Yamaha Combines Speed and Stability in New CD-R/RW drives

New CRW2200 series offers world's first 20X write, 10X rewrite, and 40X read speeds - CRW2200 with SafeBurn™ to be demonstrated at CeBit 2001--

Rellingen, March 19, 2001 - Yamaha Corporation, an established leader in digital audio, today unveiled the world's fastest series of CD-R/RW drives, the CRW2200, that promises greater recording stability, efficiency and ease of use.

The CRW2200, equipped with SafeBurn™ for enhanced buffer underrun protection, will make its debut at the opening of the high-technology tradeshow CeBIT 2001, being held in Hannover, Germany, from March 22 to March 28.

Yamaha is presenting five models in the CRW2200 series and the first, the CRW2200E (internal ATAPI), will become available worldwide from the second quarter of 2001.

20X writing, 10X rewriting, 40X reading and audio ripping

To develop the CRW2200 series of drives Yamaha built upon the success of the CRW2100 series launched last October, and significantly increased maximum recording speed to 20X while retaining many of the forerunner's excellent features. Among these is the incorporation of Partial CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) recording to ensure high-quality recording even at high speeds.

The result is a series of superbly engineered drives that can shorten the writing time by up to 14% compared with CRW2100 series.

"With our CRW2200 series we have not compromised quality for speed," says Masami Takeuchi, General Manager of Yamaha's IT Sales & Marketing Division. "By adopting Partial CAV we can promise a constant and controlled rotation speed during data writes to the inner tracks on the disc. This reduces vibration that corrupts quality," he explains.

In addition to employing conventional CLV at 2X, 4X, 8X, and 10X in rewriting mode, the CRW2200 also supports the 4X-10X CAV mode. This permits high-speed random writing/reading of data and realizes floppy disk-like ease of operation using packet writing.

CRW2200 series drives also feature a CD-ROM read speed of up to 40X with CAV, expediting the reading of digital audio discs at up to 40X and the extraction of a 74-minute audio CD in about three minutes.

SafeBurn™ features ensure stability and ease of use

CRW2200 series drives are equipped with SafeBurn™ features so that all users - whether professional or novice - can have greater confidence in the final recorded result. SafeBurn™ incorporates Buffer Underrun Protection, generous 8MB buffer memory and Optimum Write Speed Control to make for an easier and more stable and efficient CD-recording experience.

The Buffer Underrun Protection packaged in SafeBurn™ frees users from the inconveniences associated with buffer underrun errors by completely eliminating them. With SafeBurn™, if data transfer is delayed and memory in the buffer drops to a critical level, recording is suspended until the buffer has regained sufficient memory, after which the recording restarts virtually seamlessly from the point at which it was suspended. Buffer Underrun Protection in the new CRW2200 series drives employs Oak Technology's buffer underrun protection method in the DSP and is integrated with Yamaha's own chips to achieve the highest accuracy of highest level of data continuity possible .

Although Buffer Underrun Protection prevents buffer underrun errors, the frequent activation of the system would normally extend the time required for the completion of disc writing. The CRW2200 is equipped with an 8MB buffer memory--two to four times larger than that of its competitors--to ensure stable and efficient recording, and to minimize the incidence of suspension of recording by buffer underrun.

The Optimum Write Speed Control function that automatically adjusts writing speed to the optimum level for each kind of disc, removes user concerns about recording speeds and the CD-R disc's compatibility. Simply by setting the writing speed at 20X, the CRW2200 checks the characteristics and conditions of the inserted disc and automatically selects the maximum optimum writing speed for the disc to ensure data reliability when the disc is read back by CD-ROM drives or CD players. Here again, Partial CAV permits greater flexibility in speed selection in the 12X-20X speed range, considerably enhancing recording efficiency.

High quality writing

High quality as well as high speed writing is ensured with the CRW2200 by the incorporation of Yamaha's proprietary Pure Phase Laser System™ that stabilizes laser power and eliminates unwanted reflections and glare produced when recording a CD, resulting in more accurate recording.

CRW2200 series drives also incorporate features that ensure reliable recording onto a wide range of media, such as Running Optimum Power Calibration (ROPC) to ensure that optimum laser output power is adjusted for each disc.

Wide variety of models

The CRW2200 series features five models to meet users' needs: CRW2200E (internal ATAPI), CRW2200S (internal SCSI-3), CRW2200SX (external SCSI-3), CRW2100IX (external IEEE1394), and CRW2200UX (external USB2.0). The CRW2200E will become available worldwide during the second quarter of 2001 and the release of other models will follow.