LaCie today unveiled the quadruple-interface d2 Quadra Hard Drive with new LaCie Shortcut Button and included EMC backup software for Windows/Mac OS and begand shipping its professional external Blu-ray burning solution for Mac OS and Windows called the LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drive.
LaCie Ships External Blu-ray Solution For Professionals on Mac and Windows
LaCie today announced it is first to ship worldwide a professional external Blu-ray burning solution for Mac OS ® and Windows ® called the LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drive. The drive records, rewrites and reads 25GB or 50GB BD-R (recordable) and BD-RE (rewritable), as well as DVD ±RW DL and CD ±RW. LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drives come fully equipped with Roxio burning software and dual FireWire/USB interfaces. The external solution is housed in LaCie’s trusted and durable d2 case made of sturdy aluminum alloy.

LaCie Product Manager Anne Bordet said, “LaCie’s d2 Blu-ray Drive is a necessity for video editors who need to distribute HD content while retaining quality of picture and sound. Business users can safely archive large amounts of data or regularly back up individual workstations with the included, easy-to-use software. Roxio’s experience in developing professional software combined with our sturdy and exclusive d2 casing means LaCie can again deliver the best hardware/software combo for creative mastering and high capacity storage.”

LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drives come with user-friendly and full-featured Roxio software including Roxio Easy Media Creator ® 8 for Windows, and Toast 7 Titanium for Mac-both with new support for Blu-ray. Software enables BD image-to-disc recording, disc-to-disc copy, and data transfer for file backup. All users can treat BD-RE like a removable storage device with drag-and-drop capabilities, while Mac users have the ability to mount burned BD on the desktop.

Stan Wong, general manager, Roxio division of Sonic Solutions said, “Roxio has always delivered cutting-edge disc-burning features to Mac and PC users alike, and we’re pleased to again partner with LaCie to bring a complete Blu-ray external solution to both platforms.”

50GB BD offers 10x more capacity than a single layer DVD, which gives professionals the freedom to choose a much higher bit rate when mastering content thereby greatly improving sound and picture quality. BD employs a hard topcoat and new material making discs more resistant to scratches and light.

In a partnership with Panasonic Media, the LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drive comes bundled with a 50GB BD. Laurent Abadie, Managing Director of Panasonic France said, “Precursor on Blu-ray technology media, Panasonic developed 25GB and double sided 50GB discs. Panasonic was the first brand in 2006 to allow storage of up to 50GB on a single disc including BD-R and BD-RE. In the future, Panasonic will continue to upgrade capacity and transfer speeds of Blu-ray discs and is proud to today align with LaCie and encourage people toward adopting large storage BD.”

Availability
LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drives are available immediately online and widely available via LaCie’s specialized dealer network later this month at the suggested retail price of $1149. In addition to Roxio burning software, drives ship with CinePlayer 3.4 for HD playback on Windows.

Quadruple Interface 500GB Hard Drive With Shortcut Button
LaCie today unveiled the quadruple-interface d2 Quadra Hard Drive with new LaCie Shortcut Button and included EMC ® backup software for Windows ®/Mac OS ®. This versatile storage solution is equipped with eSATA, FireWire 800/400 and USB 2.0 interfaces, as well as a new utility that allows users to back up files or launch any application by pushing the front blue button. The 500GB capacity is available today, with other capacities planned for spring.

“LaCie is very proud to introduce this comprehensive solution for professional users,” said Olivier Mirloup, LaCie Hard Disk Drive Business Unit Manager. “The d2 Quadra represents the cutting edge of high-performance storage, offering users the ability to connect to the fastest interface on their computer. You can set up two or more drives in a RAID 1 mirror for data redundancy and protection, or stripe them together in RAID 0 for even greater speed. EMC ® backup software and the new LaCie Shortcut Button round out the solution, offering unique automation and data protection.”

Four interfaces in a single solution gives professionals the versatility needed to work in any environment. The next-generation eSATA or fast FireWire 800 interfaces offer ultra-fast data transfer rates for external disks. This makes the LaCie d2 Quadra especially convenient for video editors working in SD/HD or for quick individual workstation storage in a small business setting. Even faster data transfer rates and larger capacities can be achieved when two or more drives are used in a RAID.

People can utilize the LaCie Shortcut Button-the blue button in front of the drive-as a one-push backup or application-launching utility.* It can be configured to launch any document or application, or initiate included EMC ® Retrospect ® Express software that offers automated backups on the LaCie d2 Quadra.

LaCie d2 Quadra Hard Drives feature the quintessential d2 design-a stylish, metallic housing crafted from sturdy aluminum alloy for portability and protection. It offers excellent heat dissipation with an ultra-quiet “smart” fan system to prolong performance and drive reliability. LaCie d2 Quadra Hard Drives can stand vertically to save desktop space, be laid horizontally to stack multiple drives, or rack-mounted to fit into an audio/video setup. A 3-position switch allows for customized power management.

Availability
The LaCie d2 Quadra Hard Drive 500GB is available immediately online and will be widely available through LaCie’s specialized dealer network later this month at the suggested retail price of $299. Drives ship with EMC ® Retrospect ® Express HD 2.0 for Windows ®, Retrospect ® Express 6.1 for Mac OS ®, all interface cables, and a power supply. LaCie separately offers eSATA PCI cards.

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