Four companies ALL announced 4x DVD+R DL (meaning 16x DVD+R) writing drives o­n the same day. Those companies are:

-Logitec
-Buffalo
-IO Data
-Pioneer

Coincidence? Since they all use the Pioneer drive, no.

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Logitec Corporation announced the release of two external DVD±R/RW drives today, both of which support writing DVD+R DL at 4x, and DVD±R at 16x. They will be released in the back part of July; the price of neither drive has been decided.

What has been decided, however, is the drives ability to write 8.5GB of information to a dual layered DVD+R media at a 4x speed. When compared with the current 2.4x DL writing drives at 43 minutes, the Logitec drive takes o­nly 26 minutes.

Also, DVD±R discs can be written at 16x. The drive uses the "6-8-12-16x Zone CLV System" that will increase the writing speed as the drive writes from the inside of of the disc itself towards the outside.

The "LDR-CA160FU2/M" is a IEEE 1394/USB 2.0 Macintosh model, and it will be released in the first part of August. Mac OS X and Mac OS 9 writing software is include.

The "LDR-CA160U2" is a USB 2.0 supporting model for Windows machines, and will be released in the back part of June. In addition to the "B's Recorder GOLD BASIC Ver.7" writing software, many softwares such as backup software is included.

Both of the drives contain the Pioneer "DVR-108." As they use highly radiant aluminium casings, they are fanless drives. Functions to power the device from both PC and drive are also included.

The size is 158 x 252 x 50mm (W x D x H).



Inspired by:
http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2004/0713/logitec.htm

Press Release:
http://www.logitec.co.jp/press/2004/0713.html

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Buffalo Corporation will release 3 models in two products of the "DVM-RD16 series" DVD±R 16x, DVD+R 4x drives.

The ATAPI internal "DVM-RD16FB" and a black bezel version of the same drive, the "DVM-RD16DB/B" will be released in the first part of August, for 19,845 yen. An external "DVM-RD16U2" USB 2.0 model will be released in the middle of August for 24,360 yen. Supported operating systems are Windows 98 SE, ME, 2000, and XP.

Using the "DVR-108" Pioneer drive, these drives support writing DVD+R DL discs at 4x, and DVD±R discs at 16x. According to Buffalo, a 4.7GB DVD±R disc can be recorded in 7 minutes, and a 8.5GB DVD+R DL disc can be recorded in 27 minutes.

Other write speeds are DVD±RW at 4x, CD-R at 32x, and CD-RW at 24x. The read speed of DVD-RAM is 2x, DVD-ROM 16x, and CD-ROM, 40x.

This drive features a function to increase the compatibility of playback in standard DVD players for DVD+R DL written discs. Also, using the "CinePlayer2" DVD playback software, CPRM playback is supported.

Included software runs from "MyDVD Ver.6" DVD authoring software to "Photoshop Album 2.0 Mini" image management software.

The external DVM-RD16U2 model has a size of 160 x 279 x 55mm (W x D x H), and a weight of 1.8kg. A USB cable and vertical stand are included.



Inspired by:
http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2004/0713/buffalo.htm

Press Release:
http://buffalo.melcoinc.co.jp/products/new/2004/027_2.html

Press Release:
http://buffalo.melcoinc.co.jp/products/new/2004/027_1.html

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IO Data Device Corporation will release two of the industry's first DVD±R/RW writing drive supporting DVD±R writing at 16x, and DVD+R DL writing at 4x, before the end of July.

The price of the internal ATAPI "DVR-ABP16W" will be 19,845 yen, and the external "DVR-UEP16W" will cost 25,410 yen. Supported operating systems are Windows ME, 2000, and XP.

This is a DVD±R/RW drive that uses Pioneer's "DVR-108." DVD+R DL 2.4x media is said to be able to written at 4x, and likewise for 8x DVD±R media - it can be written at 16x. According to a measurement by IO Data Device, writing a DVD+R DL disc at 4x takes 27 minutes, and writing a DVD±R disc at 16x takes 7 minutes.

Other write speeds include DVD±RW at 4x, CD-R at 32x, and CD-RW at 24x. The read speed of DVD-ROM is 16x, and CD-ROM 40x. The external DVR-UEP16W features a function to automatically turn o­n and off with the power of the PC. Both the internal and external models can be operated vertically.

Included handling software is "DVD MovieWriter 4 SE for I-O Data," "B's Recorder GOLD BASIC Ver.7," "B's CLiP5," "Photoshop Album 2.0 Mini," etc.. Also included is the "M-Tray" utility that can identify the type of media inside the drive at a glance.

The size of the DVR-UEP16W is 162 x 268 x 50mm (W x D x H), and it has a weight of 1.8kg. An AC adapter, USB cable, and IEEE 1394 cable are included.



Inspired by:
http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2004/0713/iodata.htm

Press Release:
http://www.iodata.jp/news/2004/07/dvr-abp16w.htm

Press Release:
http://www.iodata.jp/news/2004/07/dvr-uep16w.htm

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Pioneer Corporation will release the "DVR-A08-J" internal ATAPI drive capable of writing DVD+R DL discs at 4x and DVD±R discs at 16x in the back part of July.

All of the models are Open Price, and the estimated retail price is about 20,000 yen. Supported operating systems are Windows 2000 (SP3) and XP (SP1). White, black, and silver bezel models will be made available.

Following o­n the foundation left by the DVR-A07-J, the pickup has been changed giving it a higher precision, and this is a faster product. Also featured is originally developed (by Pioneer) aspects such as the "Smart Laser Driver" preserving recording quality by protecting against the signal from slipping during high speed recording, and the "Liquid Crystal Aberration Mechanism" that corrects problems arising as a result of warps or thin sections o­n discs.

Newly supported is the ability to write DVD+R DL discs at 4x, as opposed to the 2.4x of yore. Also, DVD±R 16x can be used o­n media supporting 8x recording. Of course, media tested by the company for this is recommended. According to Pioneer, this is the world's first DVD+R DL 4x/DVD±R 16x drive. New media is planned to be supported via firmware update.

Other writing speeds include DVD±RW at 4x, CD-R at 32x, and CD-RW at 24x. The read speed of DVD-RAM is 2x, DVD-ROM 16x, and CD-ROM 40x. It has a 2MB buffer.

This drive also inherits quietness characteristics from its successors such as the honeycomb construction of the top part, and the "Advance Quiet Firmware" that adjusts the disc rotation speed automatically.

Included software is "MyDVD," "RecordNow," "DLA," "CinePlayer," "Simple BackUp," etc. Also included is the "quieting utility" previously o­nly offered by download via Pioneer's webiste.

The size of the drive is 148 x 198 x 42.3mm (W x D x H), and it has a weight of 1.1kg. Since there may be situations in which these measurements cannot fit into a standard 5 inch drive bay o­n some PCs, a 130 x 15.6mm (W x H) exchange tray panel is included.



Inspired by:
http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2004/0713/pioneer.htm

Press Release:
http://www.pioneer.co.jp/press/release451-j.html