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WASHINGTON, NY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 4, 1999--Consistent with its position as the
pre-eminent manufacturer of CD-R media, TDK today announced that it is introducing
extended-capacity 80-minute/700 MB multimedia and music CD-R discs this July. The new discs offer an additional 50 MB or 6 minutes of stereo
music capacity over conventional 74-minute / 650 MB CD-R discs.
The first manufacturer to offer extended-capacity CD-R
discs, TDK has been supplying recording studios with 80-minute CD-R discs for music
mastering applications since 1996. The company's decision to bring its extended-capacity
technology to the wider business and consumer markets follows on the publication earlier
this spring of updated industry standards (Orange Book Part II) for 80-minute discs.
The new CDR-80 (multimedia) and CD-TWIN-R80 (home music)
discs differ chiefly from 74-minute discs in the pitch (fineness) of the data track
inscribed on the disc. Since data recorded on a CD-R follows a single, spiral track from
the center to the perimeter of the disc, a finer track pitch allows more data to be
written on the disc. The finer track pitch, however, may make the new 80-minute discs
incompatible with some recorders and players. In addition, because some computer recording
software does not support 80-minute / 700 MB CD-R, users may have to update their software
accordingly or contact the software manufacturer to establish compatibility.
Both 80-minute and 74-minute Certified Plus CD-R discs use
TDK's renowned IsoPure metal-stabilized cyanine recording dye for maximum data accuracy.
And for enhanced durability, the new extended-capacity discs continue to feature a HardHat
protective coating.
Commenting on the significance of today's announcement,
Chris Corteen, TDK Marketing Communications Manager, noted: "The extra flexibility of an
80-minute CD-R disc is exactly what consumers have been demanding. With a substantial
proportion of music CDs now exceeding 74 minutes and with the growing use of CD-R as an
exchange and archival medium for large multimedia and graphics files, every megabyte
counts. We at TDK see the availability of 80-minute media as an important next step in the
continuing growth of the CD-R format."
Suggested retail prices for TDK Certified Plus CD-R discs
are as follows: For multimedia computer recording, CDR-74, $3.99; CDR-80, $7.99. For home
music recording on standalone digital audio recorders, CD-TWIN-R74, $6.99; CD-TWIN-R80,
$7.99
For more information, please visit TDK on the web at
www.tdk.com
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