MILPITAS, Calif.--Panasonic and Radialogic, a subsidiary of Prosoft Engineering, Inc., announced today that Radialogic Storage Master, a drive management utility for Macintosh systems, supports the Panasonic 4.7GB DVD-RAM drive. Available in retail and OEM versions, Radialogic Storage Master is a tool that helps Mac users optimize Panasonic's rewritable DVD drive. Radialogic's drive management utility and driver package supports all PowerPC-equipped Macintosh computers using OS 8.1 and higher. The Mac OS X version will be released by next year.

With Storage Master, Mac users can customize their DVD-RAM storage by choosing the number, size and format of the disc partitions for their specific applications. The software features an intuitive graphical interface that enables users to mount and unmount disc partitions, add password protection and encryption, verify media and obtain a detailed analysis of the drive and media performance.

"Apple recommends that system and video data be on separate drives," said Greg Brewer, president and CEO of Prosoft Engineering and Radialogic. "That's because if the data bus has to support both a video data stream and requests for system data from the central processor, the chance for dropped frames increases. The high capacity, reliability and random access of Panasonic's DVD-RAM Drive make it an ideal storage solution for Mac users involved in high-end 2D and 3D graphics, DVD authoring, and medical imaging."

"With its flagship product Storage Master, Radialogic has leveraged Prosoft Engineering's broad experience in both the Macintosh and the mass storage industries," said Jeff Saake, group general manager of Panasonic Industrial Company's Computer Technologies Group. "By combining Radialogic Storage Master with our DVD-RAM drive, system integrators and resellers can enhance customer satisfaction with the performance of their high-speed Power Mac systems."

Panasonic's 4.7GB/9.4GB DVD-RAM provides a data transfer rate of up to 22.16Mbps and random data access of 95ms or better. Available for a storage cost of about $.005/MB, a single 4.7GB rewritable disc can store 4,700 full-color pictures (640x480, 24 bit/pixel), 2 hours of compressed MPEG-2 theater-quality video, more than 7 hours of CD-quality audio or the equivalent of 8 four-drawer filing cabinets. To ensure that picture and sound quality won't degenerate with repeated use, the drive is designed so that nothing comes in contact with the disc.

A versatile storage solution, the DVD-RAM drive can be used for storage, editing, and backup as well as CD and DVD-video playback. In addition to being able to read CD-ROM, CD Audio, CD-R, CD-RW and video CD discs at up to 24x speeds, the Panasonic DVD-RAM drive plays DVD video, DVD-ROM and DVD-R discs. The 4.7GB single-sided bare disc DVD-RAM media can be played back with Apple's iMac DVD-ROM drives.

Pricing, Availability

Available now, Radialogic Storage Master is the only product of it's kind on the market today that supports all four of the Macintosh's external busses (FireWire, USB, SCSI and ATA). Retail versions of Radialogic Storage Master are currently selling through ClubMac for $89.95. They are also available for purchase through Radialogic Website at: www.radialogic.com, or by calling the phone order center at 925/249-4200.

The OEM version of Radialogic Storage Master is available through oemsales@radialogic.com or by calling 925/426-6100 ext. 2324. The OEM version of Radialogic Storage Master can be easily upgraded to the retail version which adds support for a wide range of drives and advanced features that allow experts to fine-tune their bus and drive settings for maximum performance.

Panasonic Industrial Company's 4.7GB OEM DVD-RAM drive is available as an internal drive with a SCSI-2 interface (model LF-D291N) or with an ATAPI interface (model LF-D211N). The Panasonic-branded internal drive, model LF-D201U, is available from Panasonic Document Imaging Company (PDIC) and has an MSRP of $549. Double-sided 9.4GB DVD-RAM media, 4.7GB single-sided media and 4.7GB bare disc media, which are marketed under the Panasonic brand name, are also available from several other leading manufacturers. The 4.7GB bare disc DVD-RAM media can be played back on the latest Panasonic DVD-ROM drives, as well as Panasonic's new DVD Player and DVD Recorder.

Company Profiles

Radialogic, a subsidiary of Prosoft Engineering, Inc., is an emerging leader in the software utility market. With over 50 years-combined experience, Radialogic makes and manufactures software products designed to support the needs of all Mac and PC users alike. Radialogic maintains a website at: www.radialogic.com. For more information on Radialogic and it's product line contact Radialogic at 4725 First Street Suite 270, Pleasanton, CA 94566; 925/426-6100, email chazard@radialogic.com, www.radialogic.com.

Panasonic is the best known brand name of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC), a world leader in electronic and electric products for consumer, business and industrial use. Panasonic has introduced some of the world's most innovative DVD products to the market: portable DVD players with built-in LCD screen, DVD-Audio players, DVD video and DVD-Audio players for automobiles, and TV/DVD/VCR systems and DVD-RAM drives. Panasonic's DVD expertise ranges from research and development to the manufacture of DVD mastering and replication equipment. In Los Angeles, its Digital Video Compression Corporation (DVCC) performs DVD encoding, artistic authoring, and services for full-length motion picture transfer. Torrance, California-based Panasonic Disc Services Corporation (PDSC) performs pre-mastering, mastering and replication of discs for DVD and DVD-ROM products. Additional information on Panasonic and Matsushita Electric at www.panasonic.com.

For more information on the Panasonic DVD-RAM OEM drive and media, contact Panasonic Industrial Company, 1600 McCandless Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035; 408/945-5600, FAX 408/262-4214, E-mail berzind@panasonic.com. Or, visit the company's Web site at www.panasonic.com/oemdvd-ram. For more information on Panasonic-branded DVD-RAM drives and media, contact Panasonic Document Imaging Company, Two Panasonic Way 7D-9, Secaucus, NJ 07030 800/742-8086, www.panasonic.com/storage or E-mail marusicm@panasonic.com. In Canada, contact Panasonic Canada, Ambler Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L4W 2T3, Canada; 905/238-2254, FAX 905/238-2414, E-mail rkwong@panasonic.ca.

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