Apple, Compaq adding recordable DVD drives
By Joe Wilcox
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
January 5, 2001, 11:15 a.m. PT
Will Joe and Jane consumer put Steven Spielberg out of work?
Could be, if Apple Computer and Compaq Computer have their way. Both companies are scrambling to offer the ultimate in amateur moviemaking: the capability to record movies onto DVDs via a computer.
Besides movies, the drives also can be used to make audio DVDs. Warner Music released the first DVD audio titles in October, setting the stage for a shift from music CDs to DVDs, which can be spruced up with music videos, games and links to online interactive content.
Apple is expected to unveil new Power Macs next week capable of recording DVDs and CDs, according to sources who warn that these plans could change at the last minute. Compaq this week announced a new Presario consumer PC with a combo DVD/CD recordable/rewritable drive. That system ships in March.
Using computers to make and edit movies is nothing new--whether in the home or in a professional setting. Sales of consumer digital camcorders, for example, which shoot movies that can be quickly transferred to a PC for editing, swelled to $3.3 billion last year, or 5.7 million units, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
DVD is seen as the future for movie watching and making because of the format's crisp digital playback and its growing popularity. The CEA describes DVD players as the fastest-selling consumer-electronics device ever.
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