Saturday, September 7, 2002
Sony Set to Unveil Multi-Format DVD Drive
Posted by Jason Dunn in "OFF-TOPIC" @ 10:22 AM
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,104372,tk,dn082302X,00.asp
I criticize Sony for being so proprietary all the time, so it seems strange to see them actually creating some a clever solution, but I give credit where it's due: Sony may have single-handedly given the DVD burning industry a massive boost. I had been wanting to buy a DVD burner for well over a year, but the warring standards frustrated me. I like to buy things that are established, so I know it's a good investment that I'll get at least a couple years use out of. The -R and +R wars were confusing to consumers - it seemed like -R had the momentum, but +R has made huge strides in the past six months. So which one does Joe Consumer buy? Sony has come up with the best solution possible until we have a single standard - a drive that reads and writes both -R and +R. Way to go Sony! Too bad I already bought my Pioneer A04 - oh well.
"Sony plans to unveil a DVD drive for personal computers that supports both of the battling formats, DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW, IDG News Service has learned. The new drive, which the company is planning to announce in the second week of September, is significant as it is the first product to feature support for two competing recordable DVD formats in a single device and will mean users no longer have to worry about buying equipment that could become obsolete should one format fail to gain mass acceptance. It also points to a further softening in the position of Sony, which one year ago said it had no plans to support the DVD-R/RW format in computer-related products.
At present, shopping for a recordable DVD drive means making a choice between one of two main formats: the DVD-R/RW family or the DVD+R/RW family. Both formats claim playback compatibility with existing DVD drives and DVD-Video players, although incompatibility between certain formats or brands and certain players is fairly common. A third format, DVD-RAM, is also available, but these discs are encased in a plastic cartridge making them more difficult to use in other DVD devices."
I criticize Sony for being so proprietary all the time, so it seems strange to see them actually creating some a clever solution, but I give credit where it's due: Sony may have single-handedly given the DVD burning industry a massive boost. I had been wanting to buy a DVD burner for well over a year, but the warring standards frustrated me. I like to buy things that are established, so I know it's a good investment that I'll get at least a couple years use out of. The -R and +R wars were confusing to consumers - it seemed like -R had the momentum, but +R has made huge strides in the past six months. So which one does Joe Consumer buy? Sony has come up with the best solution possible until we have a single standard - a drive that reads and writes both -R and +R. Way to go Sony! Too bad I already bought my Pioneer A04 - oh well.
"Sony plans to unveil a DVD drive for personal computers that supports both of the battling formats, DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW, IDG News Service has learned. The new drive, which the company is planning to announce in the second week of September, is significant as it is the first product to feature support for two competing recordable DVD formats in a single device and will mean users no longer have to worry about buying equipment that could become obsolete should one format fail to gain mass acceptance. It also points to a further softening in the position of Sony, which one year ago said it had no plans to support the DVD-R/RW format in computer-related products.
At present, shopping for a recordable DVD drive means making a choice between one of two main formats: the DVD-R/RW family or the DVD+R/RW family. Both formats claim playback compatibility with existing DVD drives and DVD-Video players, although incompatibility between certain formats or brands and certain players is fairly common. A third format, DVD-RAM, is also available, but these discs are encased in a plastic cartridge making them more difficult to use in other DVD devices."
