Sony has taken the wraps off its new 840 series of dual-format DVD/CD drives, offering two models with what the company claims are the industry’s fastest recording speeds, and a third slim unit for notebook users. The two 840 series drives support recording speeds up to 20× DVD±R recording, meaning users can put up to 4.7 GB of data on standard 16× DVD+R recording media in about five minutes. The 840 drives offer 12× burn speeds on 8.5 GB dual layer DVD+$ and single-layer DVD+RW discs; all three burners also support CD-R/RW recording.
"Our new high speed drives were designed at the optimum price/performance level for consumers looking to store and share home movies, digital photos, and music," said Robert DeMoulin, marketing manager for branded storage products in Sony Electronics’ IT Products Division, in a release. "They are also fit for businesses deploying DVD video-based training and sharing large files, as well as for filmmakers creating prototypes on recordable/rewriteable DVD discs before proceeding with mass replication."
The internal DRU-840A offers an ATAPI interface for easy installation, and comes with a black faceplate for matching black PC cases, while the external DRX-840 offers a space-efficient vertical design and USB 2.0 connectivity. The super-slim DRX-S70U offers another option for notebook computer users, offering a USB 2.0 interface but only supporting 8× DVD±R recording speeds. The 840 series drives come with Nero 7 Express mastering software, while the slim S70U comes with a full version of the Nero 7 suite.
The internal DRU-840A is available now for about $70; the external DRX-840U should be available in September for about $110. The slim SRX-S70U should also ship in September, with a suggested price around $130.
