Quanta Storage is making another go at the highly competitive half-height drive market. According to DigiTimes, the company recently purchased molds for DVD-ROM drives and DVD burners from Asustek's optical disc drive business and has already secured an OEM order for DVD-ROM drives from Pioneer.

Quanta Storage, the largest Taiwan-based maker of slim-type optical disc drives, has purchased molds for half-height (H/H) DVD drives from the optical disc drive business unit of Asustek Computer in order to step into production of H/H DVD-ROM drives and DVD burners for use in desktop PCs, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

Quanta Storage has been competing for OEM orders for H/H DVD drives, the sources pointed out, adding that it has secured an order for DVD-ROM drives from Japan-based Pioneer with shipments already underway, and which may be extended to DVD burners, the sources indicated. Pioneer has two optical disc drive factories in southern China, but has selected Quanta Storage as an OEM partner mainly because the latter has a factory in eastern China which can supply DVD drives in the region, the sources analyzed.

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Earlier this year, Funai acquired the rights to sell televisions under the Philips and Magnavox brands in the United States and Canada. According to the Nikkei Business Daily (via Reuters), Funai will also be taking over Philips' North American DVD and Blu-ray operations. Under the deal, Funai will make royalty payments to use the Philips brand, instead of an outright payment for their audiovisual business.

Japan's Funai Electric Co will take over Philips' North American DVD, Blu-ray and other audiovisual operations, on top of the Dutch firm's TV business in the region that Funai had already acquired, the Nikkei business daily said.

The move, which would combine Funai's expertise in low-cost production and Philips' brand name, is expected to boost Funai's North American sales by 30 billion yen ($332 million), the newspaper said.

 

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Intel announced today that it has begun shipping a 160GB version of its X25-M solid-state drive (SSD).  While offering twice the storage, space this new MLC-based SSD delivers the same level of performance as Intel's 80GB M-series drive. Along with a read latency of 85 microseconds, the drive is capable of sequential read and write speeds of 250MB/s and 70MB/s, respectively.

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Intel is expanding its award-winning Intel® X25-M and X18-M SATA Solid-State Drive (SSD) family by announcing the production release of a 160 gigabyte (GB) capacity drive in a 2.5-inch form factor. The product is shipping now, and a 1.8-inch 160GB version will begin shipping next month.

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IronKey announced today that its USB flash drives are now available with anti-worm malware protection. This patent-pending technology prevents AutoRun malware from infecting IronKey devices and corporate or government networks.

IronKey, maker of the world's most secure flash drive, today announced the availability of its patent-pending USB anti-worm malware protection capabilities. AutoRun worms are one of the fastest spreading new types of malicious software, with over 70 million computers infected in 2008. Even the U.S. Department of Defense computer network was infected in November 2008, prompting a temporary ban of USB flash drives and other removable media. IronKey's new USB anti-worm malware protection technology ensures that USB AutoRun worms cannot install themselves onto IronKey devices, or spread onto corporate or government computers from IronKey devices.

Unlike other USB flash drives and memory sticks, IronKey devices are intelligent, secure storage devices with on-board security co-processors, which allows IronKey devices to provide active anti-malware protection. IronKey Enterprise devices are managed remotely, and IronKey provides regular, automated security and anti-malware updates over the Internet or corporate network. IronKey devices are FIPS 140-2, Level 2 validated, ensuring the highest levels of compliance with government security regulations. IronKey devices are available in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB and 8GB storage capacities.

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NU Inc. announces the introduction of a technical innovation of external Blu-ray combo drive. The model EBC100 is the world first slim BD combo external drive with USB-powered and 8X DVD writer & 2X BD-ROM. A perfect solution for those users who are looking for a compact-sized, trendy and portable BD combo.

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Easy portability & ultra-slim size are the important aspect of the EBC100. The carry-on external drive is the best companion of netbook devices. EBC100 weight of 400g and dimensions: 155 x 141 x 17.6 mm (WxHxD). It’s the slimmest and lightest external BD combo over the world so far. It can be powered through a USB connection instead of a traditional power adapter, so mobile users do not longer need to rely upon a power socket to operate it. You can enjoy your High-Definition Blu-ray movies anywhere anytime. The drive will consume its power directly from the laptop through the USB cable. Even so, a power adaptor is still included in the retail pack for traditional users.

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Advanced Media, Inc., is a manufactuurer and marketer of the popular RIDATA brand of recordable Blu-ray, DVD, CD media, electronic storage products, and digital media accessories. The company is happy to introduce another exciting addition to its Ridata brand of Blu-ray media the fast 6X single layer Blu-ray disc.

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The Ridata 6X 25GB Blu-ray offers up to a 216 Mbps data transfer rate. Consumers are able to write and read large amounts of data at a higher speed.

"Now home theater buffs can archive video onto fewer discs. As high definition video becomes more widely accepted, Ridata Blu-ray discs will answer the increasing demand for large capacity storage," stated Harvey Liu, Advanced Media president. "The new Ridata 6X Blu-ray discs allow users to quickly record and enjoy high-definition TV programs."

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Earlier this month, BTC announced that in was going to shut down its ODD loader business and stop marketing drives under the BTC brand in China and Taiwan. BTC's loader business has apparently gotten a new lease on life as the company now plans to make loaders for Blu-ray Disc (BD) players. According to DigiTimes, BTC has already landed 4-5 clients and expects to have 8-10 in total in 2009.

BTC has adopted a SoC chipset developed by Taiwan-based IC design house Sunplus Technology and Sony-developed pick-up heads (PUHs) to make the BD loaders, and has so far landed four to five clients in China and Taiwan, the company indicated. BTC currently has an R&D team of more than 20 staff, the company noted.

BTC is making efforts to introduce PUHs from other Japan-based suppliers to reduce the production cost of BD player loaders and expects to have 8-10 clients in total in 2009, according to the company.

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Royal Philips Electronics N.V. has reached consensus with each of CMC Magnetics Corporation and Ritek Corporation on long term patent licensing agreements for CD and DVD recordable and rewritable discs. The licensing agreements will not only settle the past use disputes between Philips, the patent holder, and Ritek and CMC, two Taiwan-based leading optical disc manufacturers in the world, but also covers the use of the relevant Philips’ patents until 2012. The parties also have agreed to stop all legal actions against each other.

Ben Beune, Senior Vice President from Philips says: “We are encouraged that the joint efforts of the Taiwan industry leaders and Philips over the past one year and a half can finally bring a positive result. Philips never gives up the hope to work with the manufacturers to find a win-win solution. The new agreements not only serve both parties’ interests but also mark the start of a renewed relationship. We believe this is a positive and healthy development for the industry going forward and we highly appreciate the frankness and sincerity shown by CMC and Ritek in the negotiations.”

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