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23 August 2007

DigiTimes has reported that the demand for half-height and slim-type DVD burners has been higher than expected this quarter. As a result, the supply of key components like pick-up heads and digital signal processors has been well short of demand.

HLDS is suffering insufficient supply of pick-up heads (PUHs) and DSPs (digital signal processors) and as a result the company's shipment volumes of some H/H DVD burner models and 9.5mm super slim DVD burners are short of demand by as much as 20-30%, Son pointed out. However, the gap in shipment volume is much smaller for H/H DVD-ROM and Combo drives as well as 12.7mm slim-type DVD burners, Son indicated.

Lite-On IT is facing a shortage of PUHs used in H/H DVD burners and, in turn, has felt pressure from its US and European clients in asking for shipments to be sent by air instead of sea, according to recent reports.

If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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17 August 2007

Believe it or not, its been 25 years since the first Compact Disc was manufactured at a Philips factory near Hanover, Germany. Since then, more than 200 billion discs have been sold, enough to circle the earth six times. The CD has also helped pave the way for other digital technologies including the DVD and Blu-ray.

Exactly 25 years ago tomorrow, on August 17, 1982, Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG, AEX:PHI) manufactured the world’s first Compact Disc at a Philips factory in Langenhagen, just outside of Hanover, Germany. The invention of the CD ushered in a technological revolution in the music industry as CDs - with their superior sound quality and scratch free durability - marked the beginning of the shift from analogue to digital music technology. The CD became a catalyst for further innovation in digital entertainment, helping pave the way for the launch of DVD and the current introduction of Blu-ray optical media. Having played a key role in the innovation of digital music, at home and on the move, consumers continue to witness huge advances in entertainment and lifestyle technologies.

I don't know about you, but this news makes me feel especially old as I grew up listening to music on vinyl and cassette. If you'd like to read more about the history of the Compact Disc, head on over to Philips' website. Add a comment

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22 August 2007

I-O DATA Japan has announced a series of drives based on the LG's new "Super Multi Blue" drive, the GGW-H20N. The internal BRD-SH6B and external BRD-UXH6 feature 6x BD-R, 4x BD-R DL and 2x BD-RE writing speeds and a maximum BD-ROM read speed of 6x. The two drives can also read back HD DVD-ROM's at 3x. Here are some of the specs:

Writing Speeds: BD-R: 6x BD-R DL: 4x BD-RE: 2x DVD±R: 16x DVD±R DL: 4x DVD+RW: 8x DVD-RW: 6x DVD-RAM: 5x CD-R: 40x CD-RW: 24x

Read Speeds: BD-ROM (Single): 6x BD-ROM (Dual): 4.8x BD-R: 6x BD-R DL: 4.8x BD-RE: 2x HD DVD-ROM: 3x DVD-ROM (Single): 16x Max DVD-ROM (Dual): 8x Max DVD±R: 12x Max DVD±RW: 10x Max DVD±R DL: 8x Max DVD-RAM: 5x Max CD-R/RW/ROM: 40x Max

The BRD-SH6B and BRD-UXH6 will ship in the middle of September and are priced at 63,500 Yen ($552US) and 69,000 Yen ($600US) respectively. More information can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

16 August 2007

DigiTimes has reported that drive manufacturers in Taiwan have received inquiries and orders from large retail channels in the U.S. and Europe. According to the article, these retailers may plan to promote the sales of Blu-ray equipped PC's during the upcoming holiday season.

As BD burners are still very expensive, international PC brands are adopting them only for high-end PC models while DVD has remained as the mainstream standard of burners, the sources indicated. Therefore, their order volumes of BD burners are low, typically 2,000-3,000 units for a single order, the sources pointed out.

However, American and European retail channels have recently made inquires to Taiwan makers about OEM/ODM production of built-in BD burners and some of them have placed relatively large orders, as many as 20,000-30,000 units per order, the sources noted. These channels may plan to promote sales of BD-burner equipped PCs during the peak period prior to the 2007 holiday season, the sources pointed out.

Toshiba really needs to get going if they want to grab a share of the PC market. While the company has shown off a few HD DVD writers, they've been limited primarily to high-end laptops. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment