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Taiwanese makers of CD-R discs are generally reluctant to accept Veeza, the sources indicated. The new royalty rate of US$0.025 per disc, though 44.4% cheaper that the original US$0.045, still accounts for 20-30% of OEM prices of CD-R discs, much higher than the 3-5% desired by Taiwanese makers, the sources pointed out. In addition, Taiwanese makers are dissatisfied with Philips' incapability of imposing Veeza on makers of CD-R discs in China and India, which subjects them to unfair competition.It's not known what Philips will do if manufacturers fail to sign onto the Veeza program. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
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Adding to its popular PlayO line of recordable media, accessories, and portable electronic products, Abcron Corporation today announced the PlayO Scratch Shield Double Sided MiniDVD product.If you'd like to read more, the entire press release can be found on Abcron's website. Add a comment
With a total storage capacity of 2.92GB, these Double Sided MiniDVDs allow users to read or write twice the content of traditional MiniDVDs. Scratch Shield technology provides the discs with a unique damage-resistant surface layer that guards against scratches, finger smudges, dust and ultraviolet rays, thereby ensuring longevity.
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NEC has offered its own-brand DVD burners without burning software for sale in the European market at an average price of below US$30, lower than the US$33-35 quoted by Taiwanese OEM makers, according to Taiwanese makers of optical disc drives (ODDs).The article also mentions that NEC may be trying to clear out their inventory before Sony NEC Optiarc goes into operation. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
DVD burners without burning software are not packaged for retail sale and thus 10-20% cheaper than DVD burners of the same models for retail sale, the sources pointed out. DVD burners that don't include burning software are generally supplied to international and regional PC brands but sometimes available for sale through retail channels, the sources indicated.
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We already have TDK's BD-R and BD-RE media in the 'Labs and will be using it in our upcoming Blu-ray drive reviews. If you'd like to read more, TDK's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
TDK, a world leader in digital recording solutions, today announced that Pioneer Electronics is bundling TDK Blu-ray Disc media with the Pioneer BDR-101A Blu-ray Disc drive, the world's first commercially available Blu-ray Disc writer. Each BDR-101A includes TDK's 25GB Blu-ray Disc media, the ideal media for recording high-definition video and archiving large amounts of data. Featuring TDK's DURABIS hard coating technology, TDK's Blu-ray Disc media is setting new standards in recording and playback by offering unprecedented capacities, fast transfer rates and revolutionary durability.
"Pioneer is very pleased to include TDK Blu-ray Disc media with our BDR-101A Blu-ray Disc drive," said Andy Parsons, Senior Vice President at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. "The high performance recording solution represented by combining the BDR-101A and TDK's rewritable Blu-ray Disc media puts Pioneer's customers on the cutting edge of optical disc technology."
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The retail version of the BDR-101A comes with a software bundle from Sonic and BD-RE media from TDK. More information can be found here. Add a comment
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. is now shipping the industry's first Blu-ray Disc (BD) computer drives. The new Pioneer BDR-101A will change the way digital and high-definition media are stored by increasing disc capacity and performance capability. By utilizing shorter wavelength blue lasers, the BDR-101A can burn up to 25 gigabytes (billion bytes) of information on a single layer Blu-ray Disc.
The BDR-101A will be bundled with Sonic Solutions'(R) Roxio(R) Blu-ray Disc software and blank media by TDK that will enable end-users to store data and recorded content.
Blu-ray Disc is an ideal format for storage and distribution of high definition content. "As we move deeper into the transition to high-definition content creation and distribution, increasing storage capacity will become more and more critical," said Andy Parsons, senior vice president at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. "Blu-ray Disc technology fulfills the rapidly growing need for additional storage space and Pioneer is proud to be one of the first companies bringing it to market through the BDR-101A."
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CMC Magnetics, the largest producer of optical discs in Taiwan, recently obtained certification from international vendors for 4x DVD-R DL (single-sided double-layer) discs, the first among Taiwanese makers and the second in the world next only to Japan-based Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM), according to industry sources.The article also mentions that due to cost considerations, Verbatim/MKM may release OEM orders for 4x DVD-R DL discs to CMC. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
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Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of the leading global imaging and information technologies company, today announced that Fujifilm-branded Blu-ray media would be available in the U.S. marketplace this June.If you'd like to read more, Fuji's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Increasing data volume on personal computers and the steady, continuing growth of high definition (HD) television has accelerated consumer demand for higher capacity optical recording devices for storing all this digital data. The Fujifilm Blu-ray discs will be available with 25GB storage capacity, in both write-once (BD-R) and re-writable (BD-RE) formats, which can be used in Blu-ray drives with 1-2X writing speed.
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Vanguard originally produced CD-R discs, with a monthly capacity of 8-10 million discs. About two years ago, the company began to switch to DVD-R production. However, the company said that it terminated all production about a month ago because it can't compete profitably against the low prices offered by CD-R makers in China and India amid rising material costs, and its shift to the production of DVD discs has not been smooth. Vanguard is now seeking buyers for its manufacturing equipment and is set to terminate operations.If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
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Lite-On IT plans to start volume production in July of this year of half-height (H/H) Blu-ray Disc (BD) optical disc drives (ODDs) based on technology from Royal Philips Electronics as a result of the company taking over BenQ's ODD unit, according to industry sources.If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
The H/H BD drive models had been originally developed by BenQ's ODD unit and Lite-On IT has taken over the development, including the use of technology from Philips that was licensed to BenQ, the sources pointed out. Lite-On IT is expected to take control of BenQ's ODD business in June of this year.
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The PX-760SA and PlexWriter Premium2 will ship in June. More information on both drives can be found here. Add a comment
Following on from the recent successful launch of Plextor's PX-760A ATAPI/IDE DVD-RW drive into the market, the company today announces the Serial-ATA version - PX-760SA. This 18x drive is the World's fastest Serial-ATA DVD-ReWriter on the market, capable of 18x DVD+R and 10x DVD+R DL speeds, and is designed to take advantage of the latest motherboard connections within modern PCs.
Separately, Plextor is also launching the next model in its Premium range - PlexWriter Premium2. This fast drive not only offers 52x read/write and 32x re-writing speeds, but also includes a large 8MB buffer which is useful when multi-tasking to ensure there is no data interruption
