YAMAHA INTRODUCES THE FIRST CD-RW DRIVE CAPABLE OF 8X REWRITE
–First CD-RW Manufacturer to Double the Fastest Re-Write Speed on the Market–

CRW8824 series CD-RW's

BUENA PARK, CA–Yamaha Corporation of America announces the introduction of the CRW8824 series of internal and external rewritable CD recorders featuring the new Pure Phase^TM Laser System–an exclusive Yamaha anti-glare technology that results in exceptional data reliability while recording CDs at high speeds.

Designed as part of a new generation of high speed CD recorders from Yamaha, the CRW8824 series of 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. In addition to 8x rewrite capabilities, the CRW8824 series of CD-RW 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^TM 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," notes Henio Arcangeli, Jr., Vice President/General Manager, Consumer Products Division, Yamaha Corporation of America. "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, a large 4 MB buffer memory, and 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 will be introducing a new breed of 8x rewritable media in late May 2000, capable of reliable 8x rewriting at a cost only slightly higher than quality 4x certified CD-RW media.

The CRW8824 series will feature four models: The internal CRW8824EZ unit using E-IDE (ATAPI) technology will be introduced in late-May and the internal CRW8824SZ using Ultra SCSI (SCSI-3) technology will be available in early June 2000. The external CRW8824SXZ using Ultra SCSI interface and the external CRW8824FXZ using IEEE 1394 Firewire^TM technology will be available in late June 2000. The Firewire connection provides very easy installation, reliable performance, and fast recording speeds.

Since the late 1980s, Yamaha has been the leader in CD-recorder development, producing high performance recorders which are considered to be industry standards. The company introduced the first programmable CD-recording system in 1988, the first 2x speed CD recording system in 1990, the first 4x half-height CD-R drive in 1993, the first 4x speed writing CD ReWritable drive in 1997 and the first 4x speed rewriting CD-ReWritable drive in 1998.

The CRW8424 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. The retail version, in the United States, is available directly from and only through Yamaha’s Consumer Products Division, and includes a software bundle which features Adaptec class-leading Easy CD Creator^TM, Direct CD^TM and Toast^TM, Adobe’s ActiveShare^TM, PageMill^TM, Photo Deluxe Business Edition^TM, plus the Neato^TM CD Labeler Kit.

For product and sales information, contact Yamaha’s Consumer Products Division, 6600 Orangethorpe Avenue, Buena Park, CA 90620; http://www.yamaha.com; telephone (714) 522-9011; or fax (714) 228-3913. Press contact: Giles Communications LLC, telephone (914) 422-3800, x132.

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