01/07/2008 | Posted by Stephane Dion
Verbatim revealed at CES what it is dubbing the world's first 2X-speed HD DVD recordable media. This new media is expected in the next couple of months.
Verbatim is specifically beginning to sell 2x-speed HD DVD-R (recordable) and HD DVD-RW (rewriteable) discs. This speed bump will let one, for example, fill a 15GB HD DVD disc in about 30 minutes, compared to about 1 hour at 1x speed.
The technical aspects of how Verbatim did this revolve around leveraging its "dye technology to develop a new highly sensitive recording layer. The recording characteristics of Verbatim HD DVD-R discs are further enhanced by the disc’s physical attributes. Features such as a uniform groove shape, consistent substrate thickness and flatness of the disc have been proven to optimize the performance and longevity of Verbatim media. These characteristics are achieved using a new mastering process, ultra-precise molding technology and advanced bonding techniques."
02/20/2007 | Posted by Stephane Dion
All the hype goes around the Blu-ray camp these days, but HD DVD supporters may hold a secret weapon against their enemy!
The 3X DVD spec is part of the HD DVD format and is apparently only compatible with HD DVD players. But the HD DVD discs themselves are physically exactly the same as standard red-laser DVDs.
Throw in a software upgrade to support high definition content, HD DVD's UDF 2.5 file structure and AACS and you have a way to deliver HDTV content on a 9.4 GB DVD. By using newer encoding technologies like MPEG-4 and VC-1 and/or lowering the resolution to say, 720p, full length movies easily fit on a standard DVD.
Continue reading "3X DVD: HD DVD Camp Secret Weapon?" »
08/30/2006 | Posted by Stephane Dion
Manufacturers of blue laser diodes are unable to improve yield rates and this may result in slowing down the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray war because of a lack of diodes.
Many vendors already announced BD or HD-DVD drives but only Pioneer and Plextor are currently able to maintain actual shipments. Toshiba should be able to join them with volume shipments planned to kick off in September.
Only Nichia, Sharp and Sanyo are shipping the diodes. Nichia holds 80% of the global blue laser diode supply and had reported that its yield rate for blue laser diodes had reached 30%. However, the actual output still falls behind the demand.
According to Michael Gong of Lite-On IT's optical disc drive business unit, demand visibility for BD and HD-DVD drives remains impressive, but availability of new models may be postponed due to the shortage of blue laser diodes. By the first quarter of next year, the tight supply is expected to ease according to Gong.
Source: www.digitimes.com
08/21/2006 | Posted by Stephane Dion
Imation today announced the availability of its first recordable HD DVD media. The disc is a single-layer and can store up to 15GB of digital files - three times the capacity of standard DVDs - and are ideal for reliable data and image storage, including medical and government imaging, photography, videography, as well as high definition video recording.
The 15GB looks small compared to the dual-layer Blu-ray disc released last week by Sony and can store up to 50GB. The price per gigabyte is also high at $1.33 compared to $0.96 for the Blu-ray disc.
The discs is individually packaged and are now available for a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $19.99.
01/04/2006 | Posted by Stephane Dion
Verbatim® Corporation and its parent company, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (Verbatim/MKM), announced today that it has finished the pre- production phase of HD DVD-R media manufacturing and will begin shipping the new media in early 2006 when hardware and software products supporting the format are launched. Similar to DVD media in structure, Verbatim HD DVD-R sports 15GB of single layer capacity and is manufactured at MKM's high-tech DVD production facility in Singapore. 30GB dual layer HD DVD-R media will be produced by the end of 2006.
Well known as the leading developer of organic dyes for CD-R and DVD-R media, MKM has developed a new recording dye specifically designed for HD DVD-R. Highly sensitive to blue laser light, the new dye minimizes the thermal interference between data marks, a key performance parameter since the data density of HD DVD is over 3.5 times higher than that of standard DVD. The features of the new dye allow Verbatim HD DVD-R media to achieve optimum data writing and superior playback compatibility.
"The manufacturing process for HD DVD-R is similar to standard DVD-R," said Tim Clatterbuck, Verbatim Optical Storage Manager. "MKM's extensive expertise in the development of DