Global demand for DVD+R/-R discs will more than double to 1.5 billion units in 2004 from an estimated 700 million units in 2003, buoyed by fast-growing sales of DVD drives and recorders, according to DigiTimes.

According to Ritek, obal sales of DVD drives and recorders will reach 50 million units in 2004, compared with some 30 million units this year, including 18 million to 25 million DVD drives and 6.7 million DVD recorders, quoting data from Japanese market research firm Fujiware Rothchild.

With about 30 discs being sold for each DVD drive or recorder a year, global demand for DVD+R/R discs would easily swell to the 1.5 billion mark in 2004, Yeh said.

Ritek, one of Taiwan’s top three optical storage disc makers, saw its gross margin climb to 30% in the third quarter. He expects the trend to continue in the fourth quarter, which would enable Ritek to conclude 2003 with reasonable profits after suffering its first losses in 2002.