Panasonic's brand ambassador Amal Hijazi launches the recording media for the next generation - the 'DIGA' range of DVD-RAM Video Recorders

"DVD-RAM is fast becoming the world's leading format for DVD video recording in the realm of home entertainment. The global demand for DVD recorders is estimated at 24 million sets by 2005 and Panasonic is targeting 50 percent of that market share by aiming to produce one million sets per month by 2005. The DMR-E60 and DMR-E50 will be a innovative addition for consumers in the Middle East," said Sho Kusuki, Manager, Consumer Electronic Department, Panasonic Marketing Middle East FZE.

"The introduction of DVD-RAM format has brought distinct advantages to digital recording against other formats like +RW and -RW. The disc is re-recordable up to 100,000 times which is 100 times more than +RW/-RW. With an enormous storage capacity of up to 9.4 GB, DVD-RAM is flexible like no other medium as it allows Random Access which enables the Time Slip function. It will become the most significant format in the professional data protection field for highly-sensitive data material. Given this technological strength and reputation, the 'DIGA' - DMR-E50 and DMR-E60 are aimed to set the standard for recording media in the market" he added.

The DMR-E60 and DMR-E50 offer all the benefits on a DVD-RAM format, including the Time Slip Function, that enables simultaneous recording and play back. Thus the user can watch the program anytime, even while recording another program. Further, playback can be adjusted at 1.3 times normal speed, complete with sound, even during recording. It also offers full control over functions such as fast forward, rewind, and pause during recording and playback.
The DMR-E60 and DMR-E50 offer a unique playlist functionality that allows the user to arrange or record scenes and find the beginning of each scene easily. A seamless transition between edited scenes can also be created. DVD-RAM further eliminates the problem of mistakenly recording over previously recorded parts, by searching for a blank section on the disc.

The DMR-E60 additionally offers a new audiovisual (AV) lifestyle with its intelligent digital link and simple convenient recording. The DMR-E60 has a SD/PC card slot that enables storage of AV and PC data on the same disc. Thus, television programmes can be recorded on a disk that already contains films from a digital camcorder or jpeg/tiff images from a digital still camera. Further, video recordings from virtually any device can be edited on the PC without any problem, and played back on the recorder. It is also easy to link mobile equipment. Recordings that are no longer required can be easily erased and the free space is made available for another recording, in one piece.

The DMR-E60 and DMR-E50 enables creation of an original DVD video by recording images onto a DVD-R disc conforming to DVD-Video standards. The DVD-RAM format offers a host of other benefits including playing music recorded by PC onto CD-R/RW discs in MP3 format. DVD-RAM also allows bilingual recording.

It is equipped with Real-time variable bit rate (VBR) and visibility modulation technology that renders long recording times with exceptionally high-quality images.

Proving their next-generation functionality, when future "CPRM* (Content Protection for Recordable Media) required programs" permit the recording of only first- generation copies, the DMR-E50 / E60 will be prepared for them.

The above models are available in the UAE with Panasonic's sole distributor Oman National Electronics who are part of the Al Futtaim Group.