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10 April 2006

TDK has announced that they've started shipping their 25GB recordable and rewritable Blu-ray Disc media. Here's part of their press release:

TDK, a world leader in digital recording solutions, today announced that it has begun shipping 25GB recordable and rewritable Blu-ray Disc media to retailers nationwide. A pioneer of blue laser recording technology and founding member of the Blu-ray Disc Association, TDK is the first to market with bare Blu-ray Disc media. Retail pricing is set at $19.99 for a 25GB BD-R (recordable), $24.99 for a 25GB BD-RE (rewritable). In addition, TDK will ship 50GB Blu-ray Disc media later this year with retail pricing set at $47.99 for a 50GB BD-R (recordable) and $59.99 for a 50GB BD-RE (rewritable).

The revolutionary single-sided discs are bare, cartridge-free media. The 25GB products are single layer whereas the 50GB products have a dual layer recording material structure. TDK first shipped mass production samples in December 2005, and with the subsequent issuance of the relevant license, the company immediately commenced full force manufacturing.

TDK's press release also mentions that they've created 100GB, quad-layer Blu-ray Disc prototypes and have pushed recording speeds to 216Mbps (6x). The company is also in the process of developing the world's first 200GB Blu-ray Disc prototype. If you'd like to read more, TDK's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

07 April 2006

While the battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD has taken center stage, there is another war going on between Taiwan's FVD and China's EVD formats. According to DigiTimes, things are looking good for FVD as a major promoter of EVD has run into some financial troubles.

FVD (forward versatile disc), Taiwan's self-developed DVD standard, is getting a boost in the fight against EVD (enhanced versatile disc), a China-developed DVD standard, as Beijing E-World Digital Technology, a major promoter of the EVD standard, has defaulted on some loan payments and now stands to lose some of its patents, sources said.

The China-based company used nine patents to secure a loan of 14 million yuan (about US$1.7 million) from two international financing companies and it has now defaulted on repayment of this loan. As a result of this, one of the financing companies is preparing to auction some of the patents, said sources at China's State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO).

The article also mentions that various companies have decided to roll out PC-use FVD discs in the US and Europe. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

10 April 2006

BenQ and Lite-On IT have announced that they've formed a strategic alliance. As part of the deal, Lite-On will acquire BenQ's storage-related assets, which includes their customer portfolio and the right to use their technologies and patents. At the same time, BenQ will receive approximately NT$1.2 billion in cash and acquire a 13% stake in Lite-On.

Lite-On IT and BenQ today announced that they have formed a strategic alliance that will bring together two of the industry's leading players and enhance the overall competitiveness of Taiwan's storage sector. The transaction is expected to increase Lite-On IT's global market share to 27%, making it the world's No. 2 optical disk drive (ODD) maker.

As part of the alliance, Lite-On IT will acquire BenQ's storage-related assets, including BenQ's ODM customer portfolio and the rights to use BenQ's technology portfolio. Lite-On IT will also receive order commitments on BenQ-branded storage products.

"This strategic alliance combined with our manufacturing advantages, will allow Lite-On IT to further sharpen its competitiveness in the ODM market and become the No. 2 ODD manufacturer worldwide," expressed Raymond Soong, Chairman of Lite-On IT. "In partnering with BenQ, Lite-On IT expects to benefit from increased manufacturing efficiency, greater economies of scale, and a larger market share."

I must admit that I am a little surprised by this bit of news. Nevertheless, its going to be interesting to see what happens. If you'd like to read more, the entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

06 April 2006

DigiTimes has reported that the Japan-based Sino-JP has decided not to invest in Optodisc. According to the article, the two companies were unable to settle on the price and volume of new shares and convertible bonds.

Optodisc Technology, a second-tier maker of DVD discs in Taiwan, on April 5 announced that Japan-based Sino-JP Assets Management has decided to cancel its original plan of becoming its largest shareholder because both sides have been unable to settle on the price and volume of new shares and convertible bonds to be issued.

For now, Optodisc plans to seek other target investors. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment