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Sony Announces Double Layer 16x DVD Burners

DVD-R/W, DVD+R/RW, DVD-RAM

Sony Announces Double Layer 16x DVD Burners

Postby Ian on Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:41 am

SONY HITS SWEET 16X WITH NEW DVD BURNERS

Now Available, Sony's Seventh-Generation DVD Burners Boast Six-Minute Burn Time

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 23, 2004 - Sony Electronics is upping the ante for DVD recording with its second generation of DVD+R Double Layer (DL) burners that support 16X DVD+R recording.

Burning a full write-once single layer disc in approximately six minutes, the Sony internal DRU-710A and external DRX-710UL drives make great options for consumers interested in high-speed burning and substantial storage capacity at an attractive price.

The 710 series marks Sony's seventh generation of Dual RW drives, and can also support 16X DVD+R, 8X DVD-R, 4X DVD±RW, 48X CD-R and 24X CD-RW recording speeds.

With 2.4X DVD+R DL recording, users can burn up to four hours of high-quality MPEG-2 video or up to 8.5 GB of data, music and/or images on compatible DVD+R DL media. This is equivalent to about seven days of music without a commercial break.

In addition, the latest duo of high-speed burners feature an unmatched software bundle from Nero, providing users with a comprehensive suite of tools for burning and authoring home movies, creating digital scrapbooks, and backing up crucial data.

"As we reach the physical limitations of DVD recording speeds and the price of drives continue to drop, now is a great time for consumers who have been waiting on the sidelines to take the DVD burner plunge," said Robert DeMoulin, marketing manager for branded storage products in Sony Electronics' IT Products Division. "Sony's DVD burners stand out as a solid and reliable choice for first-time buyers and DVD burning veterans alike."

The internal DRU-710A drive comes with an ATAPI interface for easy installation inside a PC and includes a black replacement bezel for those with black-colored PC cases. The external DRX-710UL drive features a radical, stylish and space-efficient design, and offers connectivity with both i.LINK® (IEEE 1394) and hi-speed USB (USB 2.0) digital interfaces for simple set-up and maximum flexibility.

DVD and CD Software Suite

Both of Sony's Double Layer drives come bundled with award-winning Nero® DVD video authoring software, as well as with DVD/CD burning software for creation of data, music, and video DVDs and CDs. The full-featured software suite also includes packet-writing software for users to easily record files and folders by dragging to the icon of a DVD+RW/CD-RW disc. All tasks and applications are accessible via the unique Nero StartSmart launcher, which serves as the ultimate command center, giving the user one-click access to all programs in the package. The software suite includes:

AHEAD Nero® Burning ROM 6 SE and Nero Express® 6 CD/DVD mastering software for data, audio and CD/DVD writing and copying;

AHEAD Nero VisionExpress 2 VCD/SVCD and DVD authoring software for advanced video capturing, authoring, full video editing and photo slideshow creation; users can crop, clean up, add special effects to photos and then add transitions and a soundtrack, as well as cut, edit, dub, and turn videos into Hollywood-style masterpieces;

AHEAD InCD® 4 packet writing software for formatting rewritable discs so they can be used like large floppy disks with drag-and-drop capability;

AHEAD Nero ShowTime™ DVD-Video playing software for viewing DVD movies and personal video projects, along with MPEG-4 compatibility;

AHEAD Nero BackItUp backup software for complete PC backup, with an easy-to-use wizard interface for multiple backup modes, automatically scheduled backups, and backups spanning several CDs or DVDs;

AHEAD Nero MediaPlayer / Wave Editor management/jukebox software and audio editing software for audio file creation with various filters and effects;

AHEAD Nero Cover Designer disc label creation software for creating individual CD/DVD covers and labels; and

AHEAD Nero Toolkit drive tool software for critical media and drive analysis used by drive manufacturers worldwide.

Availability and Pricing

The internal DRU-710A is currently shipping to retailers for an estimated selling price of under $180, while the external DRX-710UL is expected to ship in October for an estimated selling price of under $280. Sony DVD/CD rewritable 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, along with easy operation in addition to toll-free customer and technical service, Monday through Saturday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CT. The company also provides a one-year limited warranty from the original date of purchase.

Specifications for Sony's New 710 Series of Dual RW Drives

Sony DRU-710A DVD/CD Rewritable Drive
ATAPI (EIDE) internal interface
DVD+R DL: 2.4X CLV (max.) writing
DVD+R: 16X CAV (max.) writing
DVD+RW: 4X CLV (max.) rewriting
DVD-R: 8X Z-CLV (max.) writing
DVD-RW: 4X CLV (max.) rewriting
DVD-ROM reading (single layer): 16X CAV (max.)
DVD-ROM reading (dual layer): 8X CAV (max.)
CD-R: 48X CAV (max.) writing
CD-RW: 24X Z-CLV (max.) rewriting
CD-ROM: 48X CAV (max) reading
Dimensions: 145.8 x 41.3 x 165 mm - excluding bezel (W x H x L)
1" shorter depth than standard form factor
Compatible with Microsoft® Windows® 2000 / Windows XP
Burst data transfer rate: 66.6 MB/s max. Ultra DMA66
Random access time: 140 ms (CD-ROM), 135 ms (DVD-ROM)
Buffer memory: 2 MB
Buffer under-run error protection technology: Sony Power-Burn™ conformed
Recording method (CD): Disc at Once, Track at Once, Session at Once, Packet Writing
(DVD): Random Access Write (DVD+RW/DVD-RW/CD-RW), Sequential Write (DVD+R/+R DL/+RW, DVD-R/-RW/CD-R/RW)
Compatible disc format: DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD+R DL, DVD+RW, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD-R, CD-ROM, CD-DA, Video CD, Photo CD (multi-session), CD TEXT, CD Extra, and others

