CES: Toshiba Surprises with 50GB HD DVD

In yet another unexpected announcement to come out of the Consumer Electronics Show, Toshiba has reportedly developed a new 50GB HD DVD disc format -- the world's first.

The news first broke during yesterday's press event held by the HD DVD Promotions Group, and though tech details were few and far between, the news could dramatically change the competitive landscape of the high-def format wars.

A 50GB HD DVD would up the format's maximum dual-layer storage capacity by a cool 20GB, but more importantly, it would close the gap between HD DVD and Blu-ray. Blu-ray currently supports 50GB discs, which so far has been one of the primary tech advantages it holds over its rival.

We should stress that no working prototype of the format was previewed, but given the flurry of next-gen news that's already hit in the hours before the event officially kicks off later this morning, the best may be yet to come.

Stay tuned...