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Taiwan-based Lite-On IT expects to debut its first home-use DVD recorder later this year, with volume production and shipments set to start in September and October, respectively, the company said.

The DVD recorder, supporting the DVD+RW format and a maximum of 4x writing speed, is set to be marketed at below US$399 as an own-brand product but may also be available for contract manufacturing services, according to Henry Lin, product marketing assistant manager at the company.

Further details about the product will be released in September, he added.

With great ambition in the consumer market, Lite-On IT also plans to launch a home-use DVD-Dual recorder by early next year, and a portable DVD player in February 2004, according to Lin. The portable DVD player will feature a self-developed slot-in design and can be powered by batteries, the company said.

In the future, Lite-On IT expects to focus its DVD recorder development on “connectivity” to various digital devices, such as computers, digital still cameras (DSCs), set-top boxes (STBs) and video phones, as it targets to enable its DVD recorder to serve as a home entertainment platform, according to the company.

Riding on falling prices, global home-use DVD recorder shipments are expected to reach 73.70 million units in 2006, while global home-use DVD player shipments are expected to drop to 48.20 million units in the same year, Lite-On IT quoted International Data Corporation (IDC) as saying.

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Source: DigiTimes