Verbatim Corporation announced today a new family of Video DVD Media specifically designed for home video recording.

The new Video DVD discs combine the premium write quality, broad compatibility and long data life of Verbatim brand DVDs with its remarkable new VideoGard? hard coat technology. Offering a choice of 8x DVD-R, 8x DVD+R, 2x DVD-RW and 4x DVD+RW formats, the new Video DVD Media is packaged in robust, space-saving trim video boxes.

The VideoGard-enhanced discs make irreplaceable home videos and recordings of favorite TV programs 40 times more resistant to damage without a significant increase in the cost of the media. (Based on calibrated scratch tests against standard discs without the hard coat.)

“Our VideoGard technology was developed to ensure that the videos recorded on Verbatim Video DVD Media can be enjoyed for years to come,” said Tim Clatterbuck,Verbatim Optical Storage Manager. “Family moments, vacations, holidays and special events are important to consumers but if the discs are scratched or damaged the video memories may never be replaced or recaptured. To protect the content Verbatim developed a special VideoGard hard coat protective coating that resists abrasion and mishandling by children or careless adults.”

Verbatim Video DVD Media is optimized for maximum recording quality and the broadest compatibility with the latest DVD home video recorders, burners and players. This is accomplished in part by the work Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Company (MKM), Verbatim’s parent company, does in helping hardware manufacturers ensure that the optimum write strategy for Verbatim media is implemented in their hardware.

MKM, a pioneer in advancing DVD media technology, also developed the proprietary recording layer technologies that Verbatim uses to produce highly reliable media with a long archival life and resistance to UV light exposure.

Applications for Verbatim Video DVD Media range from audio/video recording to multimedia development, digital photo album storage and transferring home movies from tape to long-lasting DVDs. With broad playback compatibility, videos, photos and music recorded to the discs can be easily shared with anyone that has a DVD player or a PC equipped with a DVD-ROM drive.

Each Verbatim hard coat DVDR is packaged in a highly durable slim video box that is about one-half the thickness of a standard DVD movie case. Although it only requires about half the shelf space, the box is the same height as a standard video tall box, so it will fit nicely in a video library with existing DVD Videos.

Availability
Verbatim Video DVD –R and +R Media with VideoGard protection is available through leading retailers, Internet resellers and distributors across the country. Rewriteable Video DVD-RW/+RW media will be available in Q2 2005.