Verbatim announced today shipments of engineering samples of its new DataLifePlus 8X DVD-R media to DVD burner manufacturers for compatibility testing. With the new 8x DVD-R discs, users can fill an entire 4.7GB disc in less than 10 minutes, significantly faster than the 15 minutes current 4x media delivers. Verbatim will begin shipping the new media to resellers as drives supporting the 8x DVD-R format become available. Burners with 8x DVD-R support were being shown by Pioneer, NEC, SONY and several others at CES last week and are scheduled to be available to retailers in late February.

The new 8x DVD-R media incorporates Verbatim's proprietary Metal Azo recording layer technology which has been fine-tuned to produce an improved power margin and greater sensitivity. Like all Verbatim media, the discs are produced using precision molding technology which ensures the excellent flatness of the disc surface, a critical factor for minimizing errors during high-speed recording.

Price, Availability

Verbatim DataLifePlus 8x DVD-R discs will have an estimated street price of $3.99 and will be available through authorized resellers and the Verbatim web site in Q1 2004. The new media will be packaged in jewel cases, multi-packs and spindles. Blank inkjet printable and thermal printable discs will also be available. Verbatim backs the quality of its complete line of DataLifePlus DVD media with a lifetime warranty.