Sony Electronics is adding two DVD+R Double Layer (DL) DVD drives to its family of Dual RW burners. The internal DRU-700A and external DRX-700UL drives mark Sony's entry into Double Layer recording.

Nearly doubling the storage capacity of current DVD recordable discs, the double layer DVD drives allow users to record up to four hours of high-quality MPEG-2 video or up to 8.5 GB of data, music and/or images on compatible DVD+R DL media.

The new burners will debut with an initial DVD+R DL recording speed of 2.4X. They will also feature up to 8X DVD+/-R, 4X DVD+/-RW, 40X CD-R and 24X CD-RW recording, providing users with double layer, dual format, and high-speed burning all in one drive.

Specifications for Sony's New 700 Series of Dual RW Drives

Sony DRU-700A & DRX-700UL DVD/CD Rewritable Drives

• ATAPI (EIDE) internal interface [DRU-700A]
• Hi-Speed USB (USB2.0) and i.LINK(R) external interfaces [DRX-700UL]
• Full Speed USB (USB1.1) compatible with lower write/read performance [DRX-700UL]
• DVD+R DL: 2.4X CLV (max.) writing
  DVD+R: 8X Z-CLV (max.) writing
  DVD+RW: 4X CLV (max.) rewriting
  DVD-R: 8X Z-CLV (max.) writing
  DVD-RW: 4X CLV (max.) rewriting
  DVD-ROM reading (single layer): 12X CAV (max.)
  DVD-ROM reading (dual layer): 8X CAV (max.)
  CD-R: 40X P-CAV (max.) writing
  CD-RW: 24X Z-CLV (max.) rewriting
  CD-ROM: 40X CAV (max) reading
• Dimensions: 145.8 x 41.3 x 165 mm - excluding bezel (W x H x L)1" shorter depth than standard home factor
• Compatible with Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 2000 / Windows XP
• Burst data transfer rate: 33.3 Mbit/s max [DRU-700A]
• Burst data transfer rate: USB: 480 Mbit/s max; i.LINK interface: 400 Mbit/s max [DRX-700UL]
• Random access time: 160 ms (CD-ROM), 200 ms (DVD-ROM)
• Buffer memory: 2 MB
• Buffer under-run error protection technology: Sony Power-Burn(TM) conformed
• Recording method (CD): Disc at Once, Track at Once, Session at Once, Packet Writing(DVD): Random Access Write (DVD+RW/DVD-RW/CD-RW), Sequential Write (DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW/CD-R/RW)
• Compatible disc format: DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD+R DL, DVD+RW, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD-R, CD-ROM, CD-DA, Video CD, Photo CD (multi-session), CD TEXT, CD Extra, and others