New drive burns DVDs - and labels them

HP has announced a new labeling system that lets you burn silkscreen-quality labels directly onto specially coated CDs and DVDs using a modified disk drive with an extended-range laser.

Users of the Lightscribe system simply create a CD or DVD as normal, flip it over in the drive tray, and draw a permanent label onto the photo-sensitive surface surface. Software to produce the designs is expected to be announced shortly.

HP intends to license the technology to various manufacturers of CD and DVD drives as well as media suppliers and software houses. Lightscribe-enabled drives, software and disks are expected to ship later this year. HP hopes the technology will bypass the limitations of conventional labeling methods such as the marker pen, which has the obvious drawback of producing unprofessional and potentially illegible designs.

Sticky labels give discs a less amateurish look, but can destabilize a disc's rotation at higher speeds and increase vibration leading to misinterpretation of data.

Lightscribe was first conceived by an HP engineer, and developed further through the collaborative efforts of HP's Imaging and Optical storage divisions.

The technology was first unveiled in Europe at HP's Labs 2004 event in Kos, Greece, where the company also revealed its second-generation Media Center PC. This latest incarnation features a redesigned chassis with a removable 200Gb USB hard drive.

Significant emphasis has been placed on reducing the amount of external wiring required to connect the PC to audio and video components, wireless networking, and the sharing of files between different users.

For more information go to www.hp.com