According to a report by Pocket Lint, Panasonic has announced the pending release of two standalone Blu-ray Disc Recorder models for the U.K. market. However, there is no word as to when, or if, Panasonic, or any other manufacturer, will market Blu-ray Disc Recorders in the U.S. Blu-ray Disc recorders have been available in Japan for about two years from companies such as Panasonic, Sony, and Sharp. For those that feel adventurous, I would caution trying to buy a Blu-ray Disc recorder designated for the Japanese or U.K. market as their HD-Tuners and other features may not be compatible with U.S. market requirements.
My Perspective: Although is it encouraging Blu-ray Disc recorders are filtering into Europe, via the U.K., issues such as copy-protection assurances needed by Hollywood Studios and competition from Cable/Satellite and TIVO DVRs continue to put the brakes on U.S. consumers getting access to standalone Blu-ray Disc recorders anytime soon. For now, the U.S. consumer will have to settle for Blu-ray Disc burners available on some PCs, or as external PC add-ons.
Related Story: Sharp Announces 2009 Blu-ray Disc Recorders For Japan (Ubergizmo).
Comments
i saw somewhear panisonic had a blue ray recorder that would record hi-def on dvd can you help me find this site or information or model mumber
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Answer from Robert Silva, About.com Home Theater Guide:
Such units are only available in Japan and the recorded DVDs can only be
played on a compatible Blu-ray disc player they cannot be played on a
standard DVD player.
Here is a more detailed blog I wrote on this topic when the recorders were
announced in 2007:
http://hometheater.about.com/b/2007/10/10/high-definition-recording-on-standard-dvdswith-a-catch.htm
It must also be noted that there are several high-definition camcorders made
by Panasonic, Sony, and others that can record in the AVCHD format onto DVD.
AVCHD is a high definition format that records onto DVD, but once again, the
AVCHD recorded DVDs can only be played back in a Blu-ray Disc player.
Also, it is very important to note that standalone Blu-ray Disc recorders
are not available in the U.S. market, and there are no plans, so far, by
Panasonic, Sony, Sharp, or other manufacturer to make standalone Blu-ray
Disc recorders available to North American consumers. To summarize, there
are two main reasons for this: Too much competition from cable and satellite
DVRs and TIVO, and the copy-protection restrictions imposed by the movie
studios and television broadcasters that affect the viability of recording
both copy-righted standard and high-definition content on a medium, such as
a Blu-ray disc – this is also why DVD recorders are now becoming less
available.
Let me know if this info answers your question.
So how can i buy a hi def blue ray recorder from japan that records on d v d disc in hi def
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Answer from Robert Silva, About.com Guide for Home Theater
Three problems with buying a Blu-ray Disc recorder from Japan:
1. The built-in TV tuners are not compatible with the TV broadcasts use in
U.S. market so you can’t use it to record U.S. TV programs.
2. The user manuals are only available in Japanese, no English translation
provided that I am aware of.
3. The warranty would not be valid in the U.S. – if you have a problem with
the unit, not only would you have to ship it to a service center in Japan,
but you will also have to pay the full cost of the repair, even if it is
still under the Japanese warranty.
4. Even though Panasonic’s system allows recording of high definition on a
standard DVD, you can only play the recorded DVDs on a Blu-ray Disc player –
you would not be able to play them on a DVD player as DVD players cannot
play high-definition content recorded on a disc.
All that being said, you could inquire with the manufacturers directly via
their Japanese websites as to whether they are willing to sell and ship a
Japanese Blu-ray Disc Recorder to the U.S. In addition, if you are able to
secure a unit designated for the U.K. market, the user manual may be in
English, but the other issues discussed above would still apply.
Let me know if this info helps.