Verbatim® Americas, LLC announced today that it has extended its support for Blu-ray Disc (BD) technology and will feature its expanded line of Blu-ray media at Booth #2617 during Macworld this week. In addition to the 2X and 4X BD recordable (BD-R), 2X BD rewritable (BD-RE), 2X and 4X Inkjet printable BD-R and Mini BD-R/BD-RE media, which are available now, Verbatim will showcase five new BD products. Scheduled to begin shipping in the first half of 2009, the new products include 2X BD-R Thermal Hub-printable discs and 6X BD-R discs as well as 2X and 6X Single-sided Dual-layer (DL) BD-R discs. Verbatim 2X BD-R LTH TYPE discs are also scheduled to launch soon.
The market for BD blank media is being driven by the growing demand for BD hardware. JRIA predicts that worldwide, shipments of blue-laser discs will increase from an estimated 20 millions units in 2008 and will grow to 64 millions in 2009, 152 million in 2010 and 279 million by 2011.
The higher capacity that Blu-ray media provides has contributed to its growing adoption rate, but it also makes disc integrity even more vital. The technologies that Verbatim incorporates to ensure the reliability of its BD media are based on its proven strategy for success¬--combine the latest technologies with the highest quality control.
Available Now
Verbatim 25GB 2X and 4X BD-R Media -- With Verbatim’s 4x BD-R media, users can record an entire disc in approximately 23 min. The higher performance makes the 4x BD-R media suitable not only for recording personal high-definition video, but also for backing up computer data and archiving photo collections.
Verbatim 2X and 4X Inkjet-printable BD-R Media – Manufactured with a unique white inkjet-printable surface coating, Verbatim inkjet-printable BD media ensures excellent ink absorption for exceptional color reproduction of high-resolution photos, graphics or other images, and durable, longer-lasting colors.
Verbatim 7.5GB Mini BD-R/RE Discs -- Measuring three inches (8cm) in diameter, the Mini BD-R/RE discs will combine with a BD-compatible camcorder to provide approximately one hour of continuous video capture time on a single side when high-definition (1920×1080i) is used, With the ability to record priceless memories directly to a Mini BD disc, users can eliminate the time-consuming process of downloading
captured video to their computer hard drive. They can also enjoy unlimited capacity by simply removing the disc from the camcorder and adding a new one.
Scheduled to Ship the First Half of 2009
2X BD-R Thermal Hub-printable discs – Offering for full-surface, edge-to-edge printing, Verbatim’s thermal-printable BD discs feature a surface that is optimized for thermal printing resulting in superb high-resolution reproduction of graphics, text and logos.
Verbatim 2X and 6X Single-sided Double-layer (DL) BD-R Discs -- With two recording layers on a single side, users can enjoy seamless recording of up to 50GB or about 4 hours of HD-quality video on a single disc without having to flip or change the disc. This will make Verbatim BD-R DL media a compelling storage solution for professional video production, business storage, backup, archiving, radio and television broadcast storage, education, banking, healthcare and government applications.
Verbatim 25GB BD-R LTH Type Discs -- Leveraging its many years of success in developing organic AZO dye for CD-R and DVD-R media, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Co., Ltd (MKM), Verbatim’s parent company, developed a new AZO dye for the BD-R LTH TYPE. MKM was the first to release BD-R LTH TYPE media in Japan and Verbatim will make its launch to the US market in Q1/2009.
Unlike current BD-R discs, in which the inorganic recording layer is made by the sputtering process and requires a huge investment to increase the production capacity and meet growing market demands, the organic recording layer for BD-R LTH TYPE media can be applied using the same dye spin coating process as CD-R or DVD-R media. As a result, Verbatim will be able to begin mass production of its BD-R LTH TYPE by modifying existing CD-R or DVD-R production lines. With the investment in BD-R LTH TYPE production less than current BD-R production, Verbatim believes that technology will break down the barrier to entry into BD production and expects many CD/DVD manufacturers will be joining the BD world.
Verbatim/MKM is a contributing member of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA).