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Optical Storage

02 March 2006

According to the German website heise online, Sony has stopped development of its own variant of the Blu-ray format, Professional Disc For Data (PDD). Instead, the company plans to focus on the regular Blu-ray format. Translated from German:

Sony will not develop its memory system further Professional Disc for DATA ( PDD). The PDD is a professional version Blu ray of the Disc and stores 23 GByte on a cartridge Disc. The first drive assemblies came in the middle of 2004 on the market and should offer Plasmons Ultra Density Optical ( UDO) Paroli. According to own data Plasmon as well as HP holds however a market share of 95 per cent with the professional optical LIBRARIES. Udo media store 30 GByte on two sides. Their 5,25-Zoll-Cartridges is compatible to MO media and can be integrated thus into existing MO LIBRARIES - an advantage, which customers have obviously more estimated than the comparatively higher transfer rates of the PDD.

While Sony will not release new versions of PDD, the company will continue to sell the drives through 2007 and offer technical support until 2014. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

01 March 2006

Earlier this week, Philips announced its plans for the introduction of its first Blu-ray Disc products. These plans include their BD player (BDP 9000), TripleWriter (SPD7000) and Blu-ray media in capacities of 25GB and 50GB.

Philips, a world leader in optical storage and a founding member of the Blu-ray Disc Association, has announced its plans for the introduction of its first Blu-ray Disc consumer products - the home entertainment player (BDP 9000), an all-in-one PC Writer (TripleWriter) and new Blu-ray media (BD-R and B-RE, single layer 25 GB* and dual layer BD-R and BD-RE 50 GB).

The BDP9000 consumer player will be available in the US in the second half of 2006 and the TripleWriter (SPD7000) will be available in Europe and the US in the second half of 2006.

If you'd like to read more about the BDP9000 or the SPD7000, Philips' entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

28 February 2006

According to Akihabara News, Samsung plans to ship two new Blu-ray burners in April. The internal SH-B022A and external SE-B026A both feature 2x BD and 12x DVD recording speeds.

Samsung Electronics announed the release of an internal (SH-B022A) and external (SE-B026A) Blu-Ray burner for April 2006. These 2 innovating drives allow you to store up to 50GB onto a dual layer disc. These 3-in-1 drives (BD, DVD, CD) offer HD video burning and reading at a 2x speed (9MB/s)...

...These innovating products offer an unseen storage capacity: 25GB on a single layer disc and 50GB on a dual layer disc. These triple-format drives can read and record on BD, DVD and CD. They offer a 2x speed for BD, 12x for DVD and 40x (for the internal SH-B022A) or 32x (for the external SE-B026A) for CD.

According to our contacts at Samsung , these drives will NOT be coming to the US. Instead, the company plans to wait for their upcoming 4x BD writer. If you'd like to read more, head on over to Akihabara News. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

27 February 2006

Sony and NEC have announced that they've signed an agreement forming a new joint venture, Sony NEC Optiarc Inc. The two companies will spin off their respective optical disc drive businesses on April 1 and transfer them to the joint venture on April 3.

Sony Corporation ("Sony") and NEC Corporation ("NEC") announce today that they have signed a definitive agreement to establish a joint venture company, Sony NEC Optiarc Inc., in carrying out optical disc drive business. Shinichi Yamamura, currently Deputy President of Video Business Group of Sony, will serve as the president of the new company. Sony and NEC will separate their respective optical disc drive businesses on April 1, 2006 in preparation for creating this joint venture. The planned date of establishment of Sony NEC Optiarc Inc, is April 3, 2006 and it will take over the two separated businesses in creating one company.

This newly formed venture is expected to be the world's second-largest optical disc drive maker, topped only by Hitachi-LG Data Storage (HLDS). If you'd like to read more about the joint venture, Sony's press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

27 February 2006

Samsung America has officially announced their new LightScribe capable DVD writer, the SH-W162L. Along with support for LightScribe, the SH-W162L can write to dual layer media at 8x.

Samsung Electronics Ltd., the worldwide digital consumer electronics and information technology leader, announces its fastest dual layered DVD recorder. The new SH-W162L is a unique LightScribe(TM), enabling 16X DVD re-writeable drive with 8X dual speed recording.

