August 2002 News
Verbatim makes a quantum in re-writeable CD performace
with new 16x-24x Ultra Speed CD-RW discs!
Verbatim corporation achieved yet another first with the
announcement of its new DataLifePlus® 16x-24x certified
Ultra Speed CD-RW discs. With the ability to write and rewrite
at speeds of up to 3.5 MB/sec—the industry's highest
rewriting speed—users can burn a 10MB file in less than
3 seconds. Fully compliant with the latest release of Orange
Book Part III Volume 3, Verbatim Ultra Speed 16x-24x CD-RW
discs have been tested and qualified by leading 24x drive
manufacturers.
Advanced Technologies
The development of two unique technologies--Advanced Super
Eutectic Recording Layer (Advanced-SERL™) and a new
recording method paved the way for Verbatim to become the
first and only manufacturer currently capable of providing
Ultra Speed 16x-24x CD-RW media.
To ensure high reliability and durability at 24x speed, Verbatim's
new Ultra-Speed 16x-24x CD-RW discs are manufactured with
Advanced-SERL, a new patented recording layer developed by
Verbatim's parent company, Mitsubishi® Chemical Company.
Advanced-SERL overcomes the difficulties in CD-RW re-writing
to ensure sufficient erasability at high speeds, reduction
of media noise during erase/rewrite cycles, and a long archival
life.
To achieve the industry’s highest re-write speed, Verbatim's
16x-24x Ultra-Speed CD-RW discs incorporate a new writing
method called the 2T Writing Strategy. The new writing method
was required because at 24x and higher recording speeds, conventional
recording technology cannot generate enough “cooling
time” for creating stable amorphous marks. Verbatim's
2T Writing Strategy overcomes this issue to provide stability
of the recorded mark as well as supporting quality high-speed
erasure.
Recognized as a breakthrough in ultra-speed recording, the
2T Writing Strategy is already gaining widespread support
from leading drive and IC makers and has been proposed as
the standard for 24x CD-RW recording.
Industry Standard Compliance
The latest release of Orange Book Part III Volume 3 details
the specifications for Ultra-Speed CDRW media. The discs,
which can only be recorded and erased by 16x-24x drives carrying
the Ultra-Speed CDRW logo, provide backward read compatibility
with legacy multi-read CD/DVD-ROM drives, 2x-4x drives and
10x-12x drives.
With the ability to support both CAV and P-CAV recording
at 16x-24x speeds, Verbatim's new Ultra Speed 16x-24x CD-RW
discs are the best solution for use with new Mt Rainier-compliant
CD-RW burners. The discs provide superior performance for
random access applications such as data storage, backups and
archiving that require high-speed recording in the CAV mode.
Verbatim DataLifePlus 16x-24x CD-RW discs deliver more than
1,000 overwrites and an archival life of more than 30 years,
making it a cost-effective storage solution for a wide range
of applications. To ensure the broadest compatibility with
Ultra-Speed CD-RW drives, Verbatim provides its 16x-24x CD-RW
discs to leading Ultra-Speed CD-RW drive manufacturers for
high-speed testing.
Pricing, Availability
The new DataLifePlus 16x-24X CD-RW media will be available
in singles and multi-packs through retailers, Internet resellers
and distributors from September for a suggested retail price
of $1.49 per disc. Verbatim backs the quality of its complete
line of DataLifePlus media with a lifetime warranty
Toshiba and NEC Jointly Propose Next Generation,
High Capacity, Blue-Laser DVD Format
Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 29, 2002 - (JCN Newswire) - Toshiba Corporation
and NEC Corporation today jointly proposed to the DVD Forum
a next-generation, high-capacity, blue-laser DVD format that
will allow manufacturers to continue to use existing DVD plant
and equipment and so minimize the investment required for
the transition to next-generation DVD players and drives.
Adoption of the proposed format will bring benefits to hardware
and software developers, manufacturers and consumers.
The format proposed by Toshiba and NEC covers both read-only
discs that are used to distribute high-definition movies,
and read-and-write discs. The format utilizes a short wavelength
blue laser and the same disc technology used in current DVDs--back-to-back
bonding of two 0.6mm thick, 120mm discs.
The proposed format increases the capacity of read-only discs
to 15GB for a single-sided, single-layer disc, and to 30 GB
for a single-sided dual-layer disc, and pushes the capacity
of read-and-write discs, which currently are single-sided
with a single-layer, to 20GB. Today's single-sided dual-layer
read-only discs have a capacity of 8.5 GB, while read-and-write
discs (single-sided, single-layer only) can store up to 4.7GB
of data. The increased capacity of the proposed format is
achieved by employing a blue laser, and by utilizing the two
companies' new signal-processing and phase-change media recording
technologies.
In addition, Toshiba and NEC will shortly propose a 40GB
single-sided, dual-layer read-and-write disc to the DVD Forum.
The DVD Forum established two subgroups to study different
technical approaches toward the next-generation blue laser
DVD format in February this year. One is considering an approach
based on a 0.6mm disc substrate, the same method employed
in current DVDs, and the other a 0.1mm cover layer. Toshiba
and NEC separately promoted research on a 0.6mm disc substrate,
the same as that of current DVD discs. After verifying one
another's technology they decided to jointly propose a single,
unified format to the DVD Forum.
High-definition digital imaging is the wave of the future,
an increasingly powerful force in terrestrial and satellite-based
broadcasting, the cinema, and in the delivery of games and
entertainment and computer applications. The richer data sources
and heightened user experience that digital media offer can
be seen in the fast penetration of DVD, and in the growing
demand for digital media supporting even higher capacities.
Toshiba and NEC support this trend, with a format that provides
a cost-effective upgrade path for media vendors, and a backward-compatible
solution for the many consumers who have built DVD libraries.
The new formats also meets the needs of the PC-industry-driven
optical-drive business, where coming years will see demand
for combination drives that can handle both current and next-generation
DVD media.
Toshiba and NEC's proposal is based on the following
four advantages.
1. It meets manufacturers' needs by enabling use of the same
manufacturing
infrastructure as current DVD, which minimizes disc production
costs. 2. It supports development of backward compatible players
that can playback
current and next generation DVD.
3. Like the current DVD, it is easy to realize a disc that
does not need a
cartridge, which allows slim drives that can be integrated
into portable
equipment.
4. It is easy to realize dual-layer discs, as the back-to-back
bonding of
0.6mm-thick discs is the same as for current DVD.
Toshiba and NEC will together submit technical data to the
DVD Forum that is necessary for the standardization of the
next-generation, high-capacity, blue-laser DVD.
About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation (NASDAQ: NIPNY) (FTSE: 6701q.1) (TSE: 6701)
is one of the world's leading providers of Internet,
broadband network and enterprise business solutions dedicated
to meeting the specialized needs of its diverse and global
base of customers. Ranked as one of the world's top
patent-producing companies, NEC delivers tailored solutions
in the key fields of computer, networking and electron devices,
through its three market-focused, in-house companies: NEC
Solutions, NEC Networks and NEC Electron Devices. NEC Corporation
employs more than 140,000 people worldwide and had net sales
of approximately $39 billion in the fiscal year ended March
2002.
About Toshiba Corporation
Toshiba Corporation (TSE: 6502) (US: TOSBF) (FTSE: TOS) is
a leader in information and communications systems, electronic
components, consumer products, and power systems. The company's
integration of these wide-ranging capabilities assures its
position as a leading company in semiconductors, LCDs and
other electronic devices. Toshiba has 176,000 employees worldwide
and annual sales of over US$40 billion.
Matsushita Electric (Panasonic) Develops World's
First One-Chip System LSI for DVD Players
Osaka, Japan, Aug. 28, 2002 - (JCN Newswire) - Matsushita
Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., best known for its Panasonic
brand of consumer electronics and digital communications products,
has developed the world's first one-chip system LSI for DVD
players that implements all analog front end functions as
well as back end processing functions.
Through the use of 0.13 um CMOS process technology employing
six-layer copper wiring, Panasonic has managed to implement
on a single chip the capabilities of an analog front end IC,
a servo and error correction LSI, an AV decoder, and a system
control microprocessor. In addition to including IP conversion
and video noise removal function for high image resolution,
the new LSI supports a variety of audio decoding functions,
such as DVD Audio, MP3, and Windows Media Audio (WMA).
Since signals read from DVDs and CDs can now be processed
using a single chip, it is possible to build a high-performance
DVD player with an array of functions using the new LSI and
a small number of additional components. This contrasts with
the minimum of six microchips required by Panasonic's previous
DVD players. The result is reduced overall system cost and
a substantial reduction in the required circuit board mounting
area.
The new LSI employs high-precision digital read channel technology
based on proprietary PRML technology to achieve stable reading
of video and audio data even from scratched or warped DVDs
and CDs. It also supports reading of data from recordable
media such as DVD-RAM discs. Finally, it benefits from the
superior performance and flexibility of the Panasonic Media
Core Processor software architecture, which makes possible
high-quality video reproduction together with support for
a range of audio standards.
Samples are scheduled to begin shipping in November 2002
