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     This story was printed from CdrInfo.com,

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Panasonic and PowerQuest jointly announced today a custom version of PowerQuest's Drive Image Pro that supports the DVD-RAM capabilities of Panasonic's new 4.7/9.4GB combination DVD-RAM/R drive, DVDBurner.

The dual-technology DVDBurner offers a unique combination of benefits that cannot be matched by other removable optical disc technologies. With 4.7GB of capacity on a single-sided disc, the drive provides 7x the capacity of CDs and eliminates the need to span files over multiple discs.

Drive Image Pro includes a complete suite of tools that make updating PCs fast and easy. Using PowerQuest's DeltaDeploy utility, IT managers can distribute software updates and changes across the network and the Internet from a central location, eliminating the need to visit each client. By combining PowerQuest's SmartSector(TM) technology with TCP/IP multicasting, users can ``PowerCast'' an image to hundreds of computers across the enterprise in minutes. With Task Builder, users can even build custom scripts that automate creating, restoring, or deploying a custom image.

``The high capacity and reliability of DVD-RAM media make the DVDBurner an ideal solution for maximizing Drive Image Pro's automation features,'' said Dana Berzin, DVD product manager for Panasonic Industrial Company's, Global Computer Group. ``Updates can be carried out during off hours because no one has to be there to change the disc.''

Offering backward read support for CDs at 24x, the Panasonic DVD-RAM/R drive is a versatile storage solution that simplifies the transition from CD to DVD technology. Using 4.7GB DVD-R General media, the DVDBurner provides a transfer rate of up to 11.08 Mbps, which is equivalent to about 9 times the transfer rate of CD-ROM's 1X speed. The 22.16 Mbps transfer rate for 4.7GB DVD-RAM translates to an 18x CD data rate. Seek times are 75ms for DVD-RAM and 65ms DVD-R, DVD-ROM and CD media.

The new version of Drive Image Pro, designed exclusively for OEMs, will be available worldwide in the third quarter of 2001 through the PowerQuest Global License Program (GLP) offered by PowerQuest sales associates and value-added resellers (VARs). Pricing for Drive Image Pro is based upon the number of licenses purchased. The Panasonic DVD-RAM/R drive is shipping now to OEMs and channel partners and will be available from retail channels for less than $600.