Bothell, WA...Software Architects, Inc. (SAI) announced release and shipment of DVD-RAM TuneUp™ v3.0, which now includes the new FixDVD!™ Disk Analysis & Repair Utility. FixDVD! is the world’s first commercially available disk analysis and repair utility for rewritable DVD disks known as “DVD-RAM” disks. DVD-RAM drives made by Panasonic, Hitachi, Toshiba and LaCie read and write to DVD-RAM media, and also read DVD-ROM, DVD video, CDR, and CD-ROM disks.
FixDVD! provides users with a simple method to test, analyze and repair disks formatted in the Universal Disk Format (UDF). This new format is specified by the DVD Forum for use on all DVD disks as the new standard for disk interchange between all types of computers and intelligent multimedia consumer devices. FixDVD! supports all manufacturer’s and leading third party brand DVD-RAM drives, including: Hitachi, LaCie, Panasonic, Toshiba, and Creative Labs, and DVD-RAM media including: Maxell, TDK, Panasonic and Plasmon brands.
About DVD-RAM TuneUp: DVD-RAM TuneUp is the original Mac utility that provides “plug and play” support for all brands of DVD-RAM drives, including SCSI and ATAPI protocols, and selected third party Firewire bridge implementations on Apple PowerMac™ and Macintosh™ computers. It provides everything you need to set up, run, test, write and repair a DVD-RAM drive on a Mac. It boosts drive performance significantly beyond Mac OS capabilities. The software includes:
* RocketCache™: three level cache architecture that speeds read performance to approach hard disk file transfer rates.
* FixDVD!™: the world’s first diagnostic & repair utility for DVD disks.
* SmartDVD™: automatically configures the device driver for the type of disk being used (CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM or DVD-RAM), in the DVD-RAM drive (SCSI, ATAPI & Firewire)
* FormatUDF!™: formats media in UDF versions 1.02, 1.5, 2.0 or 2.0.1 format, or optional native HFS & Extended HFS formats
* WriteDVD!™: File System gives the ability to read and write to DVD-RAM disks in UDF with a “drag & drop” icon “Finder” interface.
DVD-RAM TuneUp ensures compatibility between Mac OS and Windows implementations of UDF. Available in English, Japanese and European language versions.
About the UDF File System & Format The UDF format is used in all DVD video players, as well as newly announced DVD audio players, and is already the standard adopted by Microsoft, Apple and other operating system companies as the new disk format to replace the aging ISO 9660 format now used on CD-ROM disks.
Based on the international standard ISO 13346, UDF is defined and controlled by the Optical Storage Technology Association (“OSTA”). The DVD Forum, a consortium of companies that owns the intellectual property and design specifications for DVD drives and media, specifies the use of the OSTA UDF format as the standard for DVD products. This ensures reliable disk interchange and use between different manufacturer’s products, and between different types of computer systems and consumer electronics devices.
Key FixDVD! Features:
• Quickly determines format type (UDF or other), the version of UDF format implemented, and if the format is compliant with DVD Forum specifications
• Displays summary information on the directories and files on the disk, along with the number and type of errors or format defects on the disk
• Repairs defects or errors automatically
•Displays summary and detailed logs of the format and directory status
FixDVD! Benefits:
•Quickly determine why a disk does not open
•Quickly determine if the disk is UDF compliant
•Quickly determine problems or errors in the format and directory structures
•Modifies disk formats to help ensure compatibility between computer systems (i.e. Mac UDF vs. Windows UDF)
•Repair damaged disk formats, directory and file header information
Systems Requirements Supports systems running Apple Mac OS 8 & 9. (Separate versions available to support MS Windows 95, 98, NT and 2000).
Compatibility & Standards FixDVD! reads, analyzes and repairs all versions of the UDF format: OSTA UDF v1.02, 1.5 and 2.0; and is compatible with Apple OS 9 UDF file systems interface, Microsoft Windows 98 and Windows 2000 UDF readers.
DVD-RAM TuneUp is the first and only utility that can ensure read/write compatibility of DVD-RAM disks between Apple Macintosh and Windows computer systems. DVD-RAM TuneUp and FixDVD! are OSTA (Optical Storage Technology Association) UDF compliant, and comply with DVD Forum specifications for DVD-RAM drives and disk formats.
What is the UDF Format? UDF stands for the “Universal Disk Format” and file system. It is the key software technology underlying DVD's disk format standard for digital convergence. Based on the International Standards Organization’s (ISO) ISO-13346 standard, the UDF format ensures that disks can be properly used on all types of computer systems as well as future consumer digital appliances.
Advantages of the UDF file format include:
• operating System independence- UDF is the optimal archival medium.
• large capacity- The UDF file system can store data to the terabyte level in a single volume.
• optimized data transfer rates- Read and write speeds of UDF formatted disks can outperform data transfer rates of native file systems when properly tuned.
• supports Unicode character set for compatibility with foreign language systems
• supports extended file attributes used in some native operating systems
• supports long file names beyond the limits of current operating systems
•allows for disk interchange between consumer DVD devices and computer systems with DVD drives
About SAI Software Architects, Inc. was the first company in the world to commercialize and market UDF file system based software to run DVD-RAM drives on personal computers(1997). The company is the leading independent supplier of software utilities for DVD-RAM. It has the largest installed base of DVD-RAM users with its family of WriteDVD!™ and DVD-RAM TuneUp™ utilities, and third party software products that utilize SAI’s UDF Developer Toolkit.
SAI develops and publishes system-level utility software and specialty applications for personal computers. The company applies its file system, device driver and image enhancement technology to address the reliable integration and “ease of use” of input and storage devices with personal computers.
Founded in 1987, the company has over thirteen years of experience developing and licensing its technology to OEM manufacturers and systems integrators worldwide.
As a member of the Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) as well as the DVD Forum, SAI plays a leading role in the application of the Universal Disk Format and technology for a variety of computer and consumer applications.
For more information, please contact us at:
Software Architects, Inc
19102 North Creek Parkway,
Suite 101
Bothell, WA 98011
USA
Phone: 425-487-0122
Fax: 425-487-0467
Email: sales@softarch.com
Website: www.softarch.com