Sony Electronics offered a new optical recorder for medical professionals on Friday, allowing hospitals to record medical procedures in full high-definition resolution.

Sony's HD products are helping to improve all levels of medical visualization, said George Santanello, Sony Electronics' director of marketing for medical products. With the advent of surgical HD camera systems, the recorder will prove to be an invaluable tool offering the bandwidth and storage capacity required for recording HD content.

The new device - first introduced at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in Chicago in October - can record and store up to two hours of HD footage on an optical disk. Users can quickly scroll through the data with the aid of the device's 3.5 LCD screen, allowing points of interest to be identified, a speedier method than manually winding through tape.

The Sony PDW-70MD recorder, is available through Sony resellers at a suggested list price of $14,995.

Electronics Sony