Matsushita to launch advanced Blu-ray recorders

[akrako1]

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUST14015620071002

Matsushita to launch advanced Blu-ray recorders
Tue Oct 2, 2007 8:44am EDT

CHIBA, Japan (Reuters) - Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd said it would launch new Blu-ray optical disc recorders in November that allow more hours of full high-definition recording on a single disc than any others available.

Matsushita, along with Sony Corp, promotes the Blu-ray technology, which competes with the HD DVD format, backed by Toshiba Corp and Microsoft Corp.

Osaka-based Matsushita, the world's largest consumer electronics maker, also said it plans to offer the world's first DVD recorders that can store full high-definition programs on conventional DVD discs next month.

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.

A model equipped with a one-terabyte hard disk drive is expected to sell for 300,000 yen ($2,600), Matsushita said.

The one-terabyte hard drive can store up to 381 hours of full HD programs.

Matsushita, the world's largest maker of plasma TVs, took the wraps off the new Blu-ray and DVD recorders at the CEATEC Japan 2007 electronics industry trade show on Tuesday.

The company said it will start selling three models of new DVD recorders capable of recording full HD programs on conventional DVD discs on November 1.

The high-end model with a 500-gigabyte hard disk drive is likely to sell for 130,000 yen, Matsushita said.

Video rental chain Blockbuster Inc, the largest U.S. provider of home movie entertainment, came out in favor of the Blu-ray format in June.

But Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc signed exclusivity deals in August to distribute their next-generation discs on Toshiba's HD DVD format for the next 18 months, a move that evened a contest where the Blu-ray camp appeared to be pulling ahead.

I wonder what codec they'll be using to record "full HD programs on conventional DVD discs"...

[Heff]

I bet it isn't Microsoft's codec which I think is the VC-1. I quess Blu-ray players can read HD encoded convention DVDs then?

[jman98]

Probably just H.264 and it's nothing more than BluRay format on DVD much like HD-DVD format can be burned to DVD discs. While BluRay may end up supported on DVD, there may be catches. Perhaps it's limited to 1 hour of 1080p video on a single layer DVD disc and 2 hours on a dual layer DVD disc.

[MikieV]

Perhaps it's limited to 1 hour of 1080p video on a single layer DVD disc and 2 hours on a dual layer DVD disc.

I was initially thinking the same thing, then double-checked the DVD FAQ https://www.videohelp.com/dvd

and read that the max bitrate for mpeg2 on DVD is 9.8Mbps - for both NTSC and PAL.

Is 9.8Mbps a physical limitation of DVD media, or just an agreed-upon maximum rate for mpeg2??

[Midzuki]

Is 9.8Mbps a physical limitation of DVD media, or just an agreed-upon maximum rate for mpeg2??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-2#Profiles_and_Levels

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_DVD#3x_DVD

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc#BD-9_.2F_Mini-Blu-ray_Disc


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[oldfart13]

No word on marketing these things outside of Japan then?

[edDV]

Either VC-1 or h.264 can be used with BluRay on BluRay media. The news here is this "BluRay" recorder is* offering red laser (conventional DVDR) burning that only HD DVD has supported in the past. Record times in HD would be limited**.

* I see they said "next month" not on this model.

** HD DVD records 1.3hrs per layer to DVDR @8Mb/s AVC.

[oldfart13]

Theoretically these "Diga" recorders should work anywhere. Anyone thinking of being an early adopter and getting one?

[edDV]

The first ones are usually fubar.

[Nilfennasion]

Perhaps it's limited to 1 hour of 1080p video on a single layer DVD disc and 2 hours on a dual layer DVD disc.

Assuming a total average bitrate of 9.8 mb/s, a 4.35GB DVD can hold approximately eighty minutes... of SD video.

A more realistic estimate of how much one can fit of 1080P video on a disc that was intended to store SD would be somewhere in the order of fifteen minutes for 4.35GB, and around twenty-five minutes for 7.9GB.

[edDV]

They are probably similar to the HD DVD spec for red laser DVDR. 1080i MPeg4 AVC h.264 or VC-1 at 8Mb/s gives 1.3 hours per layer. MPeg2 at HD resolutions would take 16-25Mb/s at the same quality or 26-40 minutes. The bit rate is achieved by spinning the disc 3x speed.

Chart from the DVD Forum. http://www.dvdforum.org/hddvd-whatis.htm