Philips is to introduce at CeBIT 2004 the first PC drives and media to support the recently announced double-layer DVD+R format as well as PC drives that can burn recordable media at the ultimate speed of 16x.

World’s first 8x double layer recordable DVD drive and media
The Philips eight-speed DVDRW885K is the world’s first recordable PC drive capable of doubling a DVD’s effective storage capacity to up to 8.5GB on a double-layer, single-sided DVD+R disc. These double-layer DVD+R discs can contain about four hours of DVD-quality video or 13 CD-ROMs worth of data, which can be accessed without the need to turn over the disc. Another key advantage of double layer DVD+R is its compatibility with existing DVD Video players and DVD ROM drives. In addition to the PC drive, Philips will be among the first to introduce a double layer, 8.5GB disc.

Philips will introduce the DVDRW885K as a complete kit, in Europe in April 2004 with an expected retail price of Euro 169 (incl. VAT). The double layer DVD+R media will be included in the kit and will be available in retail in the same time frame.

World’s fastest, largest-capacity 16x DVD drive and media
Philips will be first to market with the fastest ‘double-layer’ recordable DVD drive, the DVDR1640K. This internal PC drive will offer the fastest achievable DVD recording speed – sixteen-speed (16x) on a DVD+R disc- as well as the largest capacity of 8.5GB on a single sided, double layered DVD+R disc.

Philips will introduce the DVDR1640K and 16x media, as a complete kit, in Europe by July 2004 with an expected retail price of Euro 199 (incl. VAT).

DVD+RW shows highest innovation rate of recordable DVD formats
The introduction of the Philips high speed DVDRW885K and DVDR1640K PC drives, and the arrival of double-layer and 16x DVD recording, further underlines how the well-established DVD+RW format consistently delivers the industry’s highest rate of innovation.

The format also boasts the highest levels of playback compatibility. Manufacturers of other formats have included DVD+RW into their product concepts, and the market clearly shows an increasing and significantly bigger share of DVD+R/+RW discs. Nevertheless, to remove any confusion a customer may have concerning what kind of disc to use with their recordable DVD PC drives, Philips will enable its PC-based rewritable DVD drive to not only read, but also write on all available rewritable (+/- RW) and write-once (+/-R) discs.

Owners of the existing Philips DVDRW824 8x single-layer drive will be able to download a firmware upgrade in the second half of March. Details of the upgrade will be posted on the website www.Philips.com/pcstuff in due course. The new 8x DVDRW885K will be prepared to include this feature, with a download to become available in the autumn. The new 16x DVDR1640K will include this feature as its introduction date onwards.