Pioneer to start making Blu-ray recorders - Nikkei

TOKYO, July 8 (Reuters) - Pioneer Corp (6773.T) hopes to start bringing out Blu-ray DVD recorders within the year, the Nikkei business daily said on Tuesday, as the company takes aim at a rapidly growing market after the end of a bitter format war.

Pioneer's product, which it hopes to launch by the year-end shopping season, will be developed with Sharp Corp (6753.T) and make it the seventh Japanese manufacturer to enter the market for the high-definition DVD recorders, the Nikkei said.

Japan was at the heart of the format war, which pitted the Blu-ray discs championed by Sony Corp (6758.T) against Toshiba Corp's (6502.T) HD-DVD discs until movie studios lined up behind Blu-ray and its rival format bit the dust in February. (Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Chris Gallagher)