Reprinted from a Sony press release:

Combining convenient features with great value, Sony’s latest Hi8 and Digital8 Handycam camcorders offer a simple way to record memories.

The 2005 Digital8 and Hi8 camcorders line sports handy features like the NightShot recording system, 2.5-inch SwivelScreen LCD and a powerful 20X optical/990X digital zoom. Recording flexibility has been greatly simplified by duplicating the zooming and recording controls adjacent to the LCD screen.

"Hi8 and Digital8 formats continue to hold great appeal for many consumers," said Linda Vuolo, director for camcorder products at Sony Electronics. "The partnering of desirable features with attainable prices, make it possible for virtually everyone to document the moments of their lives."

Consumer-Focused Features
Sony’s Hi8 and Digital8 camcorders have an Easy Handycam operation button that resets the camcorder’s settings to automatic mode and adjusts the display to show only essential icons like power and tape length, while enlarging the necessary icons for easier recording. The camcorders also come equipped with an InfoLithium battery with the AccuPower Meter system to keep a more accurate and constant reading of remaining battery power.

The top-of-the-line DCR-TRV480 Digital8 model includes backward compatibility to make it easy and convenient for you to playback your existing analog 8mm and Hi8 video recordings.

The DCR-TRV480 model also includes Super NightShot Plus system, which lets you record in darkness, while delivering even more natural color to the video.

Sony’s new Digital8 camcorders include:

The two new Hi8 models include:

Reprinted from a Sony press release:

Sony intends to shake up the camcorder market and take personal DVD recording to the next level with its 2005 DVD Handycam camcorder line, featuring enhanced technology, surprising new design and amazing value.

"The marriage of advanced technology and elegant design in our latest DVD Handycam camcorder models will make recording video as much of an everyday occurrence as listening to music or watching TV," said Linda Vuolo, director for camcorder products at Sony Electronics.

Starting at only about $600, five new DVD models deliver such exciting features as Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround recording, DVD+RW/-RW/-R compatibility, and touch-panel displays. Your personal DVD recordings can be played back using most current home DVD players and PC drives, as well as later releases of PlayStation2 videogame consoles.

The Surround Sound Advantage
Addressing the expanding appetite for a home theater experience, several of the new DVD camcorders provide surround sound recording. The DCR-DVD403 model has a built-in mic to record in 5.1 channel surround sound, while the DCR-DVD103 and DCR-DVD203 models offer the ability to record in rich, surround sound with an optional accessory microphone.

The pinnacle of the DVD lineup, the DCR-DVD403 units is the first consumer camcorder to include Dolby Digital 5.1 Creator. This unique technology incorporates built-in, multichannel microphones, so you can record your home movies in dramatic 5.1 channel digital surround sound for an immersive audio experience.

This feature-rich model also has a 3.3 (gross) Megapixel Advanced HAD CCD for higher picture quality video and outstanding three megapixel still images. For viewing on wide-screen televisions, the model has a 2.7-inch wide hybrid SwivelScreen touch- panel LCD screen. That’s allows you switch between 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios.

Easy menu control and the ability to see the screen whether shooting in bright daylight or a dark room, ensures that you always get the best shot. A Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* Lens and built-in flash complete this fully-equipped package.

The DCR-DVD403 DVD Handycam camcorder will be available this spring for about $1,000.

Two other smart options for surround sound recording are provided by the DCR-DVD203 and DCR-DVD103 models. Both camcorders utilize an external microphone to create home movies with rich, full sound that capture the entire mood.

The DCR-DVD203 camcorder has a 1.07 Megapixel Advanced HAD CCD for shooting clear, crisp video and one megapixel still images. It also features a 2.7-inch wide hybrid SwivelScreen Touch Panel LCD Screen and will be available this spring for about $800.

The DCR-DVD103 model offers an Advanced HAD CCD and 2.5-inch Hybrid SwivelScreen Touch Panel LCD Screen. It will also be available this spring for about $700.

Breaking the Mold
Another highlight of the line, the DCR-DVD7 model has a distinctive new design sure to be the subject of envy on soccer sidelines and at school plays everywhere. This compact model has a one-of-a-kind round shape, which is extremely comfortable in the hand.

