Panasonic Japan announced the VW-BN2 [JP] today, an external DVD burner that supports video recorded in the AVCHD format. The device allows you to burn your AVCHD video files directly from the camera (via USB 2.0) onto DVD. You can also use it to convert HD video quality into standard quality videos.

The maximum burning speed is 8x for DVD±R, 4x for DVD±R DL, 6x for DVD-RW, 8x for DVD+RW and 3x for DVD-RAM. The device is sized at 139×138.8×18mm and weighs 395g.

Panasonic plans to start selling the burner in Japan for $290 from December 25. No word yet on international sales plans.