Traveling DVD/CD burners archive memory card photos.

Digital camera images stored without computers on the road

With many photographers, business people, travelers, and vacationers on the road making digital images, the issue of archiving and image management has become more critical. The last place you want important digital photos to

Ideally, images should be transferred to an unerasable, non-magnetic format as soon as possible. This generally means CD-R and DVD-R media. At home, digital image makers have the luxury of desktop computers with CD/DVD "burners" that can transfer images from cameras and cards with little trouble.

When traveling, most digital shooters don't want to lug a computer editing studio with them, or even a laptop, if it is not necessary. Peripheral manufacturers have come up with a solution--small, compact, book-size DVD/CD recorders that can "bum" discs directly from digital camera memory cards without a computer. The units provide 4.7GB storage on DVDs and 700MB on CDs. This can be a lifesaver on the road, since memory cards can be quickly recycled with the knowledge previously recorded images are safely and permanently archived on disc.

Alera Technologies LLC, Chatsworth, Calif. (www.aleratec.com), announced at PMA 2004 its $599 DVD/CD Digital Photo Copy Station that provides direct copying of camera memory cards to DVDs or CDs without computer support. Available later in the year, the unit records DVDs at 8x and CDs at 40x, and is equipped with a built-in card reader that supports CompactFlash Type I and II, MicroDrive, Secure Data/Multimedia Card, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, and Memory Stick Pro cards. The Copy Station can be connected to a computer via a USB 2.0 interface, and can be used for creating and managing still images, video, audio, and data. Alera delivers the Photo Copy Station bundled with a generous software package, including Sonic Solutions MyDVD, RecordNow!, and Simple Backup, plus ArcSoft ShowBiz, MusicMatch Jukebox, and Cyberlink PowerDVD Movie Players.

The company also will have available a $229 CD-only Digital Photo Copy Cruiser Plus, which operates at 36x, supports the same memory card formats, and also has a USB 2.0 port. One advantage of the Cruiser Plus is, with high-storage 1GB and greater memory cards, the unit downloads the data to more than one CD.

Both units are battery operated by 7.4-volt Li-Ion rechargeable batteries, or 100-240 volt, 50-60 Hz, AC/DC power adaptors. A Mobile Cable Kit is also available for use in autos. Currently, Alera markets a similar Digital Photo Copy Cruiser, which is also a portable CD-R/RW recorder that operates directly from digital camera memory cards.

The Digital Photo Copy Cruiser for copying images from memory cards to CD-R/RW is currently available from Alera Technologies.

EZ PnP, El Paso, Texas (www.ezpnp-usa.com), introduced the EZDigiMagic $300 Desktop Digital Photo Sharing Device DM320-04P, which offers stand-alone operation for flash memory backup on DVD and CD discs. The unit supports CompactFlash Type I and II, MicroDrive, and, with supplied adaptors, SM/MMC, SD, Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro media, plus an optional xD-Picture adapter. The unit can also be employed as an external computer DVD/CD writer or card reader, and has a USB 2.0 port. The unit operates via a 100-240 volt, 50-60 Hz, AC power adaptor.

The $295 EZDigiMagic DM220 is a portable unit for recording directly from camera memory cards to CD-R and CD-RW media without a computer. The $199 EZDigiMagic DM320, a desktop model similar to the DM220, is only for CDs; both units are powered by an AC adapter or battery operated.

Nixvue Systems, Snohomish, Wash. (www.nixvue.com), introduced the Nixvue Visor, a CD-R/CD-RW recorder that supports most digital camera memory cards directly, and requires optional adaptors for SmartMedia and xD-Picture Cards. The unit has a USB 2.0 port, a backlit monochrome LCD screen (an optional 2.5-inch color LCD accessory screen is available), and employs an AC power supply; however, an optional 12-volt auto adapter cable is also available.

MicroSolutions Inc., DeKalb, Ill., (www.micro-solutions.com) introduced the $269 RoadStor CD burner, which directly supports CompactFlash I and II, MicroDrive, SD, SM/MMC, and Memory Stick media, plus (with the correct CompactFlash card adapter) xD-Picture cards. Without the aid of a computer, the unit makes for easy multi-session recording and drops each session into a separate, numbered folder. The RoadStor operates on a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack that is included, or with an optional AC adaptor. The CD recorder also has S-Video and TV output, so images from memory cards or CDs can be viewed on TV screens; it also can play back DVD videos. Its USB 2.0 interface is compatible with Mac and Window computers.

Advanced Video Inc., Edison, N.J. (www.transavi.com), markets an on-the-go, battery-operated Mobile DVD Burner (Model MPG-060) that both plays and records DVDs. Although designed as an accessory to a laptop or notebook, the Mobile DVD Burner does not require a computer to operate; however, it does need a separate card reader to access the image data. Employing one set of batteries, the unit can record for one hour, or play back for six hours. A second model, the Genie (Model MPG-100) is a similar mobile CD-R recorder.

Available later this year, Sony Electronics, Park Ridge, N.J. (www.sony style.com), announced the Photo Vault Mini CD-R Station, which is a portable, computer-free solution for burning images to Sony 80mm-diameter mini CD-R discs, using a USB interface between the unit and digital camera, or via a Memory Stick interface that is compatible with all Memory Stick formats. Designed for travelers taking digital camera photos, each Sony mini CD-R disc permanently archives 200MB of digital images. The Photo Vault Mini CD-R Station can be used to archive images previously stored on USB-enabled flash memory devices, such as the Sony Micro Vault media. The Photo Vault also has the ability to display digital photos on television screens, using a cable to a TV set's standard AV input. It operates on standard AA batteries or a supplied AC adaptor.