Canon�s Portable HD DVD burner bypasses the need for PC Capture

It�s no secret that although DVD camcorders are popular for their convenience, they aren�t necessarily better than miniDV. But not everyone who has a miniDV camcorder wants to edit video. They just want to burn to DVD and watch it on their big screen. Canon�s new DW-100 DVD recorder bypasses the need for a PC and burns video via a direct connection.

Able to burn both SD and HD DVDs, the DW-100 can encode in both MPEG2 and AVCHD. Additionally, although the basic concept is to bypass a PC for burning directly, users can also connect it to a PC or MAC via USB. This means that it can probably also be used as an external DVD burner.

Now, the concept is nothing new, but the fact that the DW-100 can be used to encode and burn both standard and high definition video makes it particularly of note. And Blu-ray is the standard in the HD side so even those who watch DVDs on their overpriced PS3 will be able enjoy your vacation videos in stunning 1080p.

No word on specs or price points (look for that at CES), but the DW-100 is expected to hit the market in the Spring of 2008.