DVD
Recording Will Become Mainstream Consumer Product in 2003,
Head of DVD+RW Alliance Predicts
Thursday January 9, 9:03 pm ET
Functionality, Simplicity and Compatibility Will Guide Consumer
Choices of Which DVD Recording Format to Use
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 9, 2003-- DVD recording
equipment will become a mainstream consumer product in
2003 as lower prices and increasing supply spur consumers
to add DVD recording capability to their home entertainment
centers and computers, the chair of the DVD+RW Alliance
predicted today.
And Maureen Weber said three issues will play a key role
as consumers decide which of the competing DVD recording
formats to pick when they're buying DVD recording equipment
-- functionality, simplicity and compatibility.
"All three are major strengths of the Plus format," said
Weber who heads the DVD+RW Alliance that supports the Plus
format for DVD recording. Weber spoke at a news conference
at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Weber noted that the research firm In-Stat/MDR predicts
DVD recorder sales will approach one million units in the
United States for the first time this year and more than
four million units worldwide, with triple-digit growth in
sales expected through 2005.
Weber said mass-volume manufacturers are beginning to build
DVD recording equipment, another sign that sales of DVD recording
equipment will increase dramatically this year.
Three leading mass-volume manufacturers -- Daewoo Electronics,
Tae Young Telstar and Mico Electric -- displayed DVD +R/+RW.
recorders at CES.
"It's significant they've picked +R/+RW for the equipment
they're bringing to the mass market," Weber said. "It's
a vote of confidence in the market appeal of the Plus format."
The sharp increase in the sales of DVD recording equipment
comes at a time when the Plus format is making huge gains
in market share for DVD recorders and DVD drives.
Weber said third-quarter sales figures (latest available)
for DVD recorders for home entertainment systems showed Plus
format recorders with half of the sales in the United States,
three-fourths of the sales in Europe and two-thirds of the
sales in the Asian-Pacific market outside of Japan.
She noted that Plus-format DVD drives for computers quadrupled
in worldwide market share during the first nine months of
last year -- from 10 percent in 2001 to more than 40 percent
at the end of September 2002. With computer giants Dell,
Hewlett-Packard and Compaq beginning to put Plus-format drives
into their machines the Plus format's market share is likely
to increase significantly, she said.
"Other formats were in the market before us," Weber
said. "The fact that we've increased our share of the
market so quickly is real testimony to the appeal of the
Plus format."
"The three criteria consumers are likely to use in
selecting a format for their DVD recording equipment -- functionality,
simplicity and compatibility -- all represent areas in which
the +R/+RW format is exceptionally strong," Weber said. "An independent study by IntelliKey Labs in September
shows +R/+RW with a compatibility advantage in all categories
tested," she noted. "And the Plus format has by
far the most robust and easiest to use recording and editing
features on the market. The differences are startling."
About DVD+R/+RW
The DVD+R/+RW format is capable of recording up to 4.7 gigabytes
of digital video, images or data. This equates to the storage
capacity of seven CD-R/RW discs and the potential to store
thousands of digital photographs or approximately two hours
of digital video. The primary benefit of DVD+R/+RW is its
two-way compatibility, meaning that DVD+R and DVD+RW media
can be played in most DVD video players and DVD-ROM drives
in use today.
About The DVD+RW Alliance
The DVD+RW Alliance is a voluntary group of industry-leading
personal computing manufacturers, optical storage and electronics
manufacturers including Dell (Nasdaq: DELL - News), HP (NYSE:
HPQ - News), MCC/Verbatim, Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG
- News), Ricoh Company, Ltd. (ADR: RICOY), Sony Corporation,
Thomson (NYSE: TMS - News) and Yamaha Corporation. The companies
promote the universally compatible, rewritable DVD+RW format
that enables true convergence between personal computing
and consumer electronics products. DVD+R and DVD+RW discs
written on DVD+R/+RW recorder can be read and played in most
DVD video players and DVD-ROM drives. More than 50 additional
companies have formally pledged support for DVD+R/+RW technology.
Further details about the DVD+RW Alliance and supporting
companies can be found at http://www.dvdrw.com/.
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