Blu-Ray DVD Recorder Unveiled
March 05, 2003
Tokyo, JP - Sales of what's called the world’s first blu-ray DVD recorder will begin in Japan next month, industry sources are reporting.
Sony Corp. will unveil the unit in Japan April 10. No dates for international roll-out are presently available. The unit was shown at a consumer electronics show.
The DVD recorder uses blue laser light to pack two-hours of high-definition TV onto a single disc.
The recorder includes a built-in tuner for recording broadcast programs. Component and DV input is supported, as is direct HDTV recording, real-time MPEG-2 recording and some editing features.
Sony is one of nine major manufacturers that unveiled the new DVD format last year. Consortium members include Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Philips Electronics NV.
Blue light has a shorter wavelength than the current red laser now being used, and can read and store data at much higher densities as a result.
Blu-ray discs hold some 23 gigabytes of data, nearly five times as much as existing DVDs. The discs will also to be sold in April.
Sony’s Blu-ray machine will play red-laser discs using the DVD-R and DVD-RW formats, but not the DVD-RAM or DVD+RW formats, it is reported.
Anticipated pricing for the Sony blu-ray DVD recorder is around $3,800; discs are expected at approximately $35 – 40.
For more information, visit
www.sony.co.jp
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