Iomega's new Super DVD Writer 12x Dual-Format USB 2.0 Drive is expected in June for around $250. Initially, dual-layer discs will cost about $10 apiece, when you can find them.

"The dual-media will not be widely available until (the fourth quarter)," says Richard Giannini, Iomega product manager. At that point, prices should drop to about $5 a disc, he says. The discs will play in existing DVD drives that support the +R format.

In addition to the dual-layer DVD+R DL format, the Iomega drive will support a variety of other standards, including DVD+R and DVD+RW at 12x write, 4x rewrite, and 16x read speeds; DVD-R and DVD-RW (at 8x, 4x, and 16x); and CD-R and CD-RW (40x, 24x, 40x).

Bundled software will include the Sonic MyDVD video editing application, Sonic Cineplayer for video playback, Musicmatch Jukebox music management software, and Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition, as well as Iomega's DVD Solutions, Automatic Backup, and Hotburn Pro.

In July, Iomega plans to ship the Super DVD QuickTouch, a slightly larger external dual-layer drive that houses an MPEG-2 capture card for recording directly from a VCR or video camera. This $329 (£180) product will save recording time and effort by launching video capture software stored on a PC to start the recording process with a single button press.