Pioneer Electronics Inc. on Monday announced that the DVR-S606, a new multiple format external DVD/CD writer, will be available in mid-September. The drive — which will have a suggested retail price of US$299 — can sit vertically or horizontally and offers both FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 ports. Some of Pioneer’s past drives have served as the basis for the SuperDrives in certain Mac models.
The DVR-S606 is compatible with DVD-R/DVD-RW as well as +R/+RW discs. It enables recording of up to 4x write speed with DVD-R discs, 2x with DVD-RW discs, 4x with +R media, and 2.4x with +RW media. It also records CD-R media at up to 16x speed and 10x with high-speed CD-RW discs.
Though compatible with any Mac with a FireWire 400 or USB 2.0 port, you’ll need Mac-specific software to import content, record and edit video, author DVDs, create digital photo albums or slide shows, play movies and burn DVDs. The DVD/CD writer comes with software, but it’s targeted to Windows users.