- Pair of New High-Speed External Models With FireWire and USB 2.0 Interfaces Are First in Industry With 20X Record Speeds -

BUENA PARK, Calif., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Yamaha Electronics Corporation announces the two newest members of its award-winning Lighspeed(2)(TM) family of CD recorders; CRW2200FXZ (FireWire) and CRW2200UXZ (USB 2.0) the industry's first 20X external ReWritable CD recorder featuring ultra-fast and easy-to-install FireWire (IEEE-1394) and USB 2.0 interfaces.

FireWire and USB 2.0 connections provide simple installation, reliable performance and CD recording at the speed of light. The CRW2200FXZ -- Yamaha's 3rd generation FireWire CD recorder -- is capable of recording on CD-R discs at a top speed of 20X, writing a full CD in under four minutes, rewriting CD-RW discs at a top speed of 10X, and reading CDs at a sustained maximum rate of 40X. The unit also rips audio CDs at a maximum speed of 40X -- up to 66 percent faster than conventional CD-RW recorders currently in the market place -- allowing digital audio extraction of a 74-minute audio disc in less than three minutes. The external CRW2200FXZ has a street price of $329.99.

'FireWire is now a widely accepted standard interface for connecting high-speed devices to PCs and Macs," states Allen H. Gharapetian, general manager, Multimedia Products Division, Yamaha Electronics Corporation. "Our high speed 20X CD-RW is the latest to use this exciting technology."

The CRW2200UXZ comes with all the features and performance qualities associated with the CRW2200FXZ, but deliver them via the new USB 2.0 interface. Backwards-compatible with the industry standard USB 1.1 interface, the USB 2.0 interface can handle data transfer rates at up to 480 Mbps, 40 times faster than USB 1.1. While CRW2200UXZ is designed to take advantage of the increased bandwidth and deliver 20X recording, it can reliably record at 4X using a standard USB 1.1 port. The external CRW2200UXZ has a street price of $299.99.

"USB 1.1 interface ports have been standard equipment in most IBM-compatible PCs and Macintosh computers, including desktops and notebooks models, for about five years," states Gharapetian. "USB 2.0 delivers data transfer speeds comparable to FireWire but the fact that it is compatible with USB 1.1 interface makes the potential market for this product exponentially larger."

Like other members of the CRW2200 LightSpeed(2) family, the CRW2200FXZ and CRW2200UXZ feature Partial Constant Angular Velocity (P-CAV) technology. This combination of CAV and standard Constant Linear Velocity (CLV) technologies keeps disc rotation speed constant, while adjusting the data transfer rate depending upon which portion of the disc is being recorded.

"Unlike other high-speed CD-RW recorders, Yamaha's LightSpeed(2) recorders do not compromise quality for speed," says Gharapetian. "By employing Partial CAV, the CD-Recorders are able to maintain constant and controlled rotation speeds while recording the inner tracks on discs, and that significantly reduces vibration and data corruptions."

In addition to using conventional CLV recording at 2X, 4X, 8X, and 10X in rewriting mode, both the CRW2200FXZ and CRW2200UXZ also support the 4X-10X CAV mode. This permits high-speed random writing or reading of data and realizes floppy disk-like ease of operation using packet writing.

The new models also features the Yamaha SafeBurn(TM) System with its exclusive Triple Protection Architecture(TM). SafeBurn provides an advanced buffer underrun control system, a large 8MB buffer, and Yamaha's Optimum Write SpeedControl(TM). By monitoring a disc's capability and recording conditions, the recorder can automatically select the optimum writing speed.

SafeBurn will suspend recording if data transfer is delayed or buffer memory drops below a critical level. Once the buffer has regained sufficient memory, recording will restart seamlessly from the point at which it was suspended. LightSpeed(2) recorders are equipped with an 8MB buffer memory -- four times larger than that of its competitors -- to ensure stable and efficient recording.

The CRW2200FXZ and CRW2200UXZ are compatible with both IBM PC compatibles and Apple Macintosh® computers, and include an award-winning software suite, including: Ahead Software Nero 5.5(TM); the new InCD(TM) for packet writing; NeroMIX(TM) for audio ripping; Nero Wave Editor(TM) for audio file editing; Nero Utility kit(TM) for troubleshooting; Neato MediaFace II(TM) for label printing; MusicMatch(TM) software, which includes an audio ripper and MP3/CD player software; and Earthlink(TM) internet software (Ahead Nero Max(TM), Neato MediaFace II and Adobe Photoshop LE 5.0(TM) are also included for the Mac). All U.S. retail pack LightSpeed(2) recorders feature Adobe's PhotoDeluxe 4.0 and Adobe ActiveShare digital imaging products.

Other members of Yamaha's new LightSpeed(2) family include: the internal CRW2200EZ using E-IDE (ATAPI) interface with a street price of $199.99 (after $30 mail-in rebate); the external CRW2200SZ using Ultra SCSI interface with a street price of $299.99; and the external CRW2200SXZ using E-IDE or Ultra SCSI interfaces with a street price of $349.99.

SOURCE: Yamaha Electronics Corporation