Plextor Announces the ULTRAPLEX 40max; A 40X max SCSI CD-ROM Drive.SANTA CLARA Santa Clara, city, Cuba Santa Clara (sän`tä klä`rä), city (1994 est. pop. 217,000), capital of Villa Clara prov., central Cuba. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 1998--Plextor Corp., a leading developer and manufacturer of high performance CD-related equipment and software, today announced introduction of their high performance 40X max speed SCSI SCSI in full Small Computer System Interface Once common standard for connecting peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, etc.) to small and medium-sized computers. SCSI has given way to faster standards, such as Firewire and USB. CAV (1) (Component Analog Video) See YPbPr. (2) (Constant Angular Velocity) Rotating an optical disc or hard disk at a constant speed. Contrast with "constant linear velocity" (CLV), in which the platter rotates at varying speeds. 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. , ULTRAPLEX 40max(tm). Breaking new ground for Plextor, the ULTRAPLEX 40max spins CD media at speeds over 8000 RPM and supports Ultra SCSI burst transfer rates of 20MB/second -- the maximum bandwidth for a standard 8-bit bus. High speed burst rates increase effective data transfer rates and enhance overall system efficiency. This new drive features a maximum sustained transfer rate of 6.0MB/sec and minimum sustained transfer rate of 2.6MB/sec for standard 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). and CD-R (CD-Recordable) A writable CD technology using a type of compact disc that can be recorded, but not erased (CD-Rs are "write once" discs). CD-R discs are used to master CD-ROMs, to back up data and to make copies of data for distribution. media. It is also compatible with and reads CD-R/W (rewritable CD) media at 8X speeds, much faster than typical IDE CD-ROM drives. The ULTRAPLEX 40max allows fast and worry-free use of the latest generation of rewritable CD media. It also delivers an industry leading 85ms average random access time for all media types. The ULTRAPLEX 40max offers reliable reading of poorly manufactured or poorly balanced CD media with an auto balancing double bearing spindle motor. According to Felix Nemirovsky, Plextor's Vice President of Engineering, "Plextor's prior generations of CD-ROM drives are well known in the industry for superior handling of problem discs at high speed; however, the new motor in our ULTRAPLEX 40max takes reliable reads to a whole new level. In addition, the vibration caused by poorly balanced discs is compensated for by the auto balancing mechanism, which means quieter drive operation and ultimately longer life of the product." Superior management of the drive's 512KB buffer allows for low CPU CPU in full central processing unit Principal component of a digital computer, composed of a control unit, an instruction-decoding unit, and an arithmetic-logic unit. usage (less than 20%) and offers increased system efficiency and improved audio/video playback. The ULTRAPLEX 40max enables fast transfers of huge files to hard disk and loads new programs quickly and efficiently. According to Paul Lowrey, Plextor's Director of Marketing, "Customers using CD-ROM drives in demanding environments at work and for entertainment will experience both the benefit of increased speed and smoother operation. If they want the best performance possible from a standard 50-pin, 8-bit SCSI CD-ROM interface, the ULTRAPLEX 40max is quite likely the last CD-ROM drive they'll ever need." Audiophiles will also benefit from the new drive's 24X max digital audio extraction A feature of modern CD-ROM and DVD drives that allows the digital audio data from CDs to be passed to the computer via the drive's IDE or SCSI interface. Before this feature became available, ripping CD tracks required using the analog output of the drive and converting it back to digital capability. This high speed access to audio combined with free Plextor Manager utilities, enables all Plextor customers to quickly access and manipulate CD-DA (Compact Disc-Digital Audio) The original compact disc format developed by Sony and Philips in the 1980s, which was designed for audio only. Since "CD" is used loosely for all Compact Disc formats, the CD-DA designation differentiates a music disc or player (Red Book Audio CD) as .WAV files -- no special conversion is required. Simply drag and drop A graphical user interface (GUI) capability that lets you perform operations by moving the icon of an object with the mouse into another window or onto another icon. For example, files can be copied or moved by dragging them from one folder to another. audio tracks in auto converted .WAV file format. This new feature even allows digital audio playback directly to USB USB in full Universal Serial Bus Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. speakers, no need for a sound card! Nemirovsky adds, "Plextor drives are designed to improve real world performance. We've tested the ULTRAPLEX 40max using CD-Tach's benchmark test and achieved a real world drive rating of 27X -- that's the best we've seen in any drive so far and results in part from Ultra SCSI burst rates." Pricing and Availability Units will start shipping in November of this year. The ULTRAPLEX 40max introductory list price is the lowest ever for a Plextor CD-ROM -- $189 for the internal bare drive (PX-40TSi) and $279 for the external version (PX-40TSe). Fully kitted versions with bus-mastering controllers are also available. For system integrators and VARs, Plextor also makes bulk packaged drives available without software. Plextor Background Information Plextor Corp. is a leading developer and manufacturer of high performance CD related equipment for professional use in business and networked environments. Since opening its headquarters in Silicon Valley in 1990, Plextor has introduced fourteen generations of CD-ROM drives, two CD-R drives and a complete line of networking products. Their customized software utilities and device drivers support Plextor's product line. Its parent corporation, Shinano Kenshi of Japan, a developer and manufacturer of advanced technology hardware and precision electronic equipment privately owns the company. Shinano Kenshi is best known for its expertise in motor manufacturing. |
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