Verbatim first to announce 8cm DVD+R DL (2.66GB) media

Up until recently the most common mini recordable DVDs available were 1.4GB DVD-R's and DVD-RW's; both of which hold ~30 minutes of camcorder footage.  Now, Verbatim has become the first to announce Double Layer mini DVD+R DL's, which feature about double the capacity of existing mini DVD recordable discs.  These 8cm discs feature a 2.66GB data capacity or enough to hold about an hour's worth of camcorder footage.

Like the full size 12cm DVD+R DL discs, these discs are fully compatible with the DVD+R DL standard and should be compatible with pretty much any DVD drive that can play full size DVD+R DL discs, including many standalone DVD players.  While existing +R DL compatible DVD writers can write to this media, so far no camcorders at this time support this media. 

As camcorders suffer a lot more abuse than a standalone DVD recorder due to their portability nature, these 8cm DVD+R DL discs also feature Verbatim's VideoGard (TM) technology, which they claim makes the surface 40 times more resistant to damage compared with ordinary discs.  Verbatim's 8cm DVD+R DL media is expected to launch as 3-disc packs in the spring of 2006.  Compatible DVD camcorders are expected to launch around the same time.

Verbatim(R) Corporation, a pioneer in developing advanced DVD and Double Layer technologies, announced today a new Mini DVD+R Double-Layer (DL) disc. Measuring only three inches (8cm) in diameter, the new discs provide a full hour of continuous video capture time on a single side or 2.66GB of storage capacity--almost twice the capacity of current mini DVDR discs. Three-packs of Verbatim Mini DVD+R DL media will be available in the spring of 2006, when the new Mini +R DL-compatible camcorders are launched. The media can also be recorded with drives supporting the +R DL format. Fully compatible with the DVD+R DL standard endorsed by the DVD+RW Format Group, Verbatim's new Mini DVD+R DL media can be played back by the majority of the current DVD players and DVD ROM drives. With broad playback support, recorded videos and photos can be easily shared and can be viewed on a TV or computer. For added protection against the scratches and abrasion that can occur during normal camcorder and home use, the Mini DVD+R DL media features Verbatim's innovative VideoGard(TM) technology. The VideoGard protective coating on the disc surface makes irreplaceable home videos and photos 40 times more resistant to damage. The full Business Wire press release can be read here.

As hard drive based camcorders have hit the market, in my opinion 2.66GB mini DVD based camcorders will likely be the last to support optical media.  Unfortunately, as a lot of DVD players have compatibility issues playing DVD+R DL media, chances are that these will not be as popular as the current generation of DVD camcorders.  On the other hand, while hard drive based camcorders have the ability to store 10's of hours of recording as well as higher quality footage, DVD based camcorders still have the major advantage of being able to pop the disc directly into a DVD player without any transferring from one format to another.

Source: Business Wire News