About this news article

Jan. 8, 2004--Widely recognized for advancing Recordable DVD media technology, Verbatim(R) Corporation announced today shipments of engineering samples of its new DataLifePlus(R) 8X DVD-R media to DVD burner manufacturers for compatibility testing. With the new 8x DVD-R discs, users can fill an entire 4.7GB disc in less than 10 minutes, significantly faster than the 15 minutes current 4x media delivers. Verbatim will begin shipping the new media to resellers as drives supporting the 8x DVD-R format become available. Burners with 8x DVD-R support are being shown by Pioneer, NEC, SONY and several others at CES this week and are scheduled to be available to retailers in late February.

The faster recording that can be achieved with Verbatim's new 8X DVD-R discs will help content developers and duplicators increase their productivity while maintaining the broad playback compatibility that DVD-R is known to provide. Higher-speed recording will also benefit busy consumers who want to quickly share their videos with family members as well as businesses that want a fast, cost-effective solution for limited distribution of high-quality training and marketing videos or multimedia presentations.

"Media quality becomes a major concern with higher recording speeds," said Tim Clatterbuck, Verbatim's director of optical storage marketing. "The increased speed can cause distortion on the recorded mark of media that isn't specifically designed for higher laser powers and can, in turn, lead to read-back errors. To prevent these problems, our new 8x DVD-R media incorporates Verbatim's proprietary Metal Azo(TM) recording layer technology which has been fine-tuned to produce an improved power margin and greater sensitivity. As a result, the new media provides unmatched stability at recording speeds of up to 8x."

Like all Verbatim media, the discs are produced using precision molding technology which ensures the excellent flatness of the disc surface, a critical factor for minimizing errors during high-speed recording.

Price, Availability

Verbatim DataLifePlus 8x DVD-R discs will have an estimated street price of $ 3.99 and will be available through authorized resellers and the Verbatim web site in Q1 2004. The new media will be packaged in jewel cases, multi-packs and spindles. Blank inkjet printable and thermal printable discs will also be available. Verbatim backs the quality of its complete line of DataLifePlus DVD media with a lifetime warranty.

About Verbatim

Verbatim Corporation, a Mitsubishi(R) Kagaku Media Company, is currently the only firm in the world that designs, develops and manufactures high-performance, high-quality CD-Recordable, CD-ReWriteable, DVD-Recordable and ReWriteable DVD media products, and a complete family of MO media, as well as magnetic media and imaging products. Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, parent company of Mitsubishi Kagaku Media, is Japan's largest chemical company and one of the world's leading manufacturers of information storage products. For complete information on Verbatim's 8x DVD-R media, contact Verbatim at 1200 W.T. Harris Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28262, (800) 421-4188, FAX (704) 547-6609; or visit the company's web site at www.verbatim.com .

Editor's Note: For 8x DVD-R photos and samples for use in benchmark testing new 8x DVD-R burners, contact Andy Marken, Marken Communications, Inc., 408.986.0100 or andy@markencom.com.