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13 February 2006

Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology (TSST) issued a bulletin on Friday, warning people that some of their older drives are not compatible with the new 6X, 8X, 12X and 16X DVD-RAM2 media. If used, the drive may hang up or eject the media while it is spinning at 1600 rpm.

New DVD format specifications, entitled "DVD-RAM 6X/8X/12X/16X," were recently established by the DVD Forum. Media meeting the new DVD-RAM formats will be available in the near future.

Conventional DVD-RAM discs supported up to 5X speed (Class0: standard writable speed 2X). New DVD-RAM format discs will support 6X, 8X, 12X and 16X speed (Class1: standard writable speed 6X), which could enable faster recording.

It is recommended that you playback or record data on new DVD-RAM format discs with optical disc drives labeled as compatible with such new DVD-RAM format media (such as those bearing the following "RAM2" mark).

Before trying DVD-RAM2 media, I highly recommend checking the list on TSST's website to see if your drive is subject to these issues. Add a comment

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10 February 2006

Sony has released some details on their new "Super-Multi" drive, the DRU-820A. This new drive features 16x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+R DL, 4x DVD-R DL and 5x DVD-RAM writing speeds. Here are some of the drive's specs:

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

Read Speeds: DVD-ROM: 16X Max CD-ROM: 48X Max Access Times: CD-ROM: 135ms DVD-ROM: 130ms Buffer Size: 2MB

The DRU-820A is already showing up at Best Buy stores and is reportedly based on the BenQ DW1670. If your local Best Buy store doesn't have the DRU-820A in stock yet, the drive can be purchased through SonyStyle.com for $79.99 after a $20 mail-in rebate. Add a comment

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13 February 2006

Plextor America has officially announced their new 18x DVD±RW, the PX-760A. Here's part of their press release:

Plextor Corp., a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, today announced the PX-760A DVD±R/RW CD-R/RW drive. The multifunction internal drive is aimed at professionals and power PC users who require reliability, lightning-fast performance, and premium recording features.

The PX-760A is a versatile DVD/CD burner that delivers state-of-the-art recording speeds of 18X DVD±R on certified 16X DVD±R media. Users can burn up to four hours of high-quality MPEG-2/DVD video on a single 8.5 GB disc using 10X DVD+R on Double-Layer media and 6X DVD-R on Dual Layer media. The drive also supports 8X DVD+RW and 6X DVD-RW Rewriting; 16X max DVD-Reading; and 48X CD-R Writing, 24X CD-RW Rewriting, and 48X max CD-Reading. DVD±VR is supported for direct disc recording, while DVD+RW background format eliminates the need to manually format a DVD+RW disc.

The PX-760A is expected to ship in April for suggested retail price of $119.00. More information on Plextor's new drive can be found here. Add a comment

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10 February 2006

DigiTimes has reported that CMC Magnetics recently invested NT$500 million (US$15.6 million) in Prodisc Technology, making them the largest institutional shareholder. According to the article, the investment will form a strategic alliance between the two companies.

CMC Magnetics, the largest producer of optical discs in Taiwan, on February 10 announced an additional investment of NT$500 million (US$15.6 million) in Prodisc Technology, Taiwan's third largest maker of optical discs, to increase its stake ratio to 11.93%, making it Prodisc's largest institutional shareholder.

What's interesting is that CMC's biggest competitor, Ritek, also has a stake of nearly 5% in Prodisc. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment