Verbatim Corp. will start shipping DataLifePlus 4.7GB DVD-Recordable discs in volume this month. The discs, which come with a lifetime warranty, will be compatible with the SuperDrive on Apple’s high-end Power Mac G4.
The SuperDrive is a combination CD-RW/DVD-R drive that can read and write (“burn”) DVDs, which can be played in consumer DVD players. The drive, made by Pioneer, reads DVD titles at 6x and writes to 4.7-gigabyte DVD-R discs at 2x. The SuperDrive also reads CDs at 24x, writes to CD-R at 8x, and writes to CD-RW at 4x. It supports DVD-Video, DVD-ROM and DVD-R, as well as CD-ROM, CD-Audio, CD-R, CD-RW, CDI, CD Bridge, CD Extended, CD Mixed Mode and Photo CD media.
Currently, the DVD-R/CD-RW SuperDrive only comes on high-end Power Mac G4 models operating at 733MHz. The SuperDrive-equipped Power Mac G4s are the first computers to ship with hardware and software to record DVD titles for playback on most standard DVD players. However, the SuperDrive is expected to make its way into the consumer line sometime next year.
The new DataLifePlus media incorporates “revolutionary” recording layer technologies that were developed by Verbatim and its parent company, Mitsubishi Chemical Corp., according to Tim Clatterbuck, Verbatim’s director of Optical Storage Marketing.
Besides Apple’s SuperDrive, the media supports the DVD-R for general use drives, as well as other DVD-R general drives that are expected to be announced at the upcoming National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention. Fully compliant with the DVD-R General specifications established by the DVD Forum, a single-sided 4.7 GB disc provides the same capacity as seven CDs. Up to two hours of high-quality video can be stored on a single side, Clatterbuck said.
“But what makes the Verbatim DVD-R media so desirable is its compatibility — it can be played back on the leading DVD-ROM drives and DVD-Video players,” he said in a statement. “The media’s write-once format and 100-year data life make it ideal for organizations that store and archive critical information such as financial data, legal files, government records and medical images that must not be altered or overwritten. With its high capacity and broad compatibility, Verbatim DVD-R for general use media is also ideal for consumers that want to share their videos with family members as well as businesses that want an easy, cost-effective solution for limited distribution of training and marketing videos or multimedia presentations.”
Verbatim brand 4.7 GB DVD-R discs for general use will be available at a manufacturers suggested retail price of US$18. Apple sells their DVD disks in five-packs at the Apple Store for $49.95 — approximately $10 per disk.