Storage: Sony Announces External High Capacity Floppy Disk Drive and Media - Product Announcement

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, Oct 12, 1998

Sony Electronics, inventor of the 3.5-inch floppy drive, Wednesday announced its new external High Capacity Floppy Disk Drive and Media (HiFD).

The new 200MB drive which can read, write and format traditional 1.44MB floppy disks - will begin shipping by the end of November, at a suggested retail price of $199. HiFD media will be available in a three-pack for a suggested retail price of $39.99, or a one-pack for $14.99.

"HiFD offers the flexibility to handle a variety of user needs ranging from basic backup to running full-motion video," explained Dirk Peters, general manager of Value Added Products for Sony Electronics' Component Company. "This new format offers users the best combination of capacity, convenience, performance and reliability."

"HiFD is like putting your floppy disk into overdrive," said Takayasu Hirano, vice president of Sony Electronics' Recording Media and Energy Group. "We believe HiFD is destined to become the floppy disk of the 21st century."

HiFD's increased storage capacity, which is approximately 140 times that of traditional floppy disks, allows it to hold up to 20 minutes of full motion MPEG1 video. Users can now easily offload files from their hard drive for backup and archival purposes, transfer large files between computers, and download large files from the Internet directly to HiFD. With the growing popularity of data-intensive applications such as video email, digital images, digital video clips, CAD drawings and animated artwork, HiFD fills the need for increased storage capacity.

This expandable storage medium is designed to grow with users' needs due to its incorporation of several innovative technologies. One such feature is the use of a flying head, similar to those used in hard disk drives. Because the HiFD head flies slightly above the media as it spins at 3,600 rpm and does not contact the disk, friction and drag are eliminated. This not only increases media and head life which improves reliability and longevity - it also provides future expandability as the media density is increased.

In addition, HiFD drives incorporate a composite head, which features both a narrow gap for 200MB high density recording and a wide gap for current 3.5-inch floppy disks. Other reliability features include a soft head load which reduces wear on media; an improved error correction scheme; and an improved disk shutter design which prevents contamination from being pushed onto the media.

HiFD media incorporates several advanced features that contribute to the format's high capacity and reliability. These include a super-thin, dual-layer, metal-coated recording medium for higher magnetic energy; and a pre-recorded servo tracking signal for precise read and write capabilities. In addition, the unique T-shutter design reduces the amount of dust and debris that enters the disk casting. Likewise, HiFD media is designed so that the drive can immediately recognize which type of disk has been inserted and allows the drive to switch to the corresponding operation mode. Also, a V-lock mechanism ensures that a HiFD disk cannot be mistakenly inserted into a conventional floppy drive.

SFD-200S-BP External HiFD Kit HiFD (High Capacity Floppy Disk) Media

o Parallel port interface o 200MB capacity

o 600KB/sec. maximum transfer rate(1) o Unique T-shutter design o One piece HiFD media o Super-thin, dual-layer coating technology o Driver software - V-lock mechanism (Insertion Error Protection) o Availability - End of November o MSRP - $199 - MSRP - $39.99 (three-pack) 3HIF200F $14.99 (one-pack) HIF200F

(1) Format can achieve up to 3.6MB/sec. maximum transfer rate using a standard IDE interface.

Sony Electronics Background: Based in San Jose, the Value Added Products Division of Sony Electronics' Component Company markets storage solutions through commercial and industrial distributors, retailers and resellers. Last year, the Component Company contributed significantly to Sony Electronics' recorded annual sales of more than $10.5 billion. For additional information about Sony storage products, call 800/352-7669.

Sony Electronics' Recording Media and Energy Group is the leading supplier of recordable media products, including data media, professional audio and video tape, consumer audio and video tape, and batteries. RMEG is a vertically integrated business unit of Sony Electronics, incorporating sales, manufacturing and engineering.

The company's annual sales in 1997 exceeded $10 billion.