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Wednesday, 04 October, 2006

Sony announces Blu-ray recorder release date

Sony has announced that it will launch its Blu-ray optical disc recorders this December, a month later than rival Panasonic.

The high definition BDZ-V7 and BDZ-V9 recorders, complete with 250GB and 500GB hard drives respectively, will be launched in Japan just in time for Christmas, the technology giant confirmed at the CEATEC gadget show in Tokyo.

Expounding the benefits of Blu-ray technology, Sony senior vice president Kiyoshi Nishitani said: “We consider the Blu-ray recorder a core product for people in the living room to enjoy high definition broadcasting, high definition photos and high definition movies,” Reuters reports.

Able to record up to two TV programmes at once on to 25GB Blu-ray discs, the so-called ‘budget’ BDZ-V7 will set users back 250,000 yen, or around £1,125, while the BDZ-V9 will retail for 300,000 yen, which equates to approximately £1,350.

The former will hit the shelves on December 19th, though the latter will be available first on December 8th.

Matsushita, known as Panasonic outside Japan, will release two Blu-ray recorders of its own nearly a month in advance, on November 15th. The 500GB model will cost 300,000 yen, while a 200GB version will set buyers back 240,000 yen, or about £1,080.

Neither Sony nor Panasonic has set a date for Blu-ray recorder release outside Japan.