We just got a new DVD-R Recorder/Burner today at work, the $800 Pioneer DVR-A03. We’ve waited about 2 months for this unit, since the retail box version has been only available in smaller quantities. I believe the drive has already been shipping in the high-end Apple G4.
For those who don’t know, this drive is capable of recording DVDs that are playable in any DVD player (standalone or DVD-ROM drive), and so begins to offer the same level of easy recording and distribution for digital video that CD-R offers for CDs.
Before anyone gets too excited, you need to know that you can’t (easily) duplicate commercial DVDs like you can dupe CDs. But that’s not what interests me. Instead, I see this device as potentially new way for independent videographers to distribute their work in a high-quality and interactive format, with minimal investment. While $800 is not cheap, it is not out of line with many digital video tools that many amateurs and independents use.
We only have on blank DVD-R and don’t yet have a project to do, so I haven’t tested it yet. But once I put it through it’s paces, I’ll report back here.
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