Today at the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA), Royal Philips Electronics launched the first commercially available DVD recorder in Europe the Philips DVDR1000. The Philips DVD Recorder is the latest addition to a progressive innovation of Philips optical storage products that started in 1980 when Philips first developed and patented the audio CD. DVD, which was introduced in 1997, was the logical development based on the original CD.

At the Philips press conference in Berlin, Gerard Kleisterlee, President and Chief Executive Officer of Philips called the DVD Recorder, "An exciting extension to our range of optical storage products. It confirms Philips’ position as Europe’s market leader in consumer electronics and the number three worldwide. The development from CD to DVD is an evolutionary story that points the way forward for Philips. We are building confidently and positively for a future in which we see technology as a life-enhancing force."

Mr. Kleisterlee sees the introduction of the DVD Recorder as an important step in positioning Philips within the digital world: "We have the products, the applications and the technologies necessary to put people in touch with each other, or with their chosen sources of information and entertainment. We help our customers to interact with technology, either at home or in the workplace and it is our ambition to serve consumers through continuous progressive innovation and market leadership."