Sanyo Electric may officially enter the market for DVD recorders in the future, according to company officials. The company, based in Moriguchi, Osaka Prefecture, is the largest Japanese supplier of a key component used in DVD and CD products, such LSI, OPUs.

Sanyo has so far provided the component to DVD and CD manufacturers, but is now thinking it may be able to produce a low-priced DVD recorder on the strength of its optical-pickup manufacturing capability, the officials said.

The DVD recorder market is expanding rapidly in Japan as consumers switch to them from videocassette recorders.