Sony Electronics introduced two new Dual RW drives that support 4X DVD+RW recording. According to the company, its RW drives are the first combination drives for the PC to support the DVD+RW, DVD+R, DVD-RW and DVD-R formats.

Sony's next-generation Dual RW drives, the internal DRU-510A and the external DRX-510UL, are the company's first DVD+R/DVD+RW drives capable of recording to compatible 4X DVD+RW discs at up to 4X speeds, which should enable users to burn a 4X DVD+RW certified disc in about 15 minutes.

The drives also support up to 4X DVD+R and DVD-R recording, as well as 2X DVD-R, 24X CD-R and 16X CD-RW recording. The recordable DVD format can store up to 4.7 gigabytes of digital video, images or data. Equivalent to that of seven CD discs.

peripherals - Sony's 4x DVD+RW Capable Drives

Like their predecessors, the DRU-510A and DRX-510UL combine the DVD-rewritable (DVD+RW/-RW) formats with the DVD write-once (DVD+R/-R) formats. By allowing consumers to write to all of the popular DVD and CD standards, Sony's Dual RW drives may eliminate the confusion and risk associated with DVD recording.

The internal DRU-510A drive comes with an ATAPI interface for easy installation inside a PC, while the external DRX-510UL drive features both an i.LINK (IEEE 1394) and a hi-speed USB (USB 2.0) interface for simple set-up and maximum flexibility.

Both Dual RW drives come with DVD/CD burning and video editing, authoring and mastering software. The software suite also includes backup and packet-writing software for users to create custom backup discs of up to 4.7 gigabytes of audio, video and data, along with software to organize music files on a PC and record them onto a CD or DVD.

The software suite includes:

• VERITAS RecordNow DX mastering software that allows users to create custom CDs and DVDs, in addition to creating backup copies of CDs or DVD-ROMs;
  
• VERITAS Simple Backup which is backup and data recovery software that provides users backup and disaster recovery capabilities;
  
• VERITAS DLA packet-writing software that enables users to format, drag-and-drop or delete files similar to a hard drive or floppy disk;
  
• Sonic Solutions MyDVD authoring software that allows users to transfer home videos to customized DVD-video and Video CD discs;
  
• Arcsoft ShowBiz video editing software for customizing video footage with easy import/export to and from the Sonic Solutions MyDVD software;
  
• CyberLink PowerDVD DVD-Video playing software that enables interactive viewing of both DVD-Video and Video CD discs on a PC;
  
• MUSICMATCH Jukebox personal music system to play, record, organize and discover new music with a guide to thousands of streams of personalized music programming.

Availability, Pricing and Warranty
The internal DRU-510A Dual RW drive will be available in early May for an estimated retail price of under $350, and the external DRX-510UL model will be available in June for less than $430. Sony DVD/CD rewritable drives are sold through resellers and retailers nationwide, mail order catalogs, and select online shopping sites, including SonyStyle.com.

4/9/03 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff