Portlangf (OR) - Lacie announced that it will ship external double layer DVD (DL DVD) writers beginning June 2004. DL provides users almost twice the capacity of current recordable DVDs on a single-sided disc.

Following other major major manufacturers such as Sony and Lite-on, Lacie will introduce its first DL DVD burner withing the next four weeks, the company saidTuesday. The company claims that the drives provide "the fastest speeds available for dual-format recording": 8x for DVD±R media and and 4x for DVD±RW.

DL DVD media offer 8.5 GByte space allowing users to save almost 16 hours of video on one disc, Lacie said.

Encased in LaCie's d2 design, the new drives can be placed horizontally on the desktop or configured in standard 19" racks with an optional rack-mounting kit. A separate desk rack enables stacking of up to four drives on the desktop. The models come with FireWire and USB 2.0 interfaces and ship with recording software for Windows and Macintosh operating systems, including Roxio Easy Media Creator 7 and Toast 6.0 for CD/DVD recording and double layer DVD recording.

The drives will be available through Lacie's resellers and mail order. Prices will start at $249.

Source : Tom's Hardware US