(NAPSA)—Depending on your “initial” reaction to the advances in digital versatile disc (DVD) technology, it may help to learn the differences among the various formats—particularly when choosing a DVD recordable drive for your computer. DVD-R—DVDRecordable, also known as “DVD dash R.” Good low-cost, widely compatible media for distribution of video or up to 4.7GB of data. Write-once disc can be incrementally added to, but not erased. DVD-RW—DVD ReWritable, also known as “DVD dash RW.” This format is partially compatible with modern DVD players and DVD-ROM drives. Can be used only for recording audio and video streams. DVD+RW—DVDplus ReWritable. This format is fully compatible with DVD players and DVD- ROMdrives, and can be used both for video recording and for data storage. DVD+R—DVDplus Recordable. Similar to DVD+RW, but as with DVD-R, blank media can be recorded incrementally, but not erased. Highest performancewriteonce format currently available. Fortunately for consumers— especially those who aren’t experts in electronics—there’s now a pair of DVD drives that support all four formats. These devices take the guesswork out of DVDrecording from the PC, making it easier for users to create video and data DVDs. By combining the DVD rewritable with the DVD write-oncefor- Two new DVD drives help solve the problem of multiple disc formats, for easier storage and use. mats, Sony’s new DRU-500A and DRX-500UL 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 DVDROM drives. In addition, these two drives are the industry’s first to support 4X DVD-R and DVD+Rrecording, making them the fastest DVD rewritable drives on the market. Each also supports 24X CD-R and 10X CD-RW recording, using high-speed CD-RW discs, making them excellent all-in-one recording devices. The internal DRU-500A drive comes with an ATAPIinterface for easy installation inside a PC, while the external DRX-500UL drive features both an i.LINK and a USB 2.0 interface for simple setup and maximumflexibility. To learn more about these DVD drives, visit the Web site at www.storagebysony.com.
