (about $936).

Toshiba to launch multi-drive DVD recorder in mid-July

Toshiba to launch multi-drive DVD recorder in mid-July

TOKYO, Japan - Toshiba Corp. said on June 16 that it will launch a new multi-drive DVD recorder that complies with the DVD-RAM, DVD-RW and DVD-R formats in the domestic market in mid-July, making it the world's first company to launch such a model. The new RD-XS31 model (photo), which Toshiba expects will be sold at about 110,000 yen under the open-pricing formula, incorporates an 80-gigabyte (GB) hard disk drive with a recording capacity of up to 104 hours.

Japan to give some $620,000 for conservation project in China

Japan to give some $620,000 for conservation project in China

TOKYO, Japan - Japan decided Nov. 9, 2001 to give $623,798 to the first phase of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Longmen grottoes (undated file photo) conservation project to help preserve the sculptures carved in cave walls over a millennium ago in China. The more than 2,000 grottoes, located in Henan Province, contain about 110,000 Buddhist sculptures over a period of 400 years from the late period of the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty (493-907).

World's most expensive wedding garment on display

World's most expensive wedding garment on display

OSAKA, Japan - What is claimed to be the world's most expensive wedding ''uchikake'' (garment worn over a bride's kimono) is put on display at an Osaka department store Nov. 2. It took veteran dyer Tomitaka Miyamoto took three years to finish the garment that contains about 110,000 pearls and gold leaf in abundance. The department store assessed its price at 800 million yen.