Backup ANY Movie DVD - Fully playable in ANY DVD Player!!!

HP Launches Family of High-Performance CD-ReWritable Drives With User-Friendly Software
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 14, 2000--Hewlett-Packard Company today launched a family of high-performance HP CD-ReWritable (CD-RW) compact disc drives. The fall product lineup provides a new design; faster write speeds (up to 12x) and rewrite speeds (up to 8x); and a new, easy-to-use software bundle.

"The low cost and versatility of CD writers, or CD burners, are attracting more mainstream consumers to these drives," said Christy Tappy, I-appliances marketing manager for HP. "In response, HP developed a product line with software and drive performance that blends ease of use and high performance for both experienced and beginning PC users."

For the experienced PC customer, the HP CD-Writer 9600si/9600se drives provide a maximum 12x write speed, an 8x rewrite speed and a SCSI connection. The 9510i and 9500i provide a maximum 12x write speed, an 8x rewrite speed and an IDE connection. For the novice PC user, the HP CD-Writer 8230e and 8220e deliver up to 4x write speed and a maximum 4x rewrite speed; a smaller, slim-line drive with color accents; and a simple, USB plug-and-play connection.

HP market research shows that the majority of purchasers use CD writers to store and share compressed music files, including MP3s. CD writers also are popular for sharing and storing digital imagery, such as photos and scanned documents for home and business.

"To satisfy this new wave of mainstream consumers seeking digital music, HP worked with VERITAS Software Corporation to develop an innovative and streamlined process for creating personalized CDs with the click of a mouse," said Tappy. "It's simple enough for beginners, but powerful enough to meet the primary needs of more experienced users."

The HP music creation software simplifies the recording process and allows customers to focus on what they want to record, instead of on how they record. In addition to the HP music creation software, each HP CD-Writer includes the bonus software needed to convert MP3 files to WAV files, the software to record tracks from personal audio CDs to convert to MP3s, and the materials to create personalized and professional-looking CD labels and jewel-case covers.

HP CD-Writer drives provide a one-box solution for novice and expert users who want to create custom CDs. CD-Writer drives provide a high-performance and versatile way for customers of all levels to store and share digital images and music, and to protect their critical documents simply and quickly. Additional functions of the drives offer the versatility to do the following:

  • store and organize MP3 files and convert them into music tracks that can be used on other CD players;
  • share and store digital images, including valuable scanned family documents;
  • archive and share digital photography;
  • create personalized CD labels and jewel-case covers; and
  • back up and organize critical business and personal data files to conserve hard-drive space.

U.S. Pricing and Availability

The new family of HP CD-Writer drives is expected to be available in the United States on Sept. 1, wherever name-brand computers and consumer electronics are sold.

Drive            Performance(1)    Connectivity          Price(2)
-----            ---------------   ------------          ------

8230e/8220e      4x4x6x            external USB          $249
9150i/9140i      8x4x32            internal IDE           199
9350i/9340i      10x4x32           internal IDE           249
9510i/9500i      12x8x32           internal IDE           299
9600si           12x8x32           internal SCSI          349
9600se           12x8x32           external SCSI          399

More information is available at http://www.hpcdwriter.com.