Sony to release first DVD+RW/DVD-RW drives

by News Editor
Published on Sep 8, 2002 12:00 AM



The new Dual RW drives, the internal DRU-500A and the external DRX-500UL, encompass four popular DVD recording formats for the utmost in recording functionality and playback compatibility.

By combining the DVD rewritable (DVD+RW/-RW) formats with the DVD write- once (DVD+R/-R) formats, the Dual RW drives allow computer users to transfer home movies from tape to DVD discs, customize and edit them for a personal touch, and then play them back in nearly all DVD-Video players and DVD-ROM drives.

Sony's new drives are also the industry's first to support up to 4X DVD-R recording, making them the fastest DVD rewritable drives on the market. In addition, the drives support 2.4X DVD+RW/+R recording and 2X DVD-RW recording. It is expected that 4X DVD-R and 2X DVD-RW media will become available in the near future.

The internal Sony DRU-500A drive comes with an ATAPI interface for easy installation inside a PC, while the external Sony DRX-500UL drive features both an IEEE1394 (firewire/i.Link) and a USB 2.0 interface for simple set-up and maximum flexibility.

The DRU-500A DVD/CD rewritable drive will be available in October for an estimated retail price of under $350, and the Sony DRX-500UL will be available in November for less than $430.