Low-Cost Drive for PCs Simplifies CD Recording

HP SureStore CD-Writer 4020i Bundles Easy-to-use Software and High-
performance Drive; Street Price of $1099 is Expected

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA. SEPTEMBER 11, 1995

Hewlett-Packard Company today announced a low-cost bundled CD-Recordable
(CD-R) solution that lets the typical PC user write data to CDs.

The HP SureStore CD-Writer 4020i is a CD reader/recorder system that
includes an easy-to-configure drive plus a variety of software
applications to support CD recording. HP is the first company to advance
CD-R technology -- both in price and quality -- to a level that makes CD
recording a practical reality. The increased reliability and functionality
of software helps eliminate the difficulty previously associated with
recording data to CDs. Its affordable price brings CD recording within
reach of the vast majority of businesses using PCs in DOS and Windows
environments.

The HP SureStore CD-Writer 4020i includes everything needed for
installation and custom CD recording. The compact drive, a 4x CD reader
and 2x CD recorder, installs in a PC's half-height 5.25-inch bay. It lets
users record up to 650MB of data or 74 minutes of audio on a single CD-R
disc. It also reads standard digital and audio CDs. The package includes
two blank HP SureStore CD-R discs, a SCSI-2 Bus Mastering interface card,
plus cables and manuals. Bundled software allows users to perform a number
of CD recording and retrieval tasks. The software suite includes the
following:

* EASY-CD, an extension of the Windows file manager for easy file
  transfer to CD;
* ALCHEMY PERSONAL, which lets users create and search custom
  databases (includes a run-time search engine for use on any PC
  with a CD-ROM drive);
* MAGIC LANTERN, for photo CD viewing; and
* EASY-CD AUDIO, which lets users prepare custom audiodiscs.

HP's SureStore brand media, packaged with the drive and available
separately, has a 100-year life, making it ideal for permanent record
storage and archiving. SureStore media recorded on the CD-Writer can be
read by IBM PC and Macintosh computers equipped with CD-ROM drives and
appropriate software.

"The introduction of the HP SureStore CD-Writer 4020i is a significant
milestone in the development of CD-R," said John Boose, general manager of
HP's Colorado Memory Systems Division, part of the Information Storage
Group. "There are more than 25 million CD readers installed, making CDs
practically a universal media. This product allows businesses to tap the
potential of this universal media in the creation and distribution of
information."

In the past, recording to CD was not only expensive, it meant dealing with
a number of technical considerations that made the process difficult and
prone to destroying the media. The design of this new drive, coupled with
a powerful suite of easy-to-use software, brings CD recording to the
desktop where it's needed by today's PC users.

With this drive, CDs have become a practical, low-cost media for a number
of information storage, retrieval and distribution applications. These
include the following:

* records retention and archiving;

* large-file transfer, previously the domain of expensive removable
  media;
* preparation and distribution of multimedia presentations and custom
  databases. These applications previously suffered from high
  publication costs when  recording to CDs, limited capacity when
  using 3-1/2-inch floppies and a limited installed base when using
  removable hard disks; and
* preparation of custom audio and video CDs for personal enjoyment,
  which previously was impractical for the average PC user.

For media compatibility with the large installed base of CD readers, the HP
SureStore CD-Writer 4020i conforms to all current industry standards for
recording and reading data on CDs. These include Red Book/Digital Audio,
Yellow Book/CD-ROM, Green Book/CD-Interactive, Orange Book/CD-MO and
CD-WO, Orange Book/CD-R, White Book/Video CD, and ISO 9060 Logical File
Formats.

U.S. Prices and Availability

The HP SureStore CD-Writer 4020i is $1,249 and is expected to sell for
about $1,099. The HP-brand CD-R media is $16 (each) and is expected to
sell for about $12. Both are expected to be available in October. Dealer
prices may vary.

HP entered the information-storage business 24 years ago when it began
manufacturing and selling hard-disk drives. Today, HP's Information
Storage Group has grown to more than $1.5 billion in revenue (FY 1994)
with a complete line of information-storage products for computers and
computer networks. HP information-storage options include disk drives and
disk arrays, magneto-optical drives and jukeboxes, digital- audio-tape
drives and libraries, and quarter-inch-cartridge tape drives. Products are
sold through a variety of distribution channels under the Colorado and
SureStore brand names as well as to OEM customers.
 
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