A DVD recorder …with versatility. Bloomberg Boot Camp, a report on today's technology. If you don't have a DVD burner built into your PC…it's easy to add one. The easiest way is to buy an external drive that plugs into a USB port. The latest model from Sony can do that job…and lots more. The MC1 can act as a stand alone recorder…no PC necessary…to record video directly from a camcorder….and it can record digital still images into a slide slow….through built in memory card slots. Marketing manager Bob DeMoulin…says the MC1 also has a 2 inch color LCD screen…

"That's an important part because the existing product, you have an LCD screen, but it's just for settings and so forth. This screen actually shows you content. So say you want to record some photos onto DVD. We support the five major memory card types that are out there. So we support XD, SD, w support Compact Flash, Sony's Memory Stick and also Sony's Memory Stick Duo. So all you have to do is stick in a recordable disc, and it's got a really nice little on screen UI here that tells you what to do. So you want to record a photo DVD, just simply select that…and it says great, stick in your memory."

One drawback, even with the built in memory card slots, the MC1 won't work as a memory card reader when it's plugged into your PC. On the plus side, Sony has paid attention to style. The list price…about three hundred dollars. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.