July 1998
If You Have Duplication in Mind
Cygnet and JVC CD jukeboxes are bridging the gap between
high-capacity CD storage and high-volume CD duplication. Users who need
to store, retrieve and publish CDs from the network with simultaneous
access will find these products to be right up their alley.
Cygnet's (San Jose, CA 408-954-1800) InfiniWriter ($25,000) was the
first CD jukebox to be marketed as a duplication device. It even includes
an on-board CD label printer. The jukebox has a 250-disc capacity and can
hold six quad-speed CD recorder drives. This configuration can master,
record and label up to 25 CDs an hour. The product has a flexible modular
design, so users can start with two drives and easily move up to six
drives.
The printer is from Fargo and can produce high resolution, full color
or monochrome labels on printable CD-R discs. The inkjet printer delivers
300 x 300 dpi and has a maximum resolution of 600 x 300 dpi. Print speed
is two to five minutes, depending on the image size. The printer supports
both parallel and serial interfaces for PC and Mac users.
Minimum load time for the InfiniWriter is about 11 seconds, somewhat
slow but fine for those whose priority is duplication, not retrieval.
Cygnet's price is reasonable when considering the high disc-to-drive
ratio and built in label printer.
JVC (Cypress, CA 714-816-6500) also offers their high-capacity CD-ROM
jukebox with disc duplication and labeling features, confirming the
trend. The 200-disc MC-2200P CD Jukebox ($25,800) features six drive bays
that can include CD-ROM, CD-R or DVD-ROM drives. It also includes Windows
NT-based disc duplicator software and a built-in label printer. This
system is a hybrid for library data storage, disc duplication and label
printing. The system works well as an archiving and CD production device.
The MC-2200P uses four 50-disc magazines that occupy a separate space
from that allocated for drives. Therefore, the number of drives installed
does not affect the disc capacity. A mail slot is provided for loading
and unloading discs without opening the cabinet door. Average disc load
time is 3.5 seconds and average disc exchange time is 8.0 seconds.
Dial-in access is supported for remote diagnostics.
When all six CD-R drive bays are used, six CDs can be duplicated
simultaneously. This lets you replicate 24 650-MB CDs an hour. The disc
duplicator will automatically place any disc that has a recording error
into a separate location for rejected discs. The built-in inkjet label
printer is from Canon. It prints 720-dpi color and connects on a standard
36-pin parallel interface. Third-party software can be used to design
custom labels with company logos, disc titles or barcodes for tracking.
The same configuration is also available on JVC's MC-2600P, a 600-disc
jukebox. The unit houses 12 50-disc magazines and six drive bays. Average
disc load time is 4.0 seconds. Both the MC-2200P and the MC-2600P feature
32X speed CD-ROM drives and 4X/12X CD recorders. A guide rail system
positions the tray-based disc changer with no direct media contact.
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