Panasonic launches Blu-ray disc/DVD recorder
Matsushita Electric Industrial, based in Osaka, Japan, and best known for its Panasonic brand products, has unveiled the DMR-E700BD, a Blu-ray disc/DVD recorder.
The company claims that the model is the world s first DVD recorder that supports single-side, dual-layer Blu-ray discs with a maximum capacity of 50Gb.
The DMR-E700BD can record either up to 4.5 hours of digital high-definition (HD) programming or up to 63 hours of analog programming. It supports both DVD-RAM and DVD-R discs, so users can choose the most appropriate media for their recording needs.
Competition to the DMR-E700BD comes from Sony, NEC and Toshiba. Sony was first on the market over a year ago with a machine capable of recording up to 23Gb, while Toshiba and NEC have both demonstrated prototypes recently.
"As digital broadcasting services are expanding, demand for recording and storing HD video is increasing. Our new product responds to such a demand. We believe the upcoming Olympic Summer Games in Athens is one of the factors behind the expanding demands," said Etsuji Shuda, director of the home audio-visual business unit of Panasonic AVC Networks Company.
The DMR-E700BD recorder will be introduced to the Japanese market on July 31, 2004.
