Reprinted from a Sony press release:
Sony Electronics is extending its leadership in the DVD drive market with two new Dual RW drives that support 4X DVD+RW recording. Sony’s award-winning Dual 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 first DVD+R/DVD+RW drives in the industry capable of recording to compatible 4X DVD+RW discs at up to 4X speeds, which enables users to burn a full 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, making them among the fastest and most proficient on the market.
The recordable DVD format can store up to 4.7 gigabytes of digital video, images or data. Equivalent to that of seven CD discs, this robust capacity allows users to store thousands of digital photographs or more than two hours of DVD quality digital video footage.
Like their predecessors, the DRU-510A and DRX-510UL combine the DVD-rewriteable (DVD+RW/-RW) formats with the DVD write-once (DVD+R/-R) formats for the utmost in recording functionality and playback compatibility. By allowing consumers to write to all of the popular DVD and CD standards, Sony’s Dual RW drives eliminate the confusion and risk traditionally associated with DVD recording.
Already generating high demand, IDC predicts the DVD recorder market will grow to almost 90 million units in 2006.
“We expect that mainstream PC users will adopt the technology this year,” said Wolfgang Schlichting, research director, removable storage for IDC. “Multi-format drives will appeal to users who want a safe bet in a market confused by competing formats, and they also let users take advantage of the lowest media price independent of media type.”
“The DRU-510A and DRX-510UL drives offer users the best in DVD recording speeds and playback compatibility, and pack in a comprehensive software bundle,” said Robert DeMoulin, marketing manager for branded storage products in Sony Electronics’ IT Products Division. “Whether users are looking to create write-once discs to inexpensively share home movies with relatives, or rewriteable discs to quickly back up a year’s worth of work, our Dual RW drives offer an all-in-one solution for digital recording.”
Testament to their solid performance, awards for Sony’s dual format drives continue to mount. The first-generation internal DRU-500A drive earned PC Magazine’s Best of the Year honor in January, the CNET Editors’ Choice award in February, and PC World’s Best Buy distinction in the April issue of this year.
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.
DVD & CD Software Suite
Both Dual RW drives come with DVD/CD burning and video editing, authoring and mastering software. The full-featured software suite also includes backup and packet-writing software for users to easily 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:
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 rewriteable drives are sold through resellers and retailers nationwide, mail order catalogs, and select online shopping sites, including SonyStyle.com.
Sony supports what it calls “worry-free” installation and easy operation with toll-free customer and technical service, Monday through Saturday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CST, along with a one-year limited warranty from the original date of purchase.
Specifications for the New Dual RW Drives
Sony DRU-510A DVD/CD Rewriteable Drive
Sony DRX-510UL DVD/CD Rewriteable Drive
