RoadStor CD-RW/DVD-ROM Drive Computer Times Editor's Choice

Computer Times
February 2004

Editor's Choice Hardware

RoadStor CD-RW/DVD-ROM Drive

The RoadStor CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive (Retail $249), from MicroSolutions, is a portable digital photo viewer, CD burner, DVD and MP3 player, all bundled into one unit that comes standard with a remote control. The RoadStor frees you from your computer for virtually anything you commonly wish to do with digital photos, CDs and DVDs. This is an incredible product from a company with a long track record of quality innovations!

We ran exhaustive tests on the RoadStor CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive and are happy to report that it passed with flying colors. This included tests in our office, in a home environment, at a major university and on the road. The RoadStor CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive is one of those products that you would design for yourself if you were trying to come up with the ideal solution for multiple digital situations. It is like a Swiss army knife for digital photo, movie and music enthusiasts as well as for educators and mobile sales people.

The RoadStor CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive is an ideal choice for those

without computers who wish to enjoy the advantages of digital cameras, watch DVDs and listen to MP3s both at home and on the road.

with computers who wish to free themselves of carrying their computers to download photos from their digital cameras, watch DVDs and listen to MP3 music; and for those looking for an additioinal CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive for their existing computer.

anyone who is looking for a new DVD player that will also bring you a host of other capabilities.

With the included rechargeable battery that locks in place and becomes a visual extension of the RoadStor, you do not even need to be near a power source to take advantage of this unique device. RoadStor provides seven distinct applications.

Connects directly to a TV to view digital photos and DVDs, making this a great replacement or first DVD player for your home, office or recreational vehicle.
6-in-1 flash memory reader for six of the most common formats.
Burns photos to CDs at the touch of a button without the need for a PC, allowing you to make photo CDs for friends and family at any event directly from your camera.
View DVD movies on the road in your vehicle (hooked up to a portable TV) or in motel rooms where DVD players are not available.
An external High Speed USB 2.0 storage for PC and Mac to provide an additional CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive for daily use.
Burns, plays and stores MP3s to give you a complete solution for digital music.
Attaches to a projector to view presentations, which provides a great portable unit for sales people and educators.

To help you fully understand the RoadStor CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, we have listed below the specific features for each of the three primary capabilities of this great little product.

Digital Photo Viewer

View digital photo slideshows on TV anywhere while you are comfortably controlling everything from your armchair with the included remote control.
View image files from a CD or directly from memory cards using the built-in 6-in-1 flash memory card reader (SD, SM, CF I/II, MMC, MD, MS).
Zoom, rotate and create thumbnails of your digital photos.
Simple, one-touch copy of digital photos to CD-R. No more worries about downloading digital photos or filling up memory cards on the road.
Share your photo discs with friends and family on-the-spot.

Portable CD Burner

Burn CDs on the road with or without a computer
High Speed USB 2.0 external storage
Attaches to both PC (Windows 98, Me, 2000 SP3, XP) and Mac (OS 10.1.3 and above)
Read or write from six memory cards to CD-R, CD-RW
Reads DVD data discs

Portable DVD and MP3 Player

Watch your favorite DVD movies on TV anywhere, any time (vacation, grandma's, in your vehicle, etc.)
Supports both NTSC and PAL (British) formats
Download MP3s from your flash memory and burn to CD without a computer
Portable multimedia player - plays DVDs, CDs and MP3s

The purchase price includes

RoadStor CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive
SpeedyCD burner, DVD player software and printed User's Guide
Device driver (required for Windows 98)
USB 2.0 cable (compatible with USB 1.1), S-video, composite video and audio cable
Remote control (batteries included), rechargeable Lithium Ion battery, power adapter, two blank CD-R discs and carrying case
1 year limited warranty

Following a long history of producing innovative products, MicroSolutions has come up with another winner in the RoadStor CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive. This is a great product that offers a host of features at a reasonable price thus earning it the coveted Computer Times Editor's Choice award.

Detailed specifications, product features and system requirements are presented below.

DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS

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Transfer Speed

USB 2.0 - 11MB/s (max.)

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Buffer Underrun Protection

Yes

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Typical Access Time

CD-RW - 90ms average

DVD - 110ms average

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Supported Media

CD-DA, CD-ROM Mode 1, CD-ROM XA Mode 2 (Form 1 & 2), Multisession Photo CD, CD-I, Video CD, Enhanced CD, CD-Text, DVD-ROM, DVD-R (General, Authoring), DVD-Video, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, DVD-RAM (4.7GB, 2.6GB), SmartMedia (SM), SecureDigital (SD), MultiMedia Card (MMC), Memory Stick (MS), CompactFlash I/II (CF I/II), MicroDrive (MD)

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Recording Media

CD-RW, CD-R

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Bundled Software

CyberLink PowerDVD and CD authoring and CD editing software included

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CD-R Write Speeds

4X - 24X

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CD-RW Rewrite Speeds

4X - 24X

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Read Speed

24X (CD-R/RW) - 3.6MB/s max.

8X (DVD) - 11MB/s max.

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Audio Output Jack

RCA stereo

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Video Output Jacks (TV)

RCA, S-Video

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Video Format

NTSC and PAL (switchable)

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Power Consumption

18 watts, auto-switching power supply included

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Line Voltage Range

100 - 240 VAC

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Operating Temperature

41°F - 113°F (5°C - 45°C)

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MTBF

60,000 POH

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Approvals

UL, CSA, FCC class B, CE, TÜV, SEMKO

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Dimensions

1.4"(h) x 5.4"(w) x 6.7/8.2"(l) with battery

35mm (h) x 138mm (w) x 170/208mm (l) with battery

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Weight

21.5oz. (550g); battery - 4.5oz. (120g);
power supply - 7.5oz. (213g); USB 2.0 cable - 1.5oz. (43g);
RCA cable - 3oz. (85g); S-video cable - 2oz. (57g);
remote control - 2oz. (57g); carrying case - 14oz. (397g)

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Warranty

1 year

DETAILED PRODUCT FEATURES

Attach to USB 2.0 port - works with Intel-based PC or Mac
Detachable, rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack included
Portable - take it on the road and connect it to a computer or TV
Works as a stand-alone unit - record CDs without a PC or Mac and plays DVD videos directly to TV
Comes with everything you need to make CDs and watch DVDs on your PC, Mac or TV
Simple one-button record function for CD-Rs
Built-in buffer underrun protection
Hot Pluggable with USB 2.0 - attach and detach RoadStor without restarting your PC or Mac
Rewrite CD-RW, write CD-R and read CD-ROM discs
Plays DVD video and reads DVD data discs
Includes CD creation tools software
CyberLink PowerDVD software included for DVD video playback
Reads 6 different types of memory cartridges - SmartMedia (SM), SecureDigital (SD), MultiMedia Card (MMC), Memory Stick (MS), Compact Flash I and II (CF I/II) and MicroDrive (MD)
Plays Jpeg, Mpeg and MP3 files from storage card, CD or DVD
Includes remote control for when RoadStor is attached to TV
Custom carrying case included

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Microsoft Windows 98, Me, 2000 (SP3), XP or Mac OS 10.1.3 or above
USB 2.0 capability (for DVD video playback on a computer)
IBM compatible Pentium II or faster (for DVD video playback on a computer)
8MB or more video RAM recommended (for DVD video playback on a computer)
16MB RAM min., 32MB RAM recommended
RCA audio/video input jacks and/or S-Video input jack (for DVD video playback on a TV)

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