Panasonic released its DMR-E10 DVD Video Recorder last September. It has shipped internal DVD-RAM drives for PCs for slightly longer. And DVD-RAM won't play in the majority of DVD players that are already out there. But it has some functions you should be aware of, as well. Pioneer is coming out with a recorder this summer that uses the DVD-RW format, which is also sanctioned by the DVD Forum.
Units are already out in Japan.
You also add about 4 minutes to your DVD creation time because you must go through a finalization phase when you record compatible DVD-RW discs. Finalization is simple, and creates titles and a menu structure that your DVD player can recognize. When you want to remove content from the disc, you must definalize it, and you must refinalize the content once you've replaced it. Parsons says that eventually DVD recorders will come with a built-in hard drive so that you can automatically record your favorite programs as you can with TiVo or ReplayTV devices. You'll be able to edit out the commercials and transfer the content to a disc.