The early bird will get the DVD worm

Major portable manufacturer Toshiba is set to produce a digital video disk (DVD) drive ahead of the opposition, as laggards IBM and Compaq fail to keep up with the chief player in the market.

As 12-speed drives come on stream in June, Toshiba will try to divide the opposition by introducing a DVD early to market.

This reflects the company's position as a major player in the multimedia market, backed by its close relationships with both Sony and Disney.

The DVD drive, expected to emerge in July, is likely to subvert other manufacturers including Matsushita and Goldstar, according to sources close to the company.

Toshiba will attempt to launch its DVD four months ahead of the opposition and will price it far below other players in the market.

At a price likely to be around the u400 mark, Toshiba is set to undercut other serious players which will try to ensure they have a stake in the game at twice the price.

Sources at Toshiba told PC Dealer that the company was keeping its strategy close to its chest in advance of an autumn roll-out.

But before then the company, and some other major vendors, will roll out their slim-line offerings using new hard drive technology.