I/OMagic announced today that it will begin shipping its next generation of DVD drives for sale in the North American marketplace in September 2004.

I/OMagic's new Internal 16X DVD+/-RW+/-R Dual Format Double Layer Drive consolidates DVD rewritable technology into one unit that offers the ability to read and write popular formats -- including DVD+R and DVD+R double layer, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD-R and CD-RW -- and allows users the freedom to choose the DVD or CD format that is most compatible with their personal computers or home DVD players. In addition, I/OMagic's new 16X Double Layer drive allows storage of up to twice as much data using DVD double layer (DL) media -- allowing up to 8.5GB(1) of storage.

"We believe that our new 16X Double Layer drive will help consumers avoid confusion over what type of media to buy and the differences between the various DVD formats. Our new 16X Double Layer drive combines many DVD and CD formats into one flexible solution," said Tony Andrews, Vice President of Engineering and Product Development for I/OMagic Corporation. "And to make our new 16X Double Layer drive even better, we've employed double layer technology which allows users to store up to 8.5GB(1) of music, photos, movies or other data."

I/OMagic's new 16X Double Layer drive will write at 16X speeds using DVD+R and DVD-R media and at 2.4X speeds using DVD+R double layer (DL) media. The drive also includes both white and black faceplates and software to enable users to create and edit videos, burn DVDs and CDs in various popular formats, and play or view, as well as store, music, photos and movies on either DVDs or CDs. I/OMagic's new 16X Double Layer drive supports Windows XP/2000/Me/98SE operating systems.

I/OMagic anticipates shipping its new 16X Double Layer drive in September 2004 at an introductory suggested retail price of $149.99.