It begins. Until now, the battle between the two high-definition DVD standards (HD-DVD and Blu-ray) has remained mainly in the realm of hyperbole and backroom corporate deals. But now the battlefield has moved to our living rooms. Or, in the case of the Toshiba Qosmio G30, our laps.

The G30 is the first Toshiba product with its new HD-DVD drive, which can handle discs of up to 30 GB. This is enough to store a high-definition movie with room to spare.

The Qosmio is unique not only for its HD-DVD abilities. The Qosmio range is possibly the most impressively featured multimedia notebook on the market. From its brand-spanking Intel Core Duo processor, huge 17-inch (43.2-cm) widescreen display, high-definition digital T.V. tuner and dual 100 GB drives, it packs enough hardware to make a handyman blush.