Sony shows off new Blu-ray disc recorders

Sony Corp. has announced it will start selling four new Blu-ray disc recorders to augment its lineup of DVD players in Japan, stepping up the battle in next-generation video formats.

Sony's Blu-ray is competing against HD DVD, backed by Toshiba Corp. The battle has prompted wary global consumers from blowing their money on the new gadgets until they determine which format will emerge the winner.

Sony's models, shown Wednesday, will hit stores Nov. 8 at prices between ¥140,000 and ¥200,000. Sony said it plans to initially produce 40,000 recorders a month for Japan.

Sony already sells Blu-ray disc players in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere. But there are no overseas sales plans for Blu-ray disc recorders so far.

Next-generation DVDs store large amounts of data for high-definition images and video.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., maker of the Panasonic brand, and Sharp Corp. support the Blu-ray disc standard.

The group pushing HD DVD includes Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. Both sides are claiming victory.

Earlier this year, the Blu-ray group was dealt a blow when Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. said they would exclusively use HD DVD. They had previously released works in both formats.

Kiyoshi Shikano, a corporate senior vice president at Sony, played down possible damage from the switch.

"With all the support Blu-ray enjoys among Hollywood, PC makers and consumer electronic makers, Paramount's decision won't really affect Blu-ray," he said.