Panasonic Announces Two New Standalone DVD Recorders

from COMDEX reports

At COMDEX this week, Panasonic unveiled two new freestanding DVD recorders. Panasonic has announced a manu

facturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $999.95 for its first combination DVD/hard disk recorder. The product couples a DVD-RAM and DVD-R* recorder with a built-in hard drive, providing great flexibility and compatibility. Model DMR-HS2 allows the consumer to enjoy such unique features as Time Slipä, Chasing Playback and the ease of recording images from a digital video camera via a DV input, as well as a PC card slot for use with memory cards. Panasonic began shipping the product to retailers in early October.
The DMR-HS2 can record a maximum of 52 hours (in the EP mode) of video on its 40 GB hard disk drive, 12 hours on a 9.4GB double-sided DVD-RAM disc, and 6 hours on a DVD-R disc.
The third-generation Panasonic DMR-E30 features the unique Time Slip function, Progressive Scan, and a host of many other convenience features, all in a sleek, attractive package. Proving that high performance does not necessarily mean “big ticket,” the DMR-E30 DVD recorder has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $799.95.
The new recorder allows consumers to digitally record superb picture and sound up to 12 hours on a double-sided DVD-RAM disc, and up to 6 hours on a single-sided DVD-RAM or DVD-R disc*, thanks to Panasonic’s original Hybrid VBR (variable bit rate) technology.