Pioneer is claiming increased access times and transfer rates from its new DVD-A02/U02 slot-in DVD/CD-ROM drive.
The slot-in mechansim allows the 5.25in drive to be installed horizontally or vertically, and the company claims that the mechanism helps to prevent disc damage. Also, ejected discs can be removed without touching the data area.
The drive reads single- and dual-layer DVD-ROM/video and DVD-R, CD-ROM, CD-RW and CD-Video discs. Pioneer claims the drive can perform DVD transfers at up to 3.5MB/sec, or 2.6 times the standard DVD transfer rate. It can read CD-ROM data at up to 3MB/sec. The average random access time is 150ms for DVD, and 90ms for CD-ROM.
This drive is available with EIDE or SCSI interface, and is packaged with the Quadrant Cinemaster MPEG2 DVD decoder card and DVD software for $599.
For Pioneer dealers and further info, call 1800 338 439 or go to http://www.pioneerelectronics.com
