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To: JEFF K who wrote (37248)	11/14/1998 5:02:00 PM
From: J Fieb	Respond to of 50808

Jeff K, Those digital VHS boxes will need some big hard drives. How many hours of MPEG II can we get on one of these 50G drives? techweb.com November 16, 1998, Issue: 1035 Section: Product Week -- Comdex ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Drive makers push up speed, capacity Terry Costlow Las Vegas - Disk-drive designers are continuing to push capacities and data-transfer rates to dizzying heights, while also adding new features to differentiate their wares. Data protection and quicker accessing times are among the traits that will be touted on the Comdex show floor. Western Digital Corp. (Irvine, Calif.) has focused on data integrity and fast transfer rates in the latest members of its Caviar line. They store 4.3 Mbytes per platter, with capacities ranging up to 13 Gbytes. The drives are among the industry's first to implement the Ultra ATA 66 interface, which moves data at up to 66 Mbytes/second. Many companies are planning to adopt this early next year, but Western Digital is shipping the latest version of the ATA interface now so users won't have to alter their systems to gain its speed-doubling capability. The drive also incorporates Western Digital's Data Lifeguard scheme. Data Lifeguard augments the Smart specification for self-monitoring, analysis and reporting techniques and may cut data loss in half, a spokesman said. Access times are typically 9.5 milliseconds. The platters spin at 5,400 rpm to provide low latency. The estimated street price of the 13-Gbyte version is $339; production shipments should start this month. Desktop drives from Seagate Technology Inc. (Scotts Valley, Calif.) now have capacities of up to 17 Gbytes with 4.3-Gbyte platters. The drives have a 9-ms access time and move data at an internal rate of up to 188 Mbits/s. The Medalist drives have the 33-Mbyte/s Ultra ATA interface and the Ultra2 SCSI interface, moving data at 80 Mbytes/s. With the SCSI interface, the 4.5- and 9-Gbyte drives cost $290 and $505, respectively. Seagate has also raised the capacity of its server-class 3.5-inch drives up to 50 Gbytes, the industry's highest capacity, with the 7,200-rpm Barracuda line. At the new capacity, the Barracuda has 3 Gbytes more than Seagate's 5-1/4-inch Elite line. That makes it likely that 5-1/4-inch drives will fade away as users turn to higher-volume 3.5-inch drives to trim costs without losing much capacity. It comes with Ultra2 SCSI and Fibre Channel interfaces. The 11-platter, half-height drives have a seek time of 7.4 ms. To keep costs low, the drive uses mechanics and electronics from other Barracuda drives and Seagate's 10,000-rpm Cheetah drive, which is also being unveiled at Comdex. The 50-Gbyte Barracuda costs $2,275 in single OEM quantities, shipping in February. Models with 18- and 36-Gbyte capacity are also available. Quantum Corp. (Milpitas, Calif.) pushed its high-end drives forward on two fronts. The Atlas 10K joins the rapidly growing 10,000-rpm market and the 7,200-rpm Atlas IV adopts the Ultra 160 SCSI interface to push capacity up to 160 Mbytes/s. Both families have capacities of up to 36 Gbytes in half-height formats. The Atlas 10K drives have 5-ms average seek times and move data off the head at up to 315 Mbits/s. The line employs Quantum's Shock Protection System, which protects against damage to the media when the drive is being shipped and installed. Quantum believes that's when a large percentage of drives are damaged. Drives with the 160-Mbyte version of SCSI, often called Ultra3 SCSI, are shipping now. Fibre Channel versions will ship next year. Quantum's 7,200-rpm drive has an average seek time of 6.9 ms and a 257-Mbit/s rate off the head. The 9-Gbyte Atlas IV units retail for $595 and the 18-Gbyte model costs $895. The Atlas 10K family costs $795 and $1,195 in 9- and 18-Gbyte capacities, respectively. Another server-class drive comes from Western Digital, which unveiled a family of low-profile Ultra2 SCSI drives that store up to 18.3 Gbytes. The drives have average seek times of 6.9 ms and move data from the head at up to 246 Mbits/s. SCSI drives retail for $655 and $1,115 for 9- and 18-Gbyte versions.

To: JEFF K who wrote (37248)	11/16/1998 1:33:00 PM
From: BillyG	Respond to of 50808

Turn Any PC Into a Multimedia Movie Theater with New AOpen DVD-ROM Drive New Third-Generation AOpen 6X DVD-ROM Drive Delivers Exceptional Multimedia Experience LAS VEGAS, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Giving customers the power to transform their PC into a multimedia powerhouse, AOpen America, an industry leading PC components manufacturer, today announced a new third-generation 6X DVD drive, the DVD-9632. With a maximum data transfer rate of 8,31O Kbps, the DVD-9632 runs faster than top speeds achieved of a 55X CD-ROM drive. This high of a data transfer rate minimizes the elapse time between the PC and DVD drive, thus giving users exceptionally smooth video and audio playback. "As a worldwide leading component manufacturer, AOpen holds a unique position to create a variety of outstanding PC Solutions," said Jason Chuang, director of marketing. "With the explosion of DVD movies and games, users will want to take advantage of AOpen hardware solutions that are maximized for these titles. The DVD-9632 is a great solution that can add years of enjoyment to the life of any PC." AOpen DVD-9632 6X DVD-ROM - Uncompromised Multimedia Performance Adding to the blazing-quick data transfer rates, a 512KB data buffer size improves the overall performance of the DVD-9632. In addition to having high-performance capabilities, the DVD-9632 offers outstanding flexibility features, too. The DVD-9632 is compatible with all DVD-family and major CD-family media, including: DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-movie, CD-DA, CD-ROM/XA, CD-R, CD-RW, CD-I, video CD, and Photo-CD. This gives users the option to employ a wide array of media with the drive. Utilizing industry standards, the DVD-9632 easily installs through "plug-n-play" functions in Windows 95/98 systems. Furthermore, it can be mounted in either a horizontal or vertical position, thus making it compatible with most desktop or minitower PCs. The DV-9632 is available now in the U.S. and Canada from AOpen authorized resellers. The estimated street price for the drive is $199. About AOpen America Headquartered in San Jose, California, AOpen America is the premium component manufacturer of the Acer Group, the world's third largest OEM and brand name computer company. Leveraging more than 22 years of technology manufacturing experience and more than 700 Group patents, AOpen designs, develops and markets advanced PC motherboards, optical drives, PC housing, peripherals, multimedia and networking Solutions for resellers, system integrators and those who value reliability and performance. AOpen is a registered trademark of the Acer Group. All other products, brand names or companies are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. SOURCE AOpen America /NOTE TO EDITORS: More information about AOpen, AOpen products, services and business partners is available on the World Wide Web at: (http://www.AOpenUSA.com)./ /CONTACT: Wendy Wang of AOpen America, 408-433-4996, or wendy_wang@acer.com; or Diane Peterson of McKie \| Headstrom, 408-942-0633, or diane_peterson@mhpr.com, for AOpen America/ /Web site: aopenusa.com