Toshiba said it has begun to ship a couple of 1.8-inch hard disc drives that can support the transition to HD video-audio content—with one drive (model MK1626GCB) providing storage capacity up to 160 GB. A thinner and lighter version (model MK8022GAA) has 80 GB capacity.

While both tiny hard drives are primarily designed for mobile and portable devices (1.8-inch drives are used in such products as the new Apple iPod Classic), Toshiba said both units also have the capacity to store several hours of HD content by using an upgraded read-and-write head and an enhanced magnetic layer that results in growing recording density (228 Gb per square inch), Toshiba said.

The higher-end MK1626GCB also adheres to CE-ATA parameters.

The new HD-capable drives will debut Sept. 19-20 at Diskcon USA 2007 in Santa Clara, Calif.