Toshiba announces 6.7 speed CD-ROM Drive—achieves 1,000KB/sec. transfer rate; XM-3701 first 6.7 speed drive boasts 1,000KB/sec. transfer rate

Business Wire, Nov 2, 1995

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 1995--Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., Disk Products Division (TAIS DPD) Thursday announced the XM-3701 Series of 6.7-speed CD-ROM drives that support a 1,000KB/sec, data transfer rate.

Available Now, New XM-3701 Drives' Fast Seek and Transfer to Support Complex Applications

"Toshiba's new XM-3701 Series drives meet the needs of OEMs, VAD/VARs and distributors who need to provide cutting edge performance high quality drives to their customers today," said Jerry Higgins, vice president of product marketing, CD-ROM, TAIS DPD. "Available now in quantities, these new drives with their 1,000KB/sec, sustained data transfer rate and 120ms random seek time provide CD-ROM users with the performance necessary to support smooth full-motion video and complex high-end graphics transfers from CD-ROMs."

Improvements Lead to 6.7 Times Rotational Speed

The new XM-3701 Series' fast rotational speed of 6.7X was achieved through enhanced error correction, employment of a digital signal processor, and an improved optical pick-up head and spindle motor. In addition to the 6.7X rotational speed, the drives also support rotations of 1X and 2X.

Variable Speed Playback Improves Data Access

The XM-3701 CD-ROM drives employ the variable speed playback system used in previous high-performance Toshiba CD-ROM drives. The variable speed playback system allows the drive to read data before the disk reaches a specific rotational speed of 1, 2 or 6.7 times standard rotational speeds. As a result, the CD-ROM drive provides superior performance for users through dramatically improved drive read times. The variable speed playback also decreases power consumption to 5.9 watts average.

Benefits of Digital Servo Control

The low-mass optical pick-up head and digital servo control featured in the XM-3701 drives ensure fast access to complex data, video and audio files located anywhere on the disc. Contributing to the drive's reliability, the digital servo control provides greater tracking precision and head position, ultimately giving the drives their superior 120ms random seek time.

Compliant with all Major Disc Formats

The XM-3701 Series drives comply with MPC-3 and -2 specifications and are compatible with Kodak multi-session Photo-CD and CD-Plus, red book, yellow book and CD-ROM XA. The drives are also CD-Bridge, CD-I and CD-I Ready compatible and can be used as a CD-Audio player, independent of the computer system.

Contamination-Free Environment

The XM-3701 Series drives feature a sealed enclosure that maintains a contamination-free environment for data integrity. The result is a high MTBF of 100,000 hours.

SCSI-2 Interface, SCSI Transfers and Buffer

The SCSI-2 interface XM-3701 Series drives support CD-DA transfers over the SCSI bus for maximum bandwidth utilization and feature a 256KB data buffer.

Design Features

The XM-3701 Series drives have been designed to deliver industry-leading reliability and performance under a variety of conditions. The drives may be mounted horizontally or vertically for user flexibility. The tray-type electrical disc loader eliminates the need for a caddy, and to ensure discs are not ejected during read, the drives feature a media removal prevent function.

Drive Dimensions

The XM-3701 Series drives are available in internal and external models. The XM-3701B internal drive for installation into desktop computer systems weighs only 2.2 lbs., and measures only 1.63 (H) x 5.57 (W) x 7.5 (D) inches. The TXM-3701D external drive weighs 3.2 lbs. and measures 1.7 (H) x 5.9 (W) x 9.5 (D) inches.

Pricing and Availability

The XM-3701 Series drives are available now. The XM-3701B internal drive has a suggested list price of $415. The TXM-3701D external drive has a suggested list price of $515.

For more information on Toshiba

With headquarters in Irvine, Calif., TAIS is comprised of seven divisions which manufacture and market a wide range of business and information-oriented products in the United States. Products include portable computers, disk drives, CD-ROM drives, plain paper copiers, facsimile systems, digital key telephones and PBX systems, voice mail systems and toner products.

TAIS is an independent operating company, owned by Toshiba America Inc., a subsidiary of the $53.8 billion Toshiba Corp., the second largest computer and office equipment manufacturer and the world's 20th largest corporation in terms of sales. Toshiba Corp. is a world leader in high technology products with 134 major consolidated subsidiaries worldwide.

Toshiba's Disk Products Division

The TAIS Disk Products Division markets a wide range of industry-standard Winchester and CD-ROM disk drives in the United States. For additional product information, contact Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., Disk Products Division, 9740 Irvine Blvd., Irvine, Calif., 92713; telephone: 714/457-0777.

CONTACT: The Benjamin Group

Karen Allen/Kelly Odle, 714/753-0755

kallen@oc.tbgi.com

kodle@oc.tbgi.com