Sony announces new DVDirect hybrid DVD recorder

Sony's just announced their second generation DVDirect hybrid DVD recorder, which lets you burn footage straight from your DV cam to a DVD without the need for a computer. The new DVDirect has a Firewire port (or i.Link, as Sony calls it) for exporting video directly, and for you trailing edge types, you can also use it with an analog camcorder or VCR. New to this model is stand-alone recording support for DVD-R and DVD-RW discs, as well as the regular DVD+R, DVD+R double layer and DVD+RW discs. And for more serious video projects, you can also hook the DVDirect up to your computer, which will apparently give you faster burning times (six minutes for a DVD-R or DVD+R disc at 16X), in addition to more video editing options. Look for it sometime next month with an MSRP of $299.