COMDEX/Toshiba leads the way with DVD technology, announces first DVD-ROM drive.LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 19, 1996-- Editor's Summary: -0- -- Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., Disk Products Division (TAIS TAIS Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. TAIS Tactical Airspace Integration System (US Army) TAIS Target Architecture and Implementation Strategy TAIS Texas Apiary Inspection Service DPD DPD Department of Planning and Development DPD Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase DPD Dead Peer Detection (Cisco) DPD Division of Parasitic Diseases (US CDC) DPD Dominant Wave Period DPD Drug Product Database ) -- a leading developer of DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. technology -- introduces its SD-M1002 DVD-ROM DVD-ROM: see digital versatile disc. A read-only DVD disc used to permanently store data files. DVD-ROM discs are widely used to distribute large software applications that exceed the capacity of a CD-ROM disc. drive at COMDEX/Fall '96. -- Samples are available now, with volume production for large quantity shipments in January 1997. -- OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and pricing for the SD-M1002 begins at $350. -- SD-M1002 provides all the benefits of DVD: all-digital video and audio playback, fast data transfer for interactive applications, high on-line storage, reliable data retrieval, movie-viewing capabilities, backward compatibility See backward compatible. (jargon) backward compatibility - Able to share data or commands with older versions of itself, or sometimes other older systems, particularly systems it intends to supplant. with existing CD format and compatibility with future DVD formats There are several competing DVD Formats: Non-recordable formats
-- End-users will find Toshiba's DVD-ROM drives in computer systems and on retail shelves during Q1 1997. -- Toshiba's DVD-ROM drives will be sold to the after-market as part of a multimedia upgrade kit An earlier package of hardware and software that turned a standard PC into a multimedia PC. It included a CD-ROM drive, sound card, speakers, cables, drivers as well as multimedia applications. See CD-ROM audio cable. from Diamond Multimedia. -0- Toshiba Intros First DVD-ROM Drive; Announces January Ship Date Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., Disk Products Division (TAIS DPD) on Tuesday introduced Toshiba's first DVD-ROM drive, the SD-M1002, at COMDEX/Fall '96. Toshiba, the leading developer of DVD-ROM technology, will begin quantity shipments of the SD-M1002 DVD-ROM drive in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. in January 1997. Toshiba's DVD-ROM Drive Sets Industry Benchmark for Reliability Toshiba's new SD-M1002 DVD-ROM drive promises to set the industry benchmark for reliability. Similarities in CD-ROM drive A device that holds and reads CD-ROM discs. CD-ROM drives generally also play audio CD discs by sending analog sound to the sound card via a 4-pin cable. For specifications of 10x, 20x, etc. drives, see CD-ROM drives. See CD-ROM, CD-ROM changer, CD-ROM server and CD-ROM audio cable. and DVD-ROM drive design and manufacturing processes allow Toshiba to extend to its DVD-ROM drives the same reliability attributes that have made Toshiba's CD-ROM drives CD-ROM drives, which today typically means a CD-RW drive that is a combo CD-ROM, CD-R and CD-RW drive, come in a variety of speeds. The original drive (1x) transferred data at 150KB per second. the most reliable in the industry. "As the leading developer of DVD technology, Toshiba already has a clear advantage over several other manufacturers," said Scott Smith Scott Smith is the name of:
MTBF - Mean Time Between Failures ). DVD -- The Most Versatile Technology Ever "DVD fulfills the promise of multimedia," said Smith. "It is the first technology to bridge the gap between the computer and consumer electronic industries through its ability to support all types of content." DVD technology offers disc storage capacities of 4.7GB (single data layer single-sided), 8.5GB (dual data layer, single-sided), 9.4GB (single data layer, dual-sided) and 17GB (dual data layer, dual-sided) -- which is seven to 25 times the capacity of a CD. Combined with this disc capacity is support of MPEG-2 video and Dolby_ Digital Surround Sound An audio recording and playback system that uses five or more channels plus a subwoofer channel. See 5.1 channel and 3D audio. AC-3 audio. DVD Ideal for All Types of Content "DVD will be the format of choice for full-length Hollywood or studio-produced movies, audio recording, computer and interactive games, educational applications, databases, and more," said Smith. SD-M1002 Designed for Easy Integration The SD-M1002 DVD-ROM was designed with an ATAPI (AT Attachment Packet Interface) The specification for ATA (IDE) tape drives and CD-ROMs. See IDE. ATAPI - AT Attachment Packet Interface (enhanced IDE) interface to facilitate the drive's integration into today's desktop computer systems and multimedia upgrade kits. For integration and set-up flexibility, the drives may be mounted horizontally or vertically. Performance Specifications The new internal SD-M1002 drive offers a fast 140ms average random seek, 220ms average random access and a sustained data transfer rate of 1,350KB/sec. The SD-M1002 drive supports synchronous burst transfers of 13.3MB/sec under DMA (1) (Digital Media Adapter) See digital media hub. (2) (Document Management Alliance) A specification that provides a common interface for accessing and searching document databases. multiword Mode 1, and 11.1MB/sec under PIO Mode 3. The SD-M1002 drive features a 256KB buffer for optimized data transfer. SD-M1002 DVD-ROM Drive Reads All DVD Discs The SD-M1002 drive is capable of reading all capacity DVD discs -- and all types of data