DISC Announces Breakthrough in CD-R Jukeboxes with Support of Sony's Packet-Recording CD Drive; Products Ideal for Imaging and Archival Storage Applications.

MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 6, 1996--DISC Inc. (NASDAQ:DCSR) today announced the availability of the industry's first jukebox that supports Sony's newest CD-R (CD Recordable) drive, enabling users to save and retrieve files of virtually any size to a CD-R disk without the complicated commands and cumbersome staging processes required by previous-generation products.

Sony's CDU 924S-1 drive employs the company's recently introduced CDRFS (CD Recordable File System), which makes CD-R technology as easy to use as a hard disk or floppy drive. CDRFS uses a new file system for CD-R that is compliant with the Optical Storage Technology Association's (OSTA) CD UDF Bridge Disc specification.

CDRFS utilizes packet recording, which allows small "packets" of data to be written to a CD-R disk without mandating a large hard disk "staging" area for data preparation. CDs created are then read-compatible with all manufacturers' CD-ROM drives that support packet recorded disks. The drive may be used for both CD recording and data retrieval.

"With this announcement, DISC is the first jukebox manufacturer to realistically open up CD-R mass storage for imaging and traditional archival applications," said Wayne Augsburger, DISC's vice president of marketing. "The ease of use of Sony's packet-recording drive combined with the long-term reliability of compact disks and durability of DISC's jukeboxes make these products ideal for the archival storage of checks by banks, medical images, insurance claims, and any other applications where low cost, long-term data integrity is required."

Up to 32 Sony CDU 924S-1 drives can be installed in each jukebox, four times more than other CD-R drives. Multiple Sony drives can be connected to each SCSI bus, unlike other currently available CD-R drives that typically require no more than one device per bus. As a result, users have access to significantly more drives in each jukebox yielding much higher data accessibility.

DISC's jukeboxes are designed for enterprise applications requiring a high level of durability. They offer a reliability rating of greater than 2 million Mean Swaps Between Failure (MSBF) and further protect data with their unique design of storing CDs in plastic caddies.

Sony CD-R Drive Features

The Sony CDU 924S-1 drive offers a 2X recording speed, a 4X read speed, and an average access time of 360 ms. If data transfer is interrupted during the recording process and a "buffer underrun" occurs, the drive's special disk recovery algorithm seals off the section of the disk where the error occurred. This enables the drive to utilize the rest of the disk, unlike conventional CD-R drives, in which disks are ruined under similar circumstances.

Price and Availability

Shipments for DISC jukeboxes with Sony CDU 924S-1 drives will begin in September. Prices vary depending upon the model and media capacity.

This release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the company's current expectations and involves risks and uncertainties. The company's ability to fulfill such expectations involves many factors, and there can be no assurance that the company's future performance will meet such expectations.

About DISC

DISC is the industry leader in high-capacity automated 5.25-inch and CD optical disk storage libraries. DISC manufactures products ranging in capacity from 150 to over 1,450 cartridges in several models, many of which are field-upgradable to higher capacities. All models share a common architecture and modular design oriented toward high-performance and reliability. DISC's libraries are sold with systems solutions by OEMs, system integrators, VARs and distributors in North and South America, Europe and the Far East.

U.S. Headquarters, 408/934-7000; http://www.discjuke.com

CONTACT: DISC Inc.

Wayne Augsburger, 408/934-7000