New TDK CD-RW Drive Promises High-Speed Audio Copies

How would you like to make a full 650Mb compilation CD of your favorite music in less than 10 minutes? That's what TDK is promising with its new veloCD ReWriter drive, to be shipped to dealers later this fall.

The 8432ai CD-RW burner will be priced at about $350 retail, according to advance publicity. In addition to 8x write, 4x rewrite, and 32x read speeds, the veloCD offers a 24x digital audio extraction speed—meaning a three-minute track on an ordinary CD can be converted into a WAV file and burned onto a CD-R or CD-RW in less than 10 seconds. A 200MHz or faster Pentium microprocessor and 32Mb of memory are necessary for full performance from the drive, TDK cautions.

Users will be able to make an entire 70-minute compilation CD in about 10 minutes, with most of the time spent inserting and removing discs from the computer. The veloCD will also compile MP3 files, digital photos, video clips, or any other data users wish to save. All the necessary software for click-and-drag copying is included, according to TDK.

The device is a departure from standard marketing practice for TDK, which has long concentrated on blank media. "TDK in the 21st century will be a new and exciting company, drawing on the technologies and expertise we have gained in our decades of recording media leadership. This announcement represents a first step in a limitless future as we help shape the future of digital convergence electronics," said TDK Electronics Corporation president Kuni Matsui. Read the full scoop on the new drive by clicking here.

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