Hitachi Maxell has jointly developed with Hitachi, iVDRs with cartridges that incorporate electronic paper, enabling users to check instantly programs recorded and other content written, storage capacity usage, and storage capacity remaining. Amid the rapid spread of the terrestrial digital broadcasting that includes high-definition video, iVDRs for which commercial application demand is steadily increasing—that afford users the convenience of instantly seeing the programs recorded or checking storage capacity remaining without having to insert iVDRs into playback equipment are required. To cater to such demand, Maxell and Hitachi have jointly developed iVDRs that incorporate electronic paper, which realizes high-contrast visual displays using a tiny amount of electricity. Also, without consuming any electricity, the electronic paper can store images that it has displayed once for long periods.
The prototypes that Maxell and Hitachi have developed have two kinds of display. The display for showing storage capacity remaining uses segment type electronic paper that is suitable for displaying letters or symbols, while the other kind of display uses dot matrix type electronic paper that enables the display of higher-definition letters and photographs. In addition to displaying file names and thumbnails written to the iVDR, the dot matrix type can display two-dimensional barcode and is compatible with large-volume iVDR search systems. Maxell plans to introduce a commercial-use iVDR with heightened shock resistance, iVDR Xtreme, in December 2008.
