Toshiba announced a new home media server with five terabytes of storage on Monday: It has enough capacity to store 15 days of digital TV broadcasts from six channels.
The company pitched its new Regza Server as the core of a bevy of recently announced products that play back video, including a 55-inch 3D TV that doesn't require glasses, two new ultra-thin tablets, and an ultrabook laptop, as well as its smartphones. Toshiba combined its TV and computing divisions earlier this year in a nod to the eroding boundaries between the two
The server will stream content to devices throughout the home, allowing viewers to pause and switch devices as they move into different rooms, the company said in a presentation at this year's Ceatec electronics show in Japan, where many Japanese manufacturers display their latest electronics.
Connecting tablets and TVs so they can share content is important, but connectivity to regional cloud-based services is also crucial, meaning some products will be limited to certain geographic markets, said Masaaki Osumi, head of Toshiba's digital products division.
The Regza Server shown at Ceatec is intended only for the Japanese market.
"It's a bit hard to imagine this Regza Server as being sold globally. But on a regional basis, there is a natural need for TVs that have server functionality. So in Europe, or some parts of China, we want to create TVs that can act as servers," he said.
The company also officially announced its TV, tablet and ultrabook products for launch in Japan, though it had previously done so for the European and U.S. markets. Ultrabooks are a lightweight, super-thin offspring of laptop computers being pushed by Intel and electronics manufacturers, the model for which is Apple's successful Macbook Air line.
Toshiba's new recorder, called the DBR-M190 in Japan, can achieve the 15 days of storage on a low-quality image mode, and will also be available in lower-capacity models. Toshiba said the projected price is 200,000 yen (US$2,600).
The Ceatec show, at Makuhari Messe in Tokyo, runs though Oct. 8.