Audio Video News

Panasonic wants to make DVD-RAM the dominant video recording format in the near future.

During the last week of February, the industrial giant introduced five new models of DVD-RAM recorders intended for the Japanese domestic market. Two of the recorders were designated as export models, including the DMR-E50, which was shown at the 2003 CES. That model should be available in the US in March at approximately $600 retail. By June, US retailers should also have the DMR-E60, a DVD-RAM recorder with an IEEE-1394 DV input and slots for two memory cards.

Panasonic's domestic DVD-RAM recorders include two models with large-capacity internal hard drives, and one with VHS tape capability. Other export models will debut later this year, company spokesmen said.

The DVD-RAM recorders were unveiled at a press conference where Panasonic announced the worldwide trademark ("DIGA," an acronym derived from "DVD" and "gigabyte") for its DVD-RAM products. Panasonic believes that DVD-RAM is superior to both the DVD-RW and DVD+RW formats, especially because it enables "non-linear" editing, and allows a "time slip" function - letting viewers pause, rewind, and "catch up" with live programs as they are being recorded, much like a hard-disk recorder, but with the added advantage of using removable media. Panasonic DVD-RAM recorders can also record on write-once DVD-R discs, which are playable on almost all DVD players. The company plans to produce one million DVD-RAM recorders per month by March 2006.

Almost simultaneously with the Panasonic announcement came one from Microsoft Corporation. On February 24, the software maker said it would back the DVD+RW format. It's unclear at this point how much Microsoft's support will affect the overall development of recordable DVD technology.