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-------------------------------------------------------------- This story was printed from ZDNet Australia. --------------------------------------------------------------
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First Look: Iomega DVD±RW EIDE drive June 19, 2003 URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/hardware/storage/soa/First-Look-Iomega-DVD-RW-EIDE-drive/0,139023427,120275563,00.htm
Iomega's writer which records in all the popular DVD/CD formats, including DVD-RAM, promises to whip up a storm of interest from videophiles. We take a first look at this do-it-all.It's official: All future DVD writers will feature multi-format support. Barely a month after the debut of its first-ever DVD writer, Iomega returns with a new optical drive that promises to raise the DVD recording bar another notch. Dubbed the Super Internal DVD Drive, the company's latest burner combines all the recordable DVD formats (DVD-R and DVD+R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM) into a single universal IDE unit. After the Hitachi/LG DVDÃ,±R/Ã,±RW/ RAM EIDE (which is currently sold only in Japan), the Iomega is probably the only other writer capable of recording onto all the major DVD formats. In terms of the total number of DVD/CD formats supported, this puts Iomega ahead of other competing drives like Sony's DRU-510 and TDK's Dual Format DVD Writer. Iomega's flexible format approach bodes well for consumers divided by the ongoing DVD standards wars: Users can now copy data onto any CD/DVD disc and not have to worry about niggling issues such as drive-media incompatibilities that plagued early-generation burners. Another part of the Iomega's appeal is its inherent support for DVD-RAM, a niche DVD format that's widely used by home video recorders to record High Definition Television (HDTV) programs, a popular pastime activity, apparently, in Japan. With the Iomega's fast DVD-RAM support, users of this niche format can easily transfer large data such as images and video onto a computer and other DVD/CD media. However, the drive supports single-layered (4.7GB) and dual-layered (9.4GB) RAM discs, but not cartridge-type DVD-RAMs. Specs-wise, the Iomega Super Internal DVD Drive features industry standard 4x recording speed for both DVD-R and DVD+R media. Rewritable DVD media, such as DVD+RW and DVD-RW, are recorded at a pace of 2.4x and 2x, respectively, while DVD-RAMs are processed at a record 3x. The drive also reads and writes CD-Rs at speeds of 32x and 24x, and CD-RWs at 32x and 16x. Iomega ships the drive with a full complement of software. The company bundles its own proprietary HotBurn Pro application for disc mastering, Sonic MyDVD for authoring DVD slideshows, Sonic CinePlayer for DVD playback, and MusicMatch Jukebox for organizing MP3s. Iomega also includes its DVD Solutions Wizard, an instructional program aimed at taking the guesswork out of selecting the right software and disc format, and guiding beginners through the intricacies of DVD mastering. The Super DVD Internal Drive is expected to ship in August at a retail price of US$330 (AU$490), and will make its Australia debut later in the year.
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