TDK sent out a press release this morning announcing that they've developed a blue laser technology capable of storing 200GB of data or 18 hours worth of high definition video onto a single disc.
TDK, a world leader in digital recording solutions, has reached a landmark in the development of recordable blue laser technology, achieving a groundbreaking capacity of 200GB. Surpassing existing optical media technologies several times over, a 200GB blue laser disc would double the capacity of TDK's existing 100GB Blu-ray prototype. One of TDK's new 200GB blue laser discs could store approximately 18 hours of high definition video (encoded at 24Mbps).

The initial Blu-ray Disc standard allows for 25GB single layer Blu-ray Discs and 50GB dual layer Blu-ray Discs. However, a recent signal processing innovation stretches the physical limits of optical media, realizing 33.3GB capacity for each of the disc's six layers. As with the 100GB disc, and other Blu-ray Disc media, TDK's 200GB blue laser disc is single sided.
If you'd like to read more, TDK's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Sony Europe has announced the launch of their new 18x "Super-Multi" drive, the AWG170A. The first Sony drive developed by Sony NEC Optiarc, the AWG170A offers 18x DVD±R and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds.

Sony Europe's IT Peripherals division today announced its AWG170A DVD-RAM compatible DVD writer - the first Sony drive developed by Sony NEC Optiarc Inc, as part of the newly established joint venture. The AWG170A offers the industry's fastest level writing capability, supporting 18x DVD±R overspeed* writing on 16x single layer media. The Sony drives now also offer 12x DVD-RAM write/read speed, an increase of over 50%.

The AWG170A supports all DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW media including the latest double and dual layer DVD Recordable discs as well as DVD RAM. The Sony AWG170A delivers swift performance with over 400 tested and supported media types, including 8x recording of both DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL double/dual layer discs. Rewriteable DVDs are recorded at 8x (DVD+RW) or 6x (DVD-RW) speed but can be read at up to 13x. The drive also supports CD-R writing/reading of 48x CD Speed. The AWG170A is an Ultra DMA66 Mode 4 ATAPI device.
The OEM version of the AWG170A drive is available now in four color variations. More information can be found here. Add a comment
Memorex sent out a press release this morning, announcing their new Double-Sided Mini DVD-R media. Ideal for camcorders, these 8cm discs are recordable on both sides and can hold up to 2.8GB of data.
Memorex, the leading brand of optical media at U.S. retail and a portfolio brand of Imation Corp. (NYSE: IMN - News), brings double the recording time to its Mini DVD-Rs, with a simple flip of a disc. Memorex Double-Sided Mini DVD-R media, the latest in Memorex's broad line of home video products, offers the highest capacity in the mini DVD format, providing up to one hour of recording time or 2.8GB of storage capacity for preserving precious memories and valuable data.

Ideal for home video enthusiasts and professional videographers alike, Memorex Double-Sided Mini DVD-R discs provide the convenience of one disc for capturing twice the video, photos, music and data. For superior ease-of-use, Memorex Double-Sided Mini DVDs are compatible with most of the direct-to-disc camcorders on the market. For added protection, both sides of each disc feature Memorex's DuraLayer(TM) Technology, a special scratch-resistant hard coating that protects media from dust, debris and rough handling. Each package also includes a DVD cleaning cloth to keep the discs spotless for peak performance and ultimate longevity during on-the-go recording and frequent disc swapping.
Memorex's Double-Sided Mini DVD-R media is available now in packs of five for a suggested retail price of $19.99. More information can be found here. Add a comment
The German website, heise online, has reported that Maxell will not be selling their 12x DVD-RAM media in Europe due to incompatibilities with Toshiba drives. Instead, it will be sold exclusively in Japan. Here's part of their article, translated from German:
No 12X-DVD-RAM-Medien for Europe Maxell, one of the most important medium manufacturers for DVD-RAM, will not sell DVD RAM media, which can be described and read with 12X or 16X in Europe. As reason Maxell indicated serious compatibility problems among other things as Toshiba drive assemblies. The high-speed media (DVD-RAM2 called) are incompatible generally to the past DVD-RAM, which is specified to 5X. In older drive assemblies the Discs is not recognized not only, they could put also the entire computer lamely and in exceptional cases even the hardware damage.

Maxell estimates the problem as extremely serious, it has however nothing with the quality of the media to do. Since the European market for DVD-RAM is very small eh, one will sell the fast DVD-RAM2-Discs exclusively in Japan.
I can't see Maxell selling their 12x DVD-RAM media in the US either as the demand is even smaller than in Europe. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
Sony has released some details on their new 18x "Super-Multi" drives, the DRU-830A, DRX-830U and DRX-830UL/T. These new drives features 18x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD±R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds. Here are some of the drives' specs:


Writing Speeds:

DVD+R: 4X CLV, 8X P-CAV, 16X, 18X CAV
DVD+RW: 2.4X, 4X CLV, 6X, 8X Z-CLV
DVD+R DL: 2.4X, 4X, 6X, 8X Z-CLV
DVD-R: 4X CLV, 8X P-CAV, 16X CAV, 18X CAV
DVD-RW: 2X, 4X, CLV, 6X Z-CLV
DVD-R DL: 2X, 4X CLV, 6X, 8X Z-CLV
DVD-RAM: 5X, 6X CLV, 8X, 10X, 12x P-CAV
CD-R: 8X ~16X CLV, 24X ~40X P-CAV, 48X CAV
CD-RW: 4X ~ 16X CLV, 24X ~ 32X Z-CLV

Read Speeds:

DVD-ROM: 16X Max
CD-ROM: 48X Max

Access Times:

CD-ROM: 130ms
DVD-ROM: 140ms

Buffer Size: 2MB
Judging by their specs, these drives are based on the AD-7170A from Sony NEC Optiarc. While I have not seen any reports of these drives showing up at local stores, they can be purchased through SonyStyle.com. Add a comment