Business
HD Recorder Can Use Standard DVDs
Matsushita, the world’s largest consumer electronics maker, plans to offer the world’s first DVD recorders that can store full high-definition programs on conventional DVD discs next month.
The new device is expected to be a boon for the backer of the Blu-ray format; Blu-ray uses discs several times more expensive than standard DVD media. While the DVD discs won’t have the capacity of a Blu-ray disc, the content will be of similar visual quality.
Full high-definition (HD) programs come with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. Matsushita’s new Blu-ray recorders, which are able to record up to 18 hours of full HD programs on a dual-layer disc, will go on sale on November 1 in Japan. The high-end model with a 500-gigabyte hard disk drive is likely to sell for 130,000 yen(1,126 USD), and 1TB version would go for 230,000 yen(2,252 USD).