recorded on DVD discs -- including movies, music, games and data. The drive can also read CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). titles and play audio CDs, allowing consumers to continue to enjoy their existing software and music disc libraries. To accommodate future DVD formats, the SD-M1002 DVD-ROM drive will read DVD discs containing data recorded by write-once DVD-ROM drives. Dimensions, Weight and Power Consumption The SD-M1002 measures 41.5mm (h) x 146mm (w) x 192.5mm and weighs 0.93kg. The drive has an average power consumption of 6.6 watts. DVD Sets New Performance Baseline DVD sets a new baseline for performance. "The biggest performance benefits of DVD-ROM are the high capacity and its ability to maintain its 1,350KB/sec data transfer rate over the disc's entire capacity," said Smith. "This transfer extends to all types of content and all capacity DVD discs -- from the single-sided, single-layer 4.7GB disc up to the 17GB double-sided, dual-layer disc." With this capacity, users can enjoy 135 minutes of full motion video on a 4.7GB DVD disc. Drive Employs New Laser Technology The SD-M1002 DVD-ROM drive evolved from CD-ROM technology and uses similar components and manufacturing processes. However, DVD-ROM differs substantially from CD-ROM in the areas of laser and head pick-up technology. The SD-M1002 DVD-ROM drive uses a red laser with shorter wavelength to create a very small laser spot capable of precisely reading the dense data tracks and smaller data pits. The drive also incorporates an interchangeable dual-lens system to provide compatibility with existing CD discs. The drive also supports the motion picture industry's requirement for copy protection and features an advanced error-correction technique superior to that of CD-ROM drives. Boards and Titles Available As TAIS DPD introduces its SD-M1002 drive, several software developers and independent hardware developers have announced DVD titles and MPEG-2/AC-3 boards in support of DVD. Leading software developers including Activision, Electronic Arts, The Learning Company, Tsunami, Xiphias and others have already created approximately 15 to 20 interactive DVD-ROM applications, games and other software for DVD discs. Operating System Support for DVD Microsoft operating system support for DVD-ROM drives is planned for mid-1997. Until then, device drivers for specific DVD-ROM drive hardware will be employed for operating system compatibility concurrent with the launch of the DVD-ROM drives. Price and Availability Sales of Toshiba's SD-M1002 DVD-ROM drive will be primarily to OEMs and systems integrators. OEM pricing for the SD-M1002 begins at $350. Sample drives are available now with volume production beginning in January 1997. Availability of DVD-ROM in Computer Systems With initial OEM contracts secured, TAIS DPD expects its DVD-ROM drive will be available to end-users in computer systems and in upgrade kits during Q1 1997. End-users can expect to pay approximately $400 to $500 more for a PC with a DVD-ROM drive and MPEG-2 decoder over a similar system configured with a CD-ROM drive. Toshiba's DVD-ROM in Diamond Multimedia's Upgrade Kits Diamond Multimedia will market Toshiba's drive to end-users in a DVD multimedia upgrade kit. A new partnership between Diamond Multimedia and TAIS DPD, announced Nov. 11, makes Toshiba's SD-M1002 DVD-ROM drives part of Diamond's DVD solution. According to the agreement, Diamond will bundle Toshiba's SD-M1002 DVD-ROM drive in multimedia kits for distribution to resellers and retail outlets. Along with the SD-M1002 drives, the kits will include Diamond's PCI-based adapters featuring decoders for MPEG-2 video and Dolby Digital Surround Sound AC-3 audio and copy protect decryption (cryptography) decryption - Any procedure used in cryptography to convert ciphertext (encrypted data) into plaintext. hardware. Diamond's first retail DVD-ROM multimedia upgrade kit is expected to ship in early 1997. (For more information, contact Diamond Multimedia, Booth No. L882 or Joan Huang at 408/325-7236.) For More Information on Toshiba With headquarters in Irvine, Calif., and approximate annual sales of $3 billion, TAIS is comprised of seven divisions that manufacture and market a wide range of business and information-oriented products in the United States. Products include portable and desktop computers, DVD-ROM drives, CD-ROM drives, disk drives, plain paper copiers, facsimile systems, digital key telephones and PBX (Private Branch eXchange) An inhouse telephone switching system that interconnects telephone extensions to each other as well as to the outside telephone network (PSTN). systems, voice mail systems, and toner products. TAIS is an independent operating company operating company A business that engages in transactions with outsiders. , owned by Toshiba America Inc., a subsidiary of the $53.8 billion Toshiba Corp., the fifth largest computer and electronics manufacturer and the world's 36th largest corporation in terms of sales Terms of sale Conditions under which a firm proposes to sell its goods or services for cash or credit. . Toshiba Corp. is a world leader in high-technology products with 173 major consolidated subsidiaries worldwide. Toshiba's Disk Products Division The TAIS Disk Products Division markets a wide range of industry-standard Winchester, CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives in the United States. For additional product information, contact Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., Disk Products Division, 9740 Irvine Blvd., Irvine, Calif. 92618-1697; telephone 714/457-0777; or on the World Wide Web at: http://www.tais.com/taisdpd/ or http://www.toshiba.com. CONTACT: Karen Allen or Kelly Odle The Benjamin Group Inc. 714/753-0755 kallen@oc.tbgi.com or kodle@oc.tbgi.com |
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