"...Vivasta said it will deliver a DVD-R-based DVD recording drive for the United States in the June/July time frame. The first in what is planned as a series of Vivastar-branded DVD recorders will be an internal PC DVD-R drive that will connect through a SCSI-2 interface and records at both 1x and 2x speeds. It ships in May at a $799 suggested retail. The second unit is an external drive (model RS191) that connects through a USB interface. It is slated to ship by July at an $899 suggested retail price.

The drive will record on only DVD-R (write once) media, which was developed and manufactured by Vivastar, the company said. The recorded disc will work with all DVD-ROM drives. Vivastar's DVD-R format is based on DVD Forum write-once standards, Vivastar said. The single-side media has 4.7 GB of capacity, which is good for approximately 120 minutes of video per disc. Recorded discs will be compatible with DVD video players and DVD-ROM drives, a spokesman said. Vivastar is also developing a DVD recorder that will be compatible with one or more DVD rewritable disc formats, the company said.

Next up is a second-generation "combo product" that will record on CD-R and CD-RW media as well as DVD-R and will connect directly to both PCs and TV sets. That product, which is expected to ship in the fall, will carry a $1,499 suggested retail price. Vivastar said it expects to offer some of the best-featured and most affordable DVD recording products on the market, because it makes its own raw materials and chipsets. The company plans to use both direct and two-step distribution to service retail customers..." NULL