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While the third quarter of each year is traditionally an off-peak period for Taiwan-based blank CD-R and DVD+R/-R disc makers, the third quarter of 2008 will potentially see makers facing an additional negative impact as polycarbonate suppliers plan to raise prices from the current level of US$2.3-2.4/kg by 5-7% due to large hikes in oil pricing, according to industry sources in Taiwan.The article also states that it is unclear whether or not the increased cost of polycarbonate will have an effect on OEM pricing. For the benefit of consumers, lets hope that the price stays where it is. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
The traditional slow sales period is mainly due to decreased demand in the US and Europe over the summer, the sources indicated. Based on received OEM orders, utilization rates are estimated to drop from 70-80% currently to 50-60% in the third quarter of 2008, the sources noted.
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This time, NEC Electronics employed a wideband analog signal processing circuit in order to support Blu-ray 8x recording and playback. The circuit was originally developed for use in 20x DVD systems. Furthermore, the company adopted the CMOS technology to produce the analog circuit, instead of using the BiCMOS technology.NEC is currently shipping samples of both the SCOMBO/UM2A and SCOMBO/UM2P (playback only) and are priced at $14 and $19, respectively. The company currently plans to produce 300,000 units per monthy, increasing to 1,000,000 per month by the end of 2008. If you'd like to read more, Tech-On's entire report can be found here. Add a comment
As a result, the analog circuit can be integrated with the digital signal processing unit in a single chip. Compared with the company's existing product, the footprint of the latest chip is 20% smaller, and the power consumption was reduced by 33% to 1.8W.
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The SE-T084M will ship in July for a suggested retail price of $149. If you'd like to read more, Samsung's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, is expanding its TruDirect[tm] line of optical disc drives with the development of a slim, slot-in external model, the SE-T084M/RSWD. Samsung's revolutionary TruDirect technology allows consumers to create DVDs and burn digital content through a PC without the need for a hard drive. The time-saving TruDirect[tm] SE-T084M provides easy and fast real-time recording of DVDs.
"Samsung offers consumers best-of-breed technologies and the new TruDirect SE-T084M continues to lead the pack in ODD innovation. With its slim and light portable design, the TruDirect SE-T084M lets users easily create DVDs more quickly and conveniently than ever before," said Richard Aguilera, national sales manager, Samsung Storage Division.
Samsung's External TruDirect[tm] drive weighs less than one pound and even works without a power cord. To make a DVD movie with TruDirect[tm], users only need to connect a digital video camera to their PC, press 'PLAY' on the camera, click the TruDirect shortcut icon that pops up in the TruDirect™ program window, and then click the 'RECORD' icon. All you need is a PC and TruDirect™ to turn wherever you are into a true DVD creation studio.
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In preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the China government in April 2008 asked the three TFP makers and other chemical producers to cut or stop production for 100 days in an attempt to reduce air pollution, the sources pointed out. In addition, the China government placed a temporary ban on the transportation of dangerous goods, including TFP for export, beginning June 2008, the sources indicated.This comes at a bad time as the third quarter is traditionally the peak period for blank optical discs. The decreased production could push up OEM quotes for the quarter. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
The situation has resulted in a short supply of TFP for second-tier disc makers, the sources pointed out. CMC Magnetics and Ritek, the top-two Taiwan-based makers of blank optical discs, have not been substantially affected by the shortages because they have supplies guaranteed by long-term contracts, the sources indicated.
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The eSAU108 is the latest addition to Lite-On's line of slim external DVD writers. This USB powered drive is capable of 8x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 5x DVD-RAM writing speeds and will be available in both black and white. According to unconfirmed sources, the eSAU108 is expected to ship some time in July.
Also on display was Lite-On's new series of 22x DVD writers, the iHAP622 (PATA) and iHAS622 (SATA). Along with 22x DVD±R, 12x DVD-RAM, 8x DVD+RW and 6x DVD-RW writing speeds, the drives will offer support for Nero's SecurDisc and Lite-On's SmartErase technologies. As we reported in the past, Lite-On's 22x DVD writers are scheduled to ship in the 3Q of 2008.
Last but not least, Lite-On unveiled its new 6x BD combo drive. The iHES106 reads single layer Blu-ray discs at 6x and is capable of 16x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds. According to DigiTimes, the drive's chipset is supplied by Mediatek and the BD pickup-head is from Sanyo Electric. Add a comment
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If you'd like to read more, Traxdata's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Traxdata, a leading brand of optical and flash media products, has today announced that it has extended its Blu-ray Recordable media range to incorporate BD-R 4x, making it one of the few brands to currently supply certified Blu-ray Recordable 4x Media.
The Traxdata Blu-ray range consists of Blu-ray Rewritable (BD-RE) 2X and Blu-ray Recordable (BD-R) 2x and 4x media, all of which have passed official Blu-ray certification and are also available as white inkjet printable media. With Traxdata's white inkjet printable media, users can personalise their Blu-ray disc by creating and printing their own design onto it.
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No word yet on pricing or availability. As we find out more, we'll let you know. In the mean time, ASUS's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Faced with increasing demands for data storage, users require a means to back up their data efficiently. ASUS, a leading provider of high-performance optical storage devices, has today unveiled the ASUS DRW-20B1L/B1LT internal DVD rewriter with LightScribe direct disc labeling technology. This industry leading DVD rewriter provides a high speed of 20X DVD±R write, 12X DVD±R (DL) and 12XDVD-RAM reading capabilities. In addition, users can expect to enjoy five times faster data transfer rates than the current DMA33 standards with the SATA interface. It also features Optimal Tuning Strategy - a technology that automatically adjusts burning for optimum disc backups; and the E-Green Engine for great energy savings.
The ASUS DRW-20B1L/B1LT comes equipped with the innovative Optimal Tuning Strategy (OTS) for improved disc burning and better overall write quality. With OTS, the drive will perform a test burning before actually burning the disc - intelligently calculating the best burning strategy based on operating temperatures and media and drive variations. This provides the users with optimal write speeds for the new disc. After the disc is burnt, OTS memorizes the particular type of disc, and utilizes the same burning strategy when the same type of disc is used. This not only reduces the possibility to burn unplayable discs, it also provides high quality backups and improves compatibility so that the disc can more easily be read by other drives; as well as extending the lifetime of the drive.
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The next generation in optical storage products, models BE06, GBC-H20Land GBW-H20L provide back-up for a wide variety of files, photos, businessdocuments, or video. Consumers will appreciate the 6x speed at which thedrives write and read information, their compatibility with DVD and CDRCDRW, as well as their quick and easy data storage option.If you'd like to read more, LG's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Perfect for laptop users or those that have a multitude of PCs, LG'sBE06 can be easily connected through the USB 2.0 connection and a DC poweradapter. The BE06 has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $379.95.
The GBC-H20L and the GBW-H20L are designed to satisfy consumer needsfor safe and fast data backup. Boasting one of the industry's fastest readand write speed at 16x, the GBW-H20L can also handle up to 50GB of data,equivalent to around 4-1/2 hours of high-definition video or 22 hours ofstandard definition video (on a dual layer 50GB BD-R/BD-RE recordablemedia). The GBC-H20L and the GBW-H20L carry manufacturer's suggested retailprices of $199.95 and $279.95 respectively.
