Toshiba Adds Lightscribe to DVD Drive

Device will support HP's label-etching technology.

Martyn Williams, IDG News Service

Toshiba has developed a slim-line optical disc drive with support for Hewlett-Packard's Lightscribe label-etching technology, it says.

Lightscribe allows labels to be etched onto blank discs using the drive's laser. To use the technology, users will burn data onto a blank disc as normal and then flip the disc over and reinsert it to etch the label on the reverse side.

Several software applications are compatible with the technology, which is also used by other drive makers and supported by several blank media makers.

Drive Details

The SD-R6572M supports DVD+/-R write and DVD-ROM read at speeds up to 8X, DVD+/-RW write at speeds up to 4X, CD-R write and CD-ROM read at speeds up to 24X, and CD-RW write at speeds up to 10X. The drive measures.5 inches high and suitable in slim drive bays such as those in laptop computers.

The drive is an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) product intended for use for use by PC vendors and won't be available from Toshiba directly to consumers. It began shipping earlier in May.

Toshiba also announced three additional drives this week.

They include the SD-R5372V desktop computer DVD writer that includes 6X write support for dual-layer DVD+/-R media and the laptop SD-C2732 and desktop SD-M2012C DVD readers that are complaint with the European Union's RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive.