LaCie Enhances DVD-RAM/R Drive with New 2-chip FireWire Interface
LaCie is among the first to offer a combination DVD-RAM/R drive that incorporates FireWire connectivity. The new drive features all of the functionality of DVD-RAM and DVD-R drives, including optimum compatibility for media playback on today's DVD-ROM drives, DVD players and DVD recorders. Featuring LaCie's new two-chip, single firmware interface, the combo drive can be easily moved between FireWire-equipped systems.
LaCie's new DVD-RAM/R drive provides users with a single solution for home video, personal computer, business storage/archiving, prepress and graphic storage as well as development/testing of master DVDs. Using 4.7GB DVD-R General media, the LaCie combination drive provides a transfer rate of up to 11.08Mbps. With random-access 4.7GB DVD-RAM media, the drive delivers a data transfer rate of 22.16Mbps. Seek times for DVD-RAM are 75ms and 65ms for DVD-R, DVD-ROM or CD media.
By incorporating FireWire connectivity, the LaCie DVD-RAM/R drive can be connected to the Apple FireWire ports on the most recent Macintosh G4 workstations and Cubes, PowerBooks, and iMacDV systems as well as the 1394 ports of PCs with Windows 98 Second Edition or Windows 2000 (such as new models from Compaq and Sony).
The FireWire bus makes the drive hot-pluggable so it can quickly be moved from computer to computer without having to shut down or reboot the system. The drive automatically detects the system interface and configures the connection so the combination drive mounts as soon as it is plugged in.
The convenience of being able to easily move the drive between FireWire-equipped systems, plus the high capacity of the DVD-RAM and DVD-R media, will make the new LaCie drive especially popular with creative developers and videographers. The LaCie drive looks and behaves just like any other drive on the system, delivering exceptional reliability. Since there is no physical contact between the laser head and the media, no media damage can occur.
"This is the DVD solution professional graphics and video production people have been waiting for," said Scott Phillips, President of LaCie. "With a single drive, they have high-capacity, removable storage; and a choice of rewritabiity with hard drive-like random access, or secure write-once media that can easily shared."
By combining both rewritable and write-once DVD capabilities with flexible FireWire connectivity, LaCie's new DVD-RAM/R drive will meet the needs of consumers, businesses and content professionals for applications ranging from home movie authoring and editing to secondary data storage, image archiving, small-scale distribution, and backup.
The DVD-RAM bridge technology combines ease of use and the random-access performance of a hard drive with more than 100,000 write/rewrite cycles. With random-access, users can access specific files or video frames almost instantly. The rewritability and random-access also make DVD-RAM an excellent solution for backup and fast data recovery. In addition to writing and reading 2.6GB, 5.2GB, 4.7GB and 9.4GB DVD-RAM media, LaCie's DVD-RAM/R drive reads from discs currently accepted by CD-ROM, CD Audio, CD-R, CD-RW and video CD drives, as well as DVD-R, DVD-ROM drives.
The drive's write-once DVD-R General technology provides content developers, businesses and individuals with the security they need for recording and archiving volumes of information that cannot be altered or accidentally erased. In addition, the DVD-R discs can be played back on the installed base of DVD-ROM players, DVD players and DVD recorders making it fast and easy to share video content with others.
The LaCie FireWire DVD-RAM/R subsystems will be available in July through leading distributors and resellers across the country. Starting at $689, the external drives ship complete with cables, software drivers for Macintosh operating systems, one 4.7GB DVD-R General disc and one 4.7GB DVD-RAM disc. LaCie also offers 4.7GB DVD-R General media at $12 as well as DVD-RAM media at $25 for the single-sided 4.7GB disc, and $45 for the double-sided 9.4GB disc.
By incorporating FireWire connectivity, the LaCie DVD-RAM/R drive can be connected to the Apple FireWire ports on the most recent Macintosh G4 workstations and Cubes, PowerBooks, and iMacDV systems as well as the 1394 ports of PCs with Windows 98 Second Edition or Windows 2000 (such as new models from Compaq and Sony).
The FireWire bus makes the drive hot-pluggable so it can quickly be moved from computer to computer without having to shut down or reboot the system. The drive automatically detects the system interface and configures the connection so the combination drive mounts as soon as it is plugged in.
The convenience of being able to easily move the drive between FireWire-equipped systems, plus the high capacity of the DVD-RAM and DVD-R media, will make the new LaCie drive especially popular with creative developers and videographers. The LaCie drive looks and behaves just like any other drive on the system, delivering exceptional reliability. Since there is no physical contact between the laser head and the media, no media damage can occur.
"This is the DVD solution professional graphics and video production people have been waiting for," said Scott Phillips, President of LaCie. "With a single drive, they have high-capacity, removable storage; and a choice of rewritabiity with hard drive-like random access, or secure write-once media that can easily shared."
By combining both rewritable and write-once DVD capabilities with flexible FireWire connectivity, LaCie's new DVD-RAM/R drive will meet the needs of consumers, businesses and content professionals for applications ranging from home movie authoring and editing to secondary data storage, image archiving, small-scale distribution, and backup.
The DVD-RAM bridge technology combines ease of use and the random-access performance of a hard drive with more than 100,000 write/rewrite cycles. With random-access, users can access specific files or video frames almost instantly. The rewritability and random-access also make DVD-RAM an excellent solution for backup and fast data recovery. In addition to writing and reading 2.6GB, 5.2GB, 4.7GB and 9.4GB DVD-RAM media, LaCie's DVD-RAM/R drive reads from discs currently accepted by CD-ROM, CD Audio, CD-R, CD-RW and video CD drives, as well as DVD-R, DVD-ROM drives.
The drive's write-once DVD-R General technology provides content developers, businesses and individuals with the security they need for recording and archiving volumes of information that cannot be altered or accidentally erased. In addition, the DVD-R discs can be played back on the installed base of DVD-ROM players, DVD players and DVD recorders making it fast and easy to share video content with others.
The LaCie FireWire DVD-RAM/R subsystems will be available in July through leading distributors and resellers across the country. Starting at $689, the external drives ship complete with cables, software drivers for Macintosh operating systems, one 4.7GB DVD-R General disc and one 4.7GB DVD-RAM disc. LaCie also offers 4.7GB DVD-R General media at $12 as well as DVD-RAM media at $25 for the single-sided 4.7GB disc, and $45 for the double-sided 9.4GB disc.
