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Hewlett-Packard has introduced a pair of combination rewritable DVD and CD drives that, for the first time, include write-once DVD+R capability as well as the previously available DVD+RW. The drives, scheduled for release this spring, allow video, music, and data to be stored on DVDs and CDs, which can be rewritten when necessary.

The new drives, the internal DVD Writer dvd200i and external DVD Writer dvd200e--HP's first external DVD writer--made their debut at the CeBIT electronics show in Hanover, Germany, this week. They are scheduled for release first in Europe in April, and then in the United States. The dvd200i is expected to be available in stores in early May, priced at $499; the dvd200e should be available in retail outlets in mid-May, priced at $599, says Dean Sanderson, product portfolio manager of HP's North American Customer Business Organization.

The new drives write to several media formats, including DVD+RW/+R and CD-R/RW. DVD speeds are 2.4X for writing, 2.4X for rewriting, and 8X for reading. For CD recording, speeds are 12X CD-R (write), 10X CD-RW (rewrite), and 32X CD (read). Edit-on-disc capabilities in both the internal dvd200i and external dvd200e allow changes to be made directly on the DVD, instead of on the customer's hard drive, says Christine Roby, HP's product manager for DVD writers.

The external DVD Writer dvd200e, besides supporting use with notebooks, offers connectivity options. It supports both IEEE 1394 (FireWire) and USB 2.0, determined by flipping a switch on the back of the box to designate the connection type. Connection cables are included for both. The external unit is similar in design to HP's external CD-RW, and has the same silver-blue color.

Video-Friendly Functions

HP expects consumers will use the drives for saving images, including photos and custom home movies, enhanced by their support for the DVD+R format. A recent HP customer survey found 66 percent of respondents plan to use DVD writers primarily for video applications. However, the drives are aimed both at the business and consumer markets.

"Consumers will use them for creating and editing home videos from their VCR or camcorder, while business users are likely to use it for backup or archiving." Video-editing and data-storage software is included with each drive, Roby says.

HP is bundling Sonic Solutions' MyDVD software, which provides edit-on-DVD functions so users can edit content already on a DVD+RW disc without needing to rewrite an entire disc. The edit-on-disc capabilities are primarily a software function, Sanderson says.

Each DVD drive will be able to store up to 4.7GB, and each CD drive holds 700MB, according to HP.

A nice plus is that the new DVD+R capability should increase the drives' compatibility with older DVD-ROM drives and DVD players; the DVD+RW format has been more compatible with newer equipment. Buyers of the first generation DVD+RW drives have no way to add DVD+R capability, however.

HP is already marketing DVD+RW discs, priced at $11 each. HP plans to release DVD+R discs along with the drives in April, at an estimated street price of $6. The company is also releasing then a three-pack of DVD+RW discs at an estimated street price of $26 and a five-pack of DVD+R discs at an estimated street price of $28.

A recent IDC report estimates that DVD writer shipments will grow from 3.9 million units this year to 35 million in 2005.

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