LightScribe technology is embedded in the DVD drive and lets users engrave labels, photos, and designs right onto the CD and DVD discs with no hassle at all. The result is a professional look with no worries about labels falling off or sloppy marker smudges. The drive's label making software is pre-loaded with an array of designs and labels for users who choose not to create their own label.

According to Samsung's press release, the SH-W162L is shipping now for an estimated street price of $70. More information can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

27 February 2006

Verbatim has announced that they've added glossy 52x CD-R and 16x DVD+/-R discs to their already extensive line of inkjet printable media. Here's part of their press release:

Verbatim Corporation, the market leader in premium-quality printable media, announced today a new family of glossy white inkjet printable 52X CDR and 16X DVD+/-R media. The new discs combine a shiny white printable surface and fast drying times with ultra-reliable, high-speed recording technology and broad read compatibility. With Verbatim's unique glossy media, users can make their recordings look distinctive with vibrant, full-color images and crystal-clear text. The next generation of photo and video storage media were unveiled at the PMA (Photo Marketing Association) Convention which began here yesterday.

Verbatim's glossy white inkjet printable media is expected to ship in April and will cost $19.99 for a 20-pack of CD-Rs or $24.99 for a 20-pack of DVDRs. If you'd like to read more, their entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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27 February 2006

Here's some good news for those waiting for 8x DVD-R DL media. According to RW PPI representative director, Koki Aizawa, the media is expected to go into volume production during the second half of 2006.

The RW PPI (Re-Writable Products Promotion Initiative) under the DVD Forum based in Japan is carrying out its M8 test plan to facilitate volume production of 8x DVD-R DL (single-sided double-layer) discs and the corresponding burners/recorders, according to RW PPI representative director Koki Aizawa at the organization's round robin test seminar held in Taipei on February 23. Aizawa expects volume production of both 8x DVD-R DL discs and devices to begin in the second half of the year. The round robin test seminar, was sponsored by the Taiwan Recording-media Industries Association (TRIA) and took place in Taiwan for the third time.

The article also mentions that the RW PPI is working to improve the compatibility between recording/playback devices and DVD-R, DVD-R DL and DVD-RW discs. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

23 February 2006

Pioneer Japan has released a set of firmware updates for their latest series of 16x DVD±RW drives, the DVR-111, DVR-111D and DVR-A11XL. Here is the change log for firmware v1.06:

Support New 16x DVD-R Media
( 12x writing:DST, LGE, Gigastrage, Postech )
Support New 16x +R Media
( 12x writing:BeAll, MustTech, Daxon, MAM-E, Interaxia,E-top, Gigastorage, Infosource, Ritek, FTI )
DVD-R/+R Writability has improved.
DVD-R/+R Readability has improved.
DVD-RW/+RW Writability has improved.
DVD+RW Readability has improved.
DVD+R DL Writability has improved.
DVD-RAM Writability has improved. (DVR-111/A11 only)
DVD-RAM Readability has improved.

DVR-A11XL v1.06 - Download

DVR-111 v1.06 - Download

DVR-111D v1.06 - Download

Pioneer has also updated their list of supported media to reflect the changes in the new 1.06 firmware. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave them in our forum. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

23 February 2006

Lite-On America sent out a press release last night, announcing their new LightScribe capable 'Super AllWrite' DVD writer, the SHM-165H6S. Along with support for the latest version of LightScribe, the SHM-165H6S features features 16x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+R DL, 4x DVD-R DL and 5x DVD-RAM writing speeds.

Lite-On IT, one of the world's leading manufacturers of optical storage solutions for PCs and Home Entertainment centers, is introducing the world's first DVD optical drive capable of reading and writing to all disc media currently available today, including DVD-RAM and Double-Layer +/- format discs. In addition, the new optical drive incorporates the latest version (1.6x) of LightScribe labeling technology.

The new LiteOn SHM-165H6S "Super All-Write" internal optical DVD burner offers a one-stop archival and presentation solution for anyone who has a need to copy and store information, files, photographs, music or any other important media. The ability to read, write and re-write to any disc format on the market offers users the ability to purchase disc media based on price, capacity, or brand with the added comfort of knowing that whatever the decision, the media will work flawlessly with the "Super All-Write" SHM-165H6S.

The SHM-165H6S will be available nationwide in February 2006. More information can be found on Lite-On America's website. Add a comment