Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. announced today the availability of two new drive modules for its line of DVD libraries: an 8X DVD-R drive (DVD-R7783) and a Low Voltage Differential SCSI Interface (DRM-ULV16).

The LVD SCSI Interface provides twice the previous cable length and can connect as many as 15 devices on a bus, depending on the configuration. Both modules are now available for Pioneer's DRM-3000 and DRM-7000 line of DVD libraries at an MSRP of $1,995 and $1,400 respectively.

"Pioneer's legacy in mass storage products has always focused on providing leading technology with flexibility," said Linda Toleno, vice president for Industrial Video and Mass Storage at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. "These two new modules allow customers to improve performance and easily expand their storage investment to keep up with the pace of their business."

Both units feature Pioneer's trademark modular design, allowing simple installation by snapping into place within existing Pioneer libraries and supporting connector cables. The Pioneer DRM-7000 (which can house 2 to 16 drives) and the smaller scale DRM-3000 library (which houses 2 to 8 drives) can support both SE and LVD devices within the same unit. In addition, the drives can hook directly to an SCSI adapter on the host PC, and discs burned in both the LVD or SE drives are compatible with each other.

Additional product highlights include:

DRM-ULV16 - LVD SCSI Interface Unit

Increased Cable Length: 12 meters instead of six meters for SCSI2
Increased Expandability: Up to 15 LVD devices to a single bus
Bus Speed: Up to 40MB/second
Transfer Rate: LVD Max 160 MB/sec

DVD-R7783 - 8X DVD-R/RW Drive

Writing Format:DVD-R, DVD-RW
Read Format:DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD-Video, CD-DA, CD-R/ROM, Video-CD
Data Transfer Rate: 8X Write DVD-R; 4X Write DVD-RW; 8X Read DVD- R/RW; 12X Read DVD-ROM
Interface: Wide Ultra2 SCSI (40 MB/sec Actual Rate)

Toleno emphasized that Pioneer's DVD libraries have a trusted history as the backbone in data archiving and management systems due to customizable design and reliability. DVD-R is a true write-once format, which cannot be overwritten or corrupted, providing added security over competing technologies such as RAID.

Both new modules have been successfully tested with several third party software developers and the units are supported by Pioneer's standard one-year warranty on parts and labor.