Lite-On IT will begin volume production of its DVD recorder with a 40-120GB built-in hard drive at the end of July. The company will be the first Taiwanese optical disc drive manufacturer to ship HDD+DVD recorders in volume.

Other Taiwanese makers, including BenQ, Mustek Systems, MET Technology and Tatung will introduce their products between August and October.

Taiwanese makers began offering DVD recorders in the third quarter of 2003 but OEM quotations for entry-level DVD recorders have dropped to US$250. Quotations for 40GB HDD+DVD recorders begin at US$350, with the HDD costing US$70-80.

Currently Pioneer, Panasonic and JVC dominate the global market for 80-120GB HDD+DVD recorders, with Taiwan retail prices ranging from NT$34,900-44,900. Taiwanese competitors claim that their domestic retail prices will be 30%-40% lower.

HDD+DVD recorder demand is growing faster than demand for DVD recorders, according to Taiwanese makers. In Japan, the sales volume of HDD+DVD recorders as a percentage of all DVD recorder models rose from 20%-30% in the second half of 2003 to 60%-70% in the first half of 2004, with further increases expected.

FromDigiTimes