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Toshiba really pulled this one outta nowhere a few minutes ago when it announced that it has an HD DVD recorder ready to go on sale in three weeks AND that it includes a 1 Terabyte hard drive.

We knew the HD DVD recorder was imminent but that jumbo HDD’s a bit of a surprise, as is the price: ¥400,000, which is about US$3,500. Mind you, take a look at what’s inside the RD-A1 and you might feel inclined to shell out for one.

First up, a single-layer HD DVD-R can hold 115 minutes of 1080 broadcasts, while a dual layer manages double that. Next, the hard drive can store up to 130 hours of high-def programming.

Then there’s the construction. Toshiba has designed the RD-A1 to minimize vibration and enhance audio. The body consists of a 1mm-thick main case and a metal subframe resting on aluminum damping pillars.

Output of 1080p via HDMI is also supported, as is upconversion of standard DVD signals to 1080p, although we’re yet to be convinced by that. Speaking of the older format, the RD-A1 also reads and writes to DVD-RAM/-RW/-R discs.

As for software, there’s a new version of Toshiba’s RD Engine HD that allows for frame-by-frame editing of HD content and copying to HD DVD-R.

DLNA networking is also good to go, with the addition of remote email programming for the terminally anal and the ability to talk to Tosh’s Regza LCD TVs and the Qosmio G30 laptop.

Lastly, there are tuners for all the HD sources in Japan plus one for standard analog programming and audio can be recorded in Dolby Digital, L-PCM or AAC 5.1. Start saving for July 14.

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