"...Sony and Philips had presented the DVR-blue in detail at "ISOM 2000," an international society of optical memory and optical data storage meeting in September.

The Sony DVR-blue records image data on a phase transforming optical disk using a GaN blue diode laser produced by Nichia Corp. Specifications of the device and its medium are based on what it had proposed in various societies, said the company. Its optical disk has a single-side capacity of 22.5GB. It can run for about two hours when digital satellite broadcast of HDTV quality is recorded; for the present TV quality it will run for about eight hours. Its phase transforming optical disk is placed in a dust-free cartridge that was made with a special shutter mechanism.

At the CEATEC Japan Sony demonstrated playback of HDTV image data recorded on the disk and at the same time by showing the image on the present DVD player, for comparison. This time, recorded data were demonstrated as if for digital satellite broadcast. The company said the data are of MPEG2 Transport Stream which are multiplexed with image and sound in almost the same form as the Association of Radio Industries and Businesses specifications. The bit rate is about 24Mbps, while the trial product enables recording and playback to be made at 35Mbps, having an ample data-transfer speed.

The company said the presented device is only a trial product and not for marketing. The container has a set of basic units for the optical disk system such as an optical pickup and spindle motor, and analog circuits only. Digital circuits and circuits for image and sound are placed in a different container, being connected with cables..."