Acer has launched its first laptop computer with an HD DVD drive at the Computex trade show in Taiwan.

The laptop joins Acer's high-end Aspire 9800 range and features an impressive 20.1-inch LCD screen. The screen is a monitor-class panel of a type not usually found on laptops, so it delivers an image equivalent to a desktop monitor, said Trisha Pan, a product marketing director at Acer.

The downside to using such a large panel is the computer's overall weight. It's close to 8kgs, which is several times that of a standard laptop. It additionally pushes up the size: The machine measures 48cm by 35cm by 6cm.

"It's definitely not for portable use," said Pan.

The computer also features twin 120GB hard disk drives, NVidia GeForce 7600 graphics, a TV tuner and support for various audio technologies including Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect.

To date, only a handful of laptop makers have announced models with HD DVD. One of the first was Toshiba, which is a major backer of the format. Its machine went on sale in Japan in May. Fujitsu is planning to begin selling an HD DVD laptop soon.

Acer said its support for the HD DVD format isn't exclusive. The company is planning to launch a laptop with a Blu-ray Disc drive but hasn't yet decided on timing for the machine.