Information Today
Volume 17, Number 6 • June 2000
Yamaha Introduces 8x Rewrite CD-RW Drive

Yamaha Corp. of America has announced the introduction of the CRW8824 series of internal and external rewritable CD recorders featuring the new Pure Phase Laser System—Yamaha’s anti-glare technology that provides data reliability while recording CDs at high speeds.

Designed as part of Yamaha’s new generation of high-speed CD recorders, the CRW8824 series’ CD-RW drives are the world’s first recorders to rewrite CD-RW discs at 8x speed, doubling the current standard of 4x and cutting the required time to rewrite a CD-RW disc in half, according to the release. In addition to 8x rewrite capabilities, the CRW8824 series’ drives record on CD-R discs at a top speed of 8x (writing a 650-MB CD in 9 minutes) and read CDs at a sustained maximum rate of 24x.

 “Yamaha’s Pure Phase Laser System provides our industry benchmark CD-RW recorders with an added advantage over competitive recorders by eliminating the glare and reflections created on the surface of the disc while burning a CD,” said Henio Arcangeli Jr., vice president and general manager of Yamaha’s Consumer Products Division. “Users will be impressed with CRW8824 series recorders’ exceptional technology and incredible level of performance and reliability.”

The CRW8824 series’ drives offer 140-ms average access time and a large 4-MB buffer memory, and they use high-performance 8x CD-R and CD-RW media for optimum recording. While 8x high-performance CD-R blank discs are widely available in the marketplace, Yamaha and other leading manufacturers have introduced a new breed of 8x rewritable media capable of reliable rewriting at a cost only slightly higher than 4x CD-RW media, according to the announcement.

The CRW8824 series will feature four models: the internal CRW8824E unit using EIDE (ATAPI) technology, the internal CRW8824SZ using Ultra SCSI (SCSI-3) technology, the external CRW8824SXZ using Ultra SCSI interface, and the external CRW8824FXZ using IEEE 1394 Firewire technology. According to the announcement, the Firewire connection provides very easy installation, reliable performance, and fast recording speeds.

The CRW8824 family of CD-RW recorders is available to resellers through a variety of major computer distributors, and to consumers through mail-order catalogs, Internet resellers, and major computer retailers. In the U.S., the retail version is available directly from Yamaha’s Consumer Products Division.

Source: Yamaha Corp. of America, Buena Park, CA, 714/522-9011; http://www.yamaha.com.


Table of Contents Information Today Home Page