Sony DRX-710UL DVD/CD Rewritable Drive
Hi-Speed USB (USB2.0) and i.LINK® external interfaces
Full Speed USB (USB1.1) compatible with lower write/read performance
DVD+R DL: 2.4X CLV (max.) writing
DVD+R: 16X CAV (max.) writing
DVD+RW: 4X CLV (max.) rewriting
DVD-R: 8X Z-CLV (max.) writing
DVD-RW: 4X CLV (max.) rewriting
DVD-ROM reading (single layer): 16X CAV (max.)
DVD-ROM reading (dual layer): 8X CAV (max.)
CD-R: 48X CAV (max.) writing
CD-RW: 24X Z-CLV (max.) rewriting
CD-ROM: 48X CAV (max) reading
Dimensions: 52 x 164 x 234 mm (W x H x L)
Compatible with Microsoft® Windows® 2000 / Windows XP
Burst data transfer rate: USB: 480 Mbit/s max; i.LINK interface: 400 Mbit/s max
Random access time: 140 ms (CD-ROM), 135 ms (DVD-ROM)
Buffer memory: 2 MB
Buffer under-run error protection technology: Sony Power-Burn conformed
Recording method (CD): Disc at Once, Track at Once, Session at Once, Packet Writing
(DVD): Random Access Write (DVD+RW/DVD-RW/CD-RW), Sequential Write (DVD+R/+R DL/+RW, DVD-R/-RW/CD-R/RW)
Compatible disc format: DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD+R DL, DVD+RW, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD-R, CD-ROM, CD-DA, Video CD, Photo CD (multi-session), CD TEXT, CD Extra, and others
"Blu-ray is just a bag of hurt." - Steve Jobs
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Postby Ian on Mon Aug 23, 2004 12:04 pm

And here are the pictures...

Image

Image

I haven't compared the dimentions, but I'm fairly certain that these drives are based on Lite-On's new 16x drive.
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Postby rdgrimes on Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:04 pm

From the LO site:
145.0 ( W ) x 41.3 ( H ) x 170.0 ( D ) mm
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Postby bobmitchell on Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:20 pm

Maybe too little, too late! I like the single layer speeds...but why would I want to pay a lot more for a Sony with 2.4 DL Burn vs NEC with 4X DL. Both do 16X CAV...no advantage to the Sony

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Postby rdgrimes on Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:23 pm

Not to mention the fact that discs burned in the NEC are actually readable. :roll:
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Postby MadBurner on Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:38 pm

I agree. Looks like Sony missed the mark with this one!

Hopefully, Plextor doesn't follow the same path :roll:

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Postby Ian on Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:28 pm

rdgrimes wrote:From the LO site:
145.0 ( W ) x 41.3 ( H ) x 170.0 ( D ) mm


Hmm.. makes you wonder if these are based on OptoRite designs again.
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Postby rdgrimes on Mon Aug 23, 2004 3:05 pm

Ian wrote:
rdgrimes wrote:From the LO site:
145.0 ( W ) x 41.3 ( H ) x 170.0 ( D ) mm


Hmm.. makes you wonder if these are based on OptoRite designs again.


AFAIK, the Optorite are much longer. I know of no other chassis that is that short.. The difference might be the face plate. Or someone is using a stretchy ruler. #-o
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Postby WavyGRavy on Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:28 pm

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Postby Ian on Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:56 pm



Yes, that's where rdgrimes got his dimensions from.
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Sony DRX-700UL ?'s

Postby Tank79 on Tue Aug 24, 2004 11:45 am

I just bought the 700 version (8x, not 16x) from Best Buy (i got a good deal), and I'm having troubles with it being unrecognized as a USB device. I emailed their tech support, nothing back yet.

Aside from that, would I notice a big difference on the 16x vs 8x burning speed? I mean, 8x + media is just now starting to pop up. And how long will it take for 4x DL media to get here. I guess what i'm wondering is will i regret this buy in a year or so? I do need an external drive, so I think the NEC one is out.
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Postby Ian on Tue Aug 24, 2004 12:26 pm

Just a heads up.. if these Sony drives are anything like Memorex's SOHW-1633 drive, they will require 16x DVD+R media.

Tank79, the writing times are't quite cut in half, however you will save a couple of minutes at 16x. No, 4x DL media isn't available yet, but some drives can write to 2.4x media at 4x.
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Postby Tank79 on Tue Aug 24, 2004 1:00 pm

Have people had good luck w/ Sony external drives in the past, generally? If it is built on the Lite-on drive, is that a positive or a negative? I know the Sony got a good review on the site.
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