New Range of DVD Writers for Mobile Users

IFA, Berlin, 29 August 2003
Pioneer Unveils External PC DVD/CD Writer at IFA and Announces New Range of DVD Writers for Mobile Users

Pioneer Multimedia Europe today unveils its new external half height DVD Writer. The DVR-S606 is easily connected to a PC through either USB II or IEEE 1394 (firewire) interfaces and incorporates a range of technologies to enhance read/write performance while achieving high levels of compatibility. The DVR-S606 builds on the success of the DVD-R/RW format which accounted for 63.49 percent¹ of the DVD writers shipped worldwide in 2002.

At IFA, Pioneer additionally confirms the further extension of its DVD writer portfolio; in October this year, the DVR-K12D internal DVD/CD writer will be launched for notebook OEM manufacturers. An external slimline, DVR-SK12D DVD/CD writer will also be made available for users with USB II or IEEE 1394 (firewire) interfaces. The products will offer mobile workers the build quality, reliability and ease of use synonymous with Pioneer's existing DVD range and extend the expanding range of DVD-based applications - currently focused on the desktop - to mobile users.

The DVR-S606
The DVR-S606 is a high capacity optical storage system that enables users to write a wide variety of files to DVD for storage or playback in other DVD devices. Typical DVD applications include the authoring, editing and storing of video files, developing digital music catalogues, building image libraries and backing up data. In common with all current Pioneer DVD writers, the DVR-S606 is compatible with +R/RW discs – a move that directly responds to consumers' requests that DVD writers should handle various formats.

Chris Tampsett, Senior Manager, Optical Storage Systems, Pioneer Europe, Multimedia Division, observes, “Pioneer is focused on advancing three key criteria of DVD writing; simplicity of use, performance and compatibility. The USB II and firewire interfaces support plug and play installation, while a range of technologies improve read/write capabilities and recording speeds. Along with recent research² that reveals DVD-R is clearly the most compatible DVD format, the DVR-S606 delivers excellent performance against ease-of-use, technical proficiency and compatibility benchmarks.”

High-speed writing
The DVR-S606 supports high-speed writing of 4x with DVD-R discs³ , 2x with DVD-RW⁴ , 4x with +R⁵ , and 2.4x with +RW. It also enables 16x writing speed for CD-R and 10x for CD-RW5.

Precision Recording Technology
The DVR-S606 shares the technical improvements included in the internal DVR-A06 DVD/CD writer. This technology enhances precision recording and ensures that writing performance remains stable – even on DVD-RW media that is frequently re-written. Tests reveal that recording performance is significantly improved over Pioneer's previous products. Details of this technology can be found in editors' notes.

Software package
The DVR-S606 will be bundled with DVD-R and DVD-RW discs and a high quality software suite that enable users to effortlessly capture and edit video, combined with easy to use authoring, writing and DVD playback functionality.

The product is available in October 2003 through Pioneer distributors and retailers. Specification details are included at the end of this document along with analysis of the Precision Recording Technology included in the DVR-S606.

For further information, please contact your local Pioneer distributor:

About Pioneer
Pioneer Corporation is a global leader in electronics and audio/video products for the home, car, commerce and industry, particularly in the two core multimedia technologies - Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) and plasma display panels (PDP). Its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: PIO), Euronext Amsterdam, Tokyo Stock Exchange, and Osaka Securities Exchange.

Notes to editors
The DVR-S606 enhances reliability and reduces operational noise through the application of a liquid-crystal tilt mechanism, smart laser driver technology, and Ultra Dynamic Resonance Absorber (Ultra DRA). It is also the first DVD writer⁶ to provide Distributed Real-Time Defect Management (DRT-DM). The product also includes a Buffer Under-run Prevention function to prevent transfer errors that could occur, albeit rarely, at the time of writing on DVD-R, DVD-RW, +R, +RW, CD-R, and CD-RW discs:

(DRT-DM) – enables the writer to isolate and assess any errors on the disc. The drive has a dedicated memory to store defective block information (DBI). The memory enables the instruction of the host (PC and software) to carry out remedial action to replace the defective block. Unlike traditional error correction systems, the DRT-DM can be switched on during real-time streaming operations (as the DBI remembers the defective block information) so the host can replace the defective blocks after the conclusion of the streaming operation. When this is used in conjunction with Precision Recording Technology, DVD-RW write quality is significantly enhanced

Liquid-crystal tilt mechanism – the tilt mechanism enables the laser beam ‘to move' as it encounters anomalies on the media to automatically compensate for variations in the thickness or curvature of DVD discs. This protects the recording integrity of the drive and eliminates any decline in playback quality

Smart laser drive technology – this facility enhances the signal precision at the time of recording by incorporating the recording circuitry onto the optical pick-up assembly (this circuitry traditionally resided on the main PCB of the drive)

Ultra Dynamic Resonance Absorber (Ultra DRA) – imbalanced discs can cause vibrations that affect performance during high speed recording and playback. Ultra DRA significantly reduces the effects of these vibrations, allowing the high precision servo system to remain stable during both high speed recording and playback

Drag and drop – similar to using a floppy disc, icons can be dragged and dropped using the PC mouse to facilitate easy file writing and archiving

Multiborder writing on DVD-R - multiborder writing enables the DVD-R disc's spare capacity to be accessed as and when required – similar to writing to a hard drive. When they have finished writing, users simply finalise the disc each time so that it can be read in DVD-ROM drives⁷ .

¹ Source: DVD Tracker Q1 2003
² Research undertaken of 1,000 combinations of DVD recording and playback devices in June 2003. Full results available at www.cdr-info.com
³ The writing speeds of 4x with DVD-R (DVD-R for General, Version 2.0/4x-speed DVD-R Revision 1.0) and 2x with DVD-RW (DVD-RW Version 1.1/2x-speed DVD-RW Revision 1.0) are new standards approved by the DVD Forum in August 2002. For a 2x-speed DVD-R writing, please use high-speed discs of 2x- or 4x-speed.
⁴ For a 2x-speed DVD-RW writing, please use high-speed discs of 2x-speed.
⁵ Please use media for high-speed writing.
⁶ As of July 2003 – requires applicable software
⁷ Must support playback of Multiborder written discs