BenQ debuted three DE305-series DVD recorders equipped with built-in hard disk drives (HDD DVD recorders), aiming to sell 100,000 units worldwide, including 12,000-15,000 in the domestic market, this year.

The three models are the DE305S, the DE305H and the DE305P. The DE305P has the largest storage capacity so far available in Taiwan, according to company vice president Peter Chen, who is also the general manager of BenQ?s Digital Media Business Group.

Like Japan-designed HDD DVD recorders, the three DE305 models adopt double-chip modules, with one chip for recording and the other for playback, to avoid signal noise and delay, Chen emphasized.

The tentative retail price of NT$18,900 for the DE305S is lower than the NT$25,000 price tag for a model of the same HDD capacity made by Lite-On IT. It is also lower in price than the Japan-made 80G models. However, Lite-On IT indicated that its HDD DVD recorders are dual format (+R/RW and ?R/RW), while the DE305 is only compatible with DVD+R/RW.

According to the Taiwan-based Market Intelligence Center (MIC), the global demand for DVD recorders will grow from 12.3 million units in 2003 to 25.2 million in 2005.