The Japanese company, Elecom, has announced a new portable CD/DVD destroyer, the SCR-CD001. Powered by the USB bus, the SCR-CD001 will make a disc unreadable in as little as 5 seconds. Here's part of their press release, translated from Japanese:

After the enforcing of the private information protective method, data outflow problem from the personal computer to be good becomes topic, but data outflow is not from just the personal computer. After the using when it cancels that way carelessly, there is a possibility of reading the data with the third party even from the media of CD-R/RW and DVD±R/RW etc which are used for exchanging the data frequently. The fact that data outflow from this kind of disk which is cancelled is prevented is "SCR-CD001". By the fact that damage is done to the data logging aspect of the CD DVD media, reading of the data with CD/DVD drive of marketing is made impossible, outflow of the data is prevented.
Elecom is quick to point out that the SCR-CD001 only makes the disc unreadable and doesn't actually destroy the data. The SCR-CD001 is scheduled to ship at the end of November for 3,150 Yen ($27US). More information can be found here. Add a comment
Quanta Storage has reportedly licensed a number of slim-type DVD burner patents from Sony and is expected to become an OEM manufacturer of these products for Sony NEC Optiarc.
Quanta Storage, the largest maker of slim-type optical disc drives (ODDs) in Taiwan, has reportedly secured the licensed use of slim-type DVD burner patents from Sony and thereby is expected to become an OEM maker of such products for Sony NEC Optiarc, a joint venture between Sony and NEC, according to industry sources...

...Quanta Storage originally used slim-type ODD patents from Philips, but the licensing contract expired in mid-October of this year and Quanta Storage did not renew the contract with Philips BenQ Digital Storage (PBDS), a joint venture of Philips and BenQ, which is in charge of licensing Philips' ODD patents in Taiwan, the sources indicated. PBDS president Alpha Tsai confirmed that Quanta Storage has not signed another licensing contract to date.
If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
Maxell has announced that they will be releasing their new 25GB BD-R and BD-RE media to the Japanese market on December 8th. Here's part of their press release, translated from Japanese:

It is BD-R/BD-RE disk (one one side layer 25GB) for recording that Maxell puts on the market this time where it answers needs of the high-definition television recording to such removable mass storage. A large capacity and a steady record and the reproduction characteristic are achieved by inorganic/use of the achievement of BD Stampa and the high recording density that processes the narrowness track pitch ditch shape for a blue purple laser precisely and smoothly of the aspect change recording layer and 0.1mm cover layer making technology, etc.The digital Hi-Vision broadcasting can be recorded for 130 minutes like the high-definition television image quality corresponding to five mass times or more record the memory capacity 25GB(one one side layer) and DVD. Moreover, this product adopted the hard court where the record side was defended from Kiz by the type of the cartridge none to which the disk record side was exposed.
According to AV Watch, Maxell's BD-R and BD-RE media is expected to cost about 1,800 Yen and 2,500 Yen respectively. More information can be found here. Add a comment
Last week, Lite-On announced their first 20x DVD burner, the LH-20A1P. DigiTimes has followed up with news that the company also plans to offer a LightScribe capable model, the LH-20A1H.
Lite-On IT has beaten rival first-tier optical disc drive (ODD) competitors, such as Sony and Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology (TSST) by launching what it claims to be the world's first 20x DVD burners.

Lite-On IT has launched two super multi models, the LH-20A1P and the LH-20A1H, both of which feature 20x write-once DVD+R/-R, 12x write DVD-RAM. The LH-20A1H also supports LightScribe.
The article also mentions that Sony, NEC and TSST plan to launch their own 20x DVD burners with volume production starting in the first quarter of 2007. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
According to an article at DigiTimes, Ritek has signed an ODM contract with Hitachi Maxell for the exclusive production of DVD and CD-R discs.
Ritek, the second largest producer of optical discs in Taiwan, has signed an ODM contract with Japan-based Hitachi Maxell for the exclusive production of DVD and CD-R discs, with an annual order value estimated at NT$8.0 billion (US$244 million) and shipments to begin next quarter, according to the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN).
The article also points out that Ritek will not need to pay royalty feesfor discs shipped under the Maxell brand, as Hitachi Maxell and Philips have a cross licensing agreement. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment