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17 April 2007

Faster write once Blu-ray is finally on the way. At the NAB 2007 show, Panasonic announced that they will introduce 4x BD-R media this summer. Released alongside their new 4x BD drive, these discs will be available in capacities of 25GB and 50GB.

Based on its 35-year experience in optical disc development, Panasonic succeeded in developing a new phase-change recording layer to achieve a 4x writing speed. The maximum data transfer speed for a 4x disc is 144Mbps, which means it can copy a 1GB folder in just one minute. This phase-change recording technology is used both for single and dual layer structures and ensures precise and stable recording at speeds ranging from 1x to 4x.

No word on price yet but like most Blu-ray media, Panasonic's new 4x discs probably won't be cheap. If you'd like to read more, Panasonic's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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16 April 2007

It's been some time since we've seen a new CD-RW drive from Plextor. While many people, including myself, were hoping that Plextor LLC would bring the Premium2 to the US, we're going to have to settle for their new Vista compatible 52x CD-RW drive, the PX-240A.

Plextor LLC, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, today announced the immediate availability of the PX-240A Ultimate 3-in-1 CD-RW Drive. The new CD-R/RW/ROM drive is RoHS compliant and fully compatible with the new Windows Vista operating system. The PX-240A drive introduces a new level of CD drive performance and features - all backed by Plextor's reputation for quality.

The PX-240A 3-in-1 CD-RW drive delivers lightening fast CD recording speeds of 52X CD-R and 32X CD-RW, as well as 52X CD-ROM playback, with broad-base CD media compatibility. The drive features a 2MB buffer and Buffer Underrun Proof Technology to prevent buffer underrun errors and allow multi-tasking. High-quality Digital Audio Extraction (DAE) eliminates pops, clicks, and hisses for superior sound quality. The PX-240A also supports Ultra DMA-2 for fast data transfer, and S/PDIF connector for digital audio equipment. For easy connectivity with personal computers running the Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista operating systems, the new internal Plextor drive features an E-IDE ATAPI interface.

The PX-240A ships with Roxio Easy Media Creator 9 is available now for a suggested retail price of $59.00 USD. More information can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

16 April 2007

Sony has announced that they will be unveiling their new dual-layer Professional Disc media at this year's NAB show. Developed for XDCAM systems, Sony's PFD50DLA media can hold 50GB of data or 4.5 hours of HD content.

Sony's new dual-layer version of the XDCAM Professional Disc media more than doubles the storage capacity and recording capabilities of the original single-layer optical media.

These upgrades, combined with faster transfer rates, significantly increase the XDCAM system's potential as an efficient production technology and as a long-term archiving option.

The new dual-layer disc, model PFD50DLA, has a total storage capacity of 50 GB. Professional users can record up to 4 hours and 30 minutes of high-definition content on the dual-layer disc when shooting in MPEG HD 4:2:0 mode at 18 Mbps, or 3 hours and 20 minutes at 25 Mbps, and 2 hours and 30 minutes at 35 Mbps. In DVCAM mode, users can record about 3 hours and 10 minutes of content onto the new disc.

Sony currently plans to ship their new dual-layer media in September. More information can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

09 April 2007

Fastmac has announced the first Blu-Ray optical drive upgrade for Mac laptops. This slot loading drive read and writes to single and dual layer Blu-ray discs at 1x and is backwards compatible with standard CD and DVD media.

Fastmac today announced the first & only Blu-Ray optical drive upgrade for Apple's PowerBook, iBook & MacBook Pro computers. The new slimline, slot loading drive uses one of the fastest & most compatible Blu-ray mechanisms to provide up to 50 Gb of storage on 1 disk, without sacrificing compatibility with standard DVD & CD recordable media...

...Fastmac's slimline Blu-ray slot loading optical drive supports reading, writing and re-writing to single and dual layer Blu-ray media at 1x speeds. The drive is also compatible with standard DVD and CD media and can write to DVD-R and DVD+R media at 8x speed in single layer and 2x speed in dual/ double layer mode. It can rewrite to DVD-R and DVD+R media at 4x speeds. The drive also supports DVD-RAM reading and writing at up to 5x speeds and standard CD-R and CD-RW burning at 8x speeds.

While Fastmac's Blu-Ray optical drive upgrade won't ship for another 10 days, you can pre-order it from www.fastmac.com for a special introductory price of $799.95. More information can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

03 April 2007

Plextor LLC has officially announced their new 18x Super-Multi drive, the TurboPlex PX-800A. According to their press release, the PX-800A sports 18x DVD±R and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds and is fully compatible with Windows Vista.

Plextor LLC, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, today announced the immediate availability of the TurboPlex PX-800A DVD Super Multi Drive. Fully compatible with the new Windows Vista(TM) operating system, the new DVD+/-R/RW CD-R/RW drive introduces a new level of performance and features, including 12X DVD-RAM and a software bundle that includes Roxio Easy Media Creator 9.

The Plextor PX-800A drive features an E-IDE ATAPI interface for easy connectivity with personal computers running the Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista operating systems. The PX-800A drive also supports industry-leading 12X-speed DVD-RAM functionality for removable data storage applications. A user simply inserts a blank DVD-RAM disc and the system automatically formats the disc and assigns a driver letter. Users can drag-and-drop files, use the "save as" command, and remove the disc, which can then be read in any PC or desktop player with a drive that supports the DVD-RAM format.

The PX-800A is expected to ship later this month for a suggested retail price of $79.99. More information can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

02 April 2007

Back in July, we reported that Matsushita had filed a lawsuit against CMC Magnetics, claiming that they infringed upon three of their DVD patents. According to an article at Reuters.com, Matsushita and CMC have settled their suit. As part of the settlement, the two companies have formed a cross licensing agreement, with CMC paying royalties to Matsushita for 10 years.

Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. and Taiwan's CMC Magnetics Corp. said on Monday they have reached a settlement on a DVD-related patent infringement lawsuit.

Matsushita, the world's largest consumer electronics maker, last year filed a patent suit against CMC, charging that the Taiwanese disc maker's DVD discs infringed its patents.

As part of the settlement, they have formed a patent cross licencing agreement on manufacturing and sales of DVD discs, and CMC is set to pay royalties to Matsushita, both companies said.

If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

30 March 2007

Sony has released some details on their new LightScribe capable 18x DVD writer, the DRU-835A. Along with support for LightScribe, the DRU-835A 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, 32X, 40X P-CAV, 48X CAV CD-RW: 4X, 10X, 16X CLV, 24X, 32X Z-CLV Buffer Size: 2MB

Read Speeds: DVD-ROM: 16X Max DVD±R: 12X Max DVD±R DL : 8X Max DVD±RW: 8X Max DVD-Video: 6x Max DVD-RAM: 12x Max CD-ROM/CD-R: 48X Max CD-RW: 40X Max Access Times: CD-ROM: 130ms DVD-ROM: 140ms

The DRU-835A is most likely based on a drive from Samsung or Lite-On but at this point, I'm not even going to guess which one. No word on when the DRU-835A will ship. However, Sony's website lists the price as being $79.99. More information, including a full list of specs, can also be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

28 March 2007

I-O DATA Japan has announced a new 18X Serial ATA DVD writer, the DVR-SN18GLV. Based on the AD-7173S from Sony NEC Optiarc, the DVR-SN18GLV features 18x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds and support for Labelflash technology. Here are some of the specs:

Writing Speeds: DVD±R: 18x DVD±R DL: 8x DVD+RW: 8x DVD+R DL: 8x DVD-RW: 6x DVD-RAM: 12x CD-R: 48x CD-RW: 32x

Read Speeds: DVD-ROM (Single): 16x Max DVD-ROM (Dual): 12x Max DVD±R: 16x Max DVD±RW: 13x Max DVD±R DL: 12x Max DVD-RAM: 12X Max CD-R/ROM: 48x Max CD-RW: 40x Max

The DVR-SN18GLV should hit store shelves in the middle of March for about 8,500 Yen ($73US). More information can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

27 March 2007

Panasonic has announced a new portable Super Multi drive, the LF-P968C. Not much larger than a standard CD case, the LF-P968C can be powered from the USB bus and features 8x DVD±R, 4x DVD±R DL and 5x DVD-RAM writing speeds. Here are some of the drive's specs:

Writing Speeds: DVD±R: 8x DVD±R DL: 8x DVD+RW: 4x DVD-RW: 6x DVD-RAM: 5x CD-R: 24x CD-RW: 16x Access Times: DVD-ROM: 180ms CD-ROM: 150ms

Read Speeds: DVD-ROM (Single): 8x Max DVD-ROM (Dual): 6x Max DVD-Video: 4x Max DVD±R: 8x Max DVD±RW: 6x Max DVD±R DL: 6x Max DVD-RAM: 5x Max CD-ROM: 24x Max Buffer Size: 2MB

The LF-P968C is expected to hit store shelves on April 13th for about 22,000 Yen ($187US). More information can be found on Panasonic's website. Add a comment