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DVD Burners Heat Things Up for the HolidaysSAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- DVD burners are edging their way to the top of holiday wish lists this year as their prices drop and their appeal grows. As with any newer technology, lower pricing has lured consumers who have been holding off from a DVD burner purchase due to monetary constraints. The same multi-format DVD burners that retailed for up to $500 last year are now under the $200 mark, making them popular gifts for the holidays. Blank DVD disc prices have also dropped, often under $1 per disc. Analysts predicted early on that 2003 would be the year of the DVD burner, estimating that some 19 million units would be shipped by year's end. By contrast, only about five million shipped in 2002. Last year's sluggish adoption was attributed to not only higher prices, but also to the confusion over the various DVD-recordable formats. Consumers who worried about getting locked into a dead-end technology in 2002 now have safer options with the numerous multi-format (DVD +/- RW) DVD burners that have pervaded the market. Even those who haven't yet taken the DVD burning plunge are seriously considering it as they come to understand the realm of possible uses. A recent analyst survey by International Data Corporation (IDC) indicated that one out of four PC users are likely to buy a DVD burner in the next year for such applications as storing camcorder footage and transferring self-recorded VHS tapes to DVD. Popular Applications for DVD RecordingConsumers purchased a growing number of digital camcorders and cameras over the last year, so they now have loads of video footage and digital photos that need to be stored. A standard 4.7GB DVD disc can hold about two hour's worth of video or thousands of high-resolution photos, making it a perfect way to archive special moments and distribute them to family and friends. Adding to the appeal is the ability to incorporate a personal and creative touch to each DVD. DVD burners, like Sony's Dual RW models, typically include software for editing video, inserting effects, and setting up professional looking chapters. As a result, even beginners can create an impressive home movie using footage of their children, holiday moments, weddings, reunions and vacations. DVD burners are also being used to preserve the memories from consumers' dusty VHS tapes. Since DVD players are quickly replacing VCRs in most homes, VHS videos face extinction if they're not converted to a digital format. Sony even suggests converting the parent's analog tapes to DVDs as a surprise gift that keeps on giving. For digital camera owners, who statistically take about double the photos of their film counterparts, storage is a necessity. Rather than fill up the camera's expensive memory card or offload the digital photos to a computer hard drive, it's a cinch to burn them to a DVD disc. The software that comes bundled with many DVD burners even allows users to organize their digital images into a dazzling DVD slideshow, complete with chapters that can hold up to 99 pictures each. Each slideshow chapter can be a graduation, birthday party, anniversary or other special event. Once the slideshow is burned to DVD, it can be played on most DVD players or PC DVD-ROM drives for all to see. Perhaps not as fun, data backup cannot be overlooked as a prime application for DVD burning. Because a DVD can hold about seven times more data than a CD, it makes sense as a personal backup medium. The same DVD can store data, video, audio and images together in one location, and if a computer crashes, it's easy to restore the files to their original locations. How to Shop for a DVD BurnerIt's impossible to ignore the allure of DVD burning, whether it's for video fun, photo sharing or data backup. However, first-time shoppers may have burning questions evaluating the various DVD burners on the market. Sony offers the following five tips when shopping for a DVD burner:
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