"The design alone of this model is enough to motivate hours of movie-making", Vuolo noted.

The DCR-DVD7 camcorder is gripped much like a digital camera, where full advantage can be taken of its 2.5-inch Hybrid Touch Panel LCD Screen. It has an Advanced HAD CCD and convenient features like Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization and the NightShot Infrared System. It will be available this spring for about $700.

Rounding out the Lineup

Reprinted from an InterVideo press release:

InterVideo, Inc. announced today that InterVideo DVD Copy 3 Platinum and Gold editions includes Double Layer (DL) DVD+R burning capabilities. DVD Copy 3 is InterVideo’s latest release of its award-winning three-step software for making identical copies of personal unencrypted* DVD and CD videos for sharing or to protect them from damage or loss. DVD+R DL technology virtually doubles the storage capacity on DVD-recordable discs from 4.7GB to 8.5GB while remaining compatible with existing DVD Video players and DVD-ROM drives.

With the new DVD+R DL support, InterVideo DVD Copy 3 customers can record 4 hours of DVD-quality video or 16 hours of VHS-quality video on a single side of a DVD+R DL disc. Ideal for both novices and professionals, DVD Copy 3 makes creating and burning copies of CDs/DVDs much faster and easier than before.

The latest release is 25 percent faster than earlier versions-a key consideration when recording large video files. The software’s performance is also enhanced with direct burn capabilities that save time and enable users to copy directly from the source to a blank disc without having to buffer the video to the hard drive first.

Using InterVideo’s unique Multiple DVD Merging (M-DVD) feature, users can conveniently group even more videos onto a single DVD, complete with automatic menu generation for easy navigation.

Burning DVD-Videos or disc images stored on a hard drive to disc can be simplified by moving DVD titles to a folder, loading them as a source drive and copying them to a disc. Most competitors only support one VIDEO_TS folder loading, but with DVD Copy, users can load as many as they can fit onto a disc.

In addition to supporting the new DVD+R DL format, DVD Copy 3 can be used to make duplicate videos on all of the established write-once and rewriteable formats, including DVD±R, DVD±RW, DVD-RAM, and CD-R/RW. Video output formats supported include DVD, VCD, SVCD, DivX, and M-DVD.

InterVideo has equipped DVD Copy 3 with an intuitive, wizard-like interface that walks users through the three easy steps for creating identical duplicates of their personal videos. Users simply select the source, destination and the video output format. The software’s powerful Autofit feature automatically determines how much compression is needed to produce the best-looking results for the output selected.

To add and delete chapters, remove subtitles and audio tracks or change the aspect ratio, users just copy the DVD-Video to their PC’s hard drive in the MPEG-1, MPEG-2 or DivX format and click on the software’s Customize Button. Videos that have simple editing fixes do not have to be re-rendered because InterVideo’s revolutionary UniPass technology integrates DVD creation and editing together.

With broad output format support, InterVideo DVD Copy 3 provides consumers who don’t own the latest DVD burners with a growth path to the future. If they don’t have a DVD burner, they can use DVD Copy 3 to backup their DVD-Videos to CDs in the VCD, SVCD or DivX CD format. Consumers who do not have a DVD+R DL drive can use DVD Copy’s Auto Fit feature to compress a 9.4 GB Double-Layer DVD and record it to a 4.7GB DVD. DVD Copy can also be used to create backup copies of Double-Layer DVD-Videos onto two blank DVDs.

Other InterVideo products that support DVD+R DL include InterVideo WinDVD, the world’s most popular software solution for watching DVDs on a PC and InterVideo WinDVD Creator, a proven solution for authoring custom DVDs. Available now, these products are also bundled with leading Double Layer burners such as BenQ, HP, MSI, Nu Tech and Toshiba.

Pricing, Availability
InterVideo DVD Copy 3 is available at InterVideo’s web site, www.intervideo.com and through leading retail outlets. Compatible with Windows 2000 and XP systems, the suggested list prices are $49.95 USD for the Gold version and $79.95 USD for the full Platinum version.

Reprinted from a Maxell press release:

Maxell Corporation of America has introduced the new DSR-1 Automatic PRO Disc Fixer and Refill Pack. The new powered station professionally cleans and removes scratches from CD and DVD discs.

Featuring a stylish contemporary design that consumers will want to display in their entertainment centers for ease of access, the DSR-1 is fully self-contained in one unit with a convenient storage compartment at the back for all of the cleaning supplies.

"Our designers worked hard to create a handsome, high-tech look and convenient design that compliments the advanced repair and cleaning features of the DSR-1," said Gordon Tetreault, director of sales and marketing for Maxell accessories. "This product also features a one-step design that repairs scratches and polishes discs on one side and cleans on the other."

The new Maxell Pro Disc Fixer is effective on disc formats. It is powered by an AC adapter, which is included. The kit also includes all necessary pads, a washable micro-fiber cleaning cloth and all fluids to repair up to 80 discs. It is packaged in a retail-friendly blister pack for ease of merchandising and carries a suggested retail price of $49.99.

In addition, Maxell has introduced the Pro Disc Fixer Refill Kit, model number DSR-2. Carrying a suggested retail price of $16.99, the Kit contains two repair pads, two polishing pads, two cleaning pads, one bottle of repair fluid, one bottle of cleaning fluid and washable micro-fiber cleaning cloth.

Reprinted from a Maxell press release:

Maxell Corporation of America has introduced new DVD-R Inkjet Printable White media featuring print-to-center capability in consumer-friendly packaging to spearhead a new retail marketing initiative for the product category.

Maxell’s new print-to-center capability offers consumers and end-users 10% more usable printing surface on the disc for a richer, more robust and finished presentation.

"With disc enabled inkjet printers being priced at retail-friendly levels, we expect printable media to contribute 12 to 15 percent of total DVD media sales in 2005," said Peter Brinkman, vice president of marketing for Maxell. "What’s even more impressive is that we expect this figure from a zero base line, so the sales growth is going to be explosive. We want to help our retail partners take advantage of this trend with consumer packaging that encourages the buying decision in the self-serve environment that characterizes most retail today."

Maxell DVD-R Inkjet Printable White media, with its superior printable surface, is ideal for both business and consumer applications.

"Whether the business application is SOHO, professional videography or institutional, Maxell’s product is very well positioned to maximize the specific business need. And for consumer applications, Maxell’s DVD-R Inkjet Printable White media is equally well positioned to address a broad range of personal uses," added Brinkman.

Maxell’s new print-to-center DVD-R Printable White media has a capacity of 4.7GB or up to 120 minutes of personal recording time, and features write speed of up to 8X. It is available in March.

Reprinted from a Maxell press release:

Maxell Corporation of America has unveiled its latest step-up product in the DVD category with the introduction of its new DVD-R Pro, featuring MaxPro Hardcoat Technology, which provides superior performance and enhanced archival quality for critical data storage applications. The new introduction is part of Maxell’s overall product strategy of offering premium step-up products that provide higher performance for end users.

Maxell’s MaxPro Hardcoat Technology provides forty times more scratch resistance than standard DVD-R media for superior durability under a wide variety of conditions. In addition, Maxell’s DVD-R Pro employs an anti static coating that makes the disc twenty times more dust resistant, making it highly effective for high volume data storage applications.

Manufactured in Maxell’s Japan-based factory, the new DVD-R Pro media from Maxell also provides enhanced data protection in a wide range of environments. The Maxell Hardcoat Surface provides double the archival life of standard DVD discs.

"End users and consumers alike have embraced the DVD format with record speed because they recognize the incredible quality and versatility that the technology offers. Our new DVD-R Pro is another important product in the high performance DVD category. DVD-R Pro will give end users and consumers a greater range of options to select superior quality products for their data storage applications and for their personal recording needs," said Peter Brinkman, vice president of marketing for Maxell.

Maxell’s new DVD-R Pro has a capacity of 4.7GB or up to 120 minutes of content recording time, and features write speed of up to 16X. It is available in January of 2005.