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21 March 2006

For the past few months, Philips has been trying to get Taiwanese disc manufacturers to adopt their new Veeza licensing system. According to an article at DigiTimes, the company hasn't had much luck doing so.

Philips Intellectual Property & Standards (PIPS) has been making efforts to convince Taiwanese makers of CD-R discs to adopt Veeza, Philips' new CD-R patent licensing system, but no targeted makers have accepted yet, according to general manager James Li for the Taiwan office of PIPS at an international seminar on intellectual property held in Taipei on March 20.

Philips has made some headway in Europe where five CD-R manufacturers have agreed to support Veeza. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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20 March 2006

Plextor America sent out a press release this morning, announcing their third-generation Serial ATA drive, the PX-755SA. Along with support for Serial ATA, the PX-755SA features 16x DVD±R and 10x DVD+R DL writing speeds and Plextor's AUTOSTRATEGY technology.

Plextor Corp., a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, today announced the immediate availability of the PX-755SA DVD+/-R/RW CD-R/RW optical disc drive. The PX-755SA replaces the PX-716SA, completing Plextor's conversion to drive designs that comply with the European Union's Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) legislation.

The multifunction internal PX-755SA drive is aimed at Value Added Resellers and System Integrators who require Serial ATA (SATA) connectivity, industry leading reliability, and premium recording features. The PX-755SA delivers recording speeds of 16X 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, 6X DVD-RW Rewriting; 16X max DVD-Reading; 48X CD-R Writing, 24X CD-RW Rewriting, and 48X max CD-Reading.

The PX-755SA is shipping now for a suggested retail price of $129.00. If you'd like to read more, Plextor's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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20 March 2006

Lite-On recently unveiled their latest EZ-DUB compatible drive, the SHM-165P6SU. Based on the SHM-165P6S, this external "Super AllWrite" drive is capable of 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 SHM-165P6SU's specs:

Writing Speeds: DVD+R: 16x CAV DVD+RW: 8x CLV DVD+R DL: 8x Z-CLV DVD-R: 16x CAV DVD-RW: 6x CLV DVD-R DL: 4x CLV DVD-RAM 5x P-CAV CD-R: 48x CAV CD-RW: 24x Z-CLV

Read Speeds: DVD-ROM: 16x Max CD-ROM: 48x Max Access Times: DVD-ROM: 160ms CD-ROM: 160ms Buffer Size: 2MB

Like Lite-On's other drives, the SHM-165P6SU includes features like SMART-BURN, SMART-X and VAS technologies. No word on price or availability yet. As we find out more we'll let you know. Until then, more information can be found here. Add a comment

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16 March 2006

Sony sent out a press release this afternoon, announcing their upcoming Blu-ray Disc based products. Along with their first Blu-ray Disc player, the BDP-S1, Sony plans to offer both desktop and notebook computers equipped with Blu-ray Disc drives. Sony has also provided some information on their new internal Blu-ray writer, the BWU-100A.

The BWU-100A, an aftermarket internal Blu-ray Disc drive for computer use, will support recording of 25GB and 50GB BD-R (write once) or BD-RE (rewritable) discs at 2X max speed. It is capable of burning a full 25GB disc in about 30 minutes. The drive will also support recording of standard single layer 4.7GB DVD+R/+RW, Double/Dual Layer 8.5GB DVD+R, DVD-RAM and CD-R/-RW media, making it a true all-in-one "tri-mode" recorder/reader.

The new drive can be installed in a standard half-height computer bay with a parallel ATAPI (P-ATA) interface. Comprehensive authoring software will be included for capturing, editing, and burning high-definition personal content captured by an HDV format camcorder, keeping the video in native 1080i HD format for playback on a Blu-ray Disc player. Video can also be "down-converted" to standard-definition (SD) resolution for burning onto a DVD disc.

While Sony plans to ship the BDP-S1 Blu-ray Disc player and the VAIO RC desktop computer in July, we have not heard when the BWU-100A will be available or how much it will cost. As we find out more, we'll let you know. In the mean time, Sony's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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16 March 2006

For the second year in a row, Verbatim has been named the "leading supplier of recordable CD and DVD media worldwide" by the Santa Clara Consulting Group.

Verbatim Corporation announced today that for the second year in a row it has been named the leading supplier of recordable CD and DVD media worldwide by the Santa Clara Consulting Group (SCCG). The Group's 2005 CD and DVD reports show that Verbatim and its parent company, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM), not only maintained the Number One position worldwide but also increased global market share of recordable CDs and DVDs. Their worldwide dominance in the DVD media markets was evident in the report's Unit Shipments section, which lists Verbatim/MKM shipments of recordable DVD media in 2005 as 531.249 million—23.3 percent more than its nearest competitor.

Of the five DVD formats tracked in the report, DVD-R was the most significant DVD format in 2005 with 59 percent of DVD recordable disc sales. Verbatim/MKM leads the global DVD-R market with a 17.01 percent market share for all of 2005.

While I'm a big fan of Verbatim's media, I must admit that I am a little surprised by some of these numbers. I kind of expected Ritek to be top supplier of media as they are one of the largest manufacturers. In any case, Verbatim's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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16 March 2006

Ciba sent out a press release late yesterday, announcing that they've filed a lawsuit against RiTEK and its European subsidiaries. The lawsuit claims that RiTEK's CD-R media infringes upon Ciba's patented CD-R dye technology.

Ciba Specialty Chemicals has filed a patent infringement suit in Germany and the Netherlands against RiTEK Corporation and its European subsidiaries Conrexx Technology B.V. (also known as Traxdata), RME Manufacturing GmbH, RiTEK Media Europe, and PrimeDisc Technologies GmbH. Ciba claims that RiTEK and its named subsidiaries import and sell RiTEK-manufactured CD-R which infringe Ciba's patented CD-R dye technology. Ciba IRGAPHOR Ultragreen is globally recognized by the industry as the optical dye of choice for CD-R manufacturing known for high quality and consistency. "We will not tolerate that our technology is illegally copied and counterfeit products are spread in the market. Therefore we are carefully and continuously monitoring the media market. We are prepared to vigorously defend our intellectual property and will not hesitate to take legal action against infringers", a Ciba spokesperson said.

It's going to be interesting to see what happens. If you'd like to read more, Ciba's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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15 March 2006

According to an article at Reuters, TEAC and Pioneer have agreed to work together to develop DVD drives for laptops.

TEAC Corp. said on Wednesday it and electronics maker Pioneer Corp. had agreed to co-develop recordable DVD drives for laptop computers, in the latest move by Japanese electronics makers to counter the tough price competition in the industry.

TEAC, a maker of floppy disk and CD-ROM drives, said in a statement the two companies will work on the details of the agreement and would also consider expanding their ties to other areas.

I thought TEAC and Pioneer had signed this agreement months ago, but I guess not. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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14 March 2006

Verbatim Australia sent out a press release this morning, announcing their new inkjet printable 16x DVD-R and DVD+R media.

Verbatim Corporation, the market leader in premium-quality printable media, has announced the immediate availability of their white inkjet printable 16X DVD+/-R media. The discs feature a matte white printable surface and fast drying times with ultra-reliable, high-speed recording technology and broad read compatibility.

With the ability to record at about 21 MB/sec, these high speed Verbatim DVD discs can store 4.7GB of video, photos, music or data files in about five minutes. Verbatim has worked closely with verification authorities and leading drive manufacturers to produce this high-performance DVD media, certified for 1-16X DVD writing.

The key component in achieving 16X speed DVD media that delivers optimum performance, superior quality and the broadest compatibility is the proprietary recording layer technology developed by Verbatim, Advanced AZO. By using the proven dye technology incorporated in its 8X DVD media as the platform for the new, more sensitive Advanced AZO technology, Verbatim engineers not only achieved 16X write speed, they ensured that the new media will maintain backward compatibility with existing DVD recorders and 1-8X DVD burners.

Verbatim's inkjet printable 16x DVD media is available now in 50 pack spindles for a recommended retail price of $42.95. A 100 pack spindle of DVD+R media will also be available in April for about $79.95. More information can be found here. Add a comment

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11 March 2006

NEC is reportedly demonstrating a HD-DVD burner at CeBIT. This new drive, called the HD-1100, is compatible with single and dual layer HD-DVD discs and can even write to both CD's and DVD's.

NEC is demonstrating the drive with media from Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Co. Ltd., which is best known by its Verbatim brand name. The company is shooting high-definition video each morning at the show and burning it onto a disc for playback during the day, said Ryoichi Hayatsu, an NEC storage product division manager, in an interview.

The blank media, which only became available days before Cebit began, is single-sided so can store up to 15GB of data. The drive is also compatible with dual-layer discs, which can store 30GB. In addition, the drive, called HD-1100, also writes to DVD and CD discs.

NEC is also working on support for rewritable HD-DVD media although the standardization for HD-DVD Rewritable has yet to be completed. That's expected to be finalized in May or June this year, said Hayatsu.

While the HD DVD camp will be shipping their players first, they seem to be lagging behind Blu-ray when it comes to recordable technology. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment