by Alan Sheckter, Videomaker news editor
Hewlett-Packard, Philips and Sony each showed off their first DVD+RW computer drives in Las Vegas this week, at COMDEX 2001. These combination drives, which also write CD-R and CD-RW discs, all reportedly list for under $700, and have all been released. Each DVD+RW drive comes bundled with Sonic Solutions’ MyDVD DVD-authoring software.
Philips demonstrated its DVDRW208 drive, HP exhibited its DVD100i, and Sony displayed its new DRU110A/C1 drive at the expo.
Ricoh also offers a DVD+RW combination drive, the MP5120A. Interestingly, a Philips representative told Videomaker that Ricoh is currently manufacturing Philips’ DVDRW208 drive, but the company plans to soon produce its own. Reportedly, Ricoh also manufactures HP’s DVD100i.
HP also announced the Pavilion 9995 PC, slated for a Nov. 18 release. The system, which comes with a $1,999 MSRP, is said to boast a P4 2GHz processor, 512MB RAM and an 80GB hard drive.
