Panasonic upcoming, second-generation DVD video recorder, the DMR-E20, will let users digitally record MPEG2 video on DVD-RAM or DVD-R discs. DVD-R discs can be played back in most DVD players and in several Mac models.
Due in October, the DMR-E20 is expected to have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of US$1499.95. Rudy Vitti, national marketing manager for Panasonic Consumer Entertainment Group, said the video recorder was engineered to take full advantage of the DVD-RAM format’s capabilities, such as simultaneous playback and recording. DVD-RAM provides a single format for computer and video-based applications. The DMR-E20 can also record video onto a DVD-R disc, which can then be played back in a conventional DVD video player.
“The DMR-E20 … not only offers consumers recordability and rewritability, but it’s also a practical and flexible way to manage multiple DVD applications,” Vitti said in a statement.
As an optical media format, DVD-RAM enjoys huge advantages over tape media, including random access and rewritability, he added. The DMR-E20 has a data transfer rate of 22.16Mbps, thereby making simultaneous recording and playback possible. That’s a first in the industry, Vitti said.
The DMR-E20’s Time Slip playback function lets users view the recorded portion of an ongoing program from the beginning, while continuing to record the live program in progress. And users can also record a live program while watching any other program that’s been previously recorded on a disc. The Direct Navigator function will let you instantly access recorded material from an on-screen menu that lists recording dates, times, channels and (user-entered) titles. The Playlist function lets the user perform non-linear video editing — such as rearranging the order of scenes, skipping over unwanted scenes, or copying selections — and create custom playlists of favorite scenes on a disc.
Users can record up to 12 hours of video on the new, two-sided, 9.4 GB DVD-RAM discs. Discs can be played back on a DVD-RAM compatible DVD player or on a personal computer or laptop computer equipped with DVD-RAM playback capability. Users can also edit their videos on a multi-media computer with video editing/production software.
Your playback device must have either a 4.7 GB DVD-RAM drive or compatible DVD-ROM drive capable of reading 4.7 GB DVD-RAM discs. Mac OS 7.5 and higher versions are among the operating systems that Panasonic will be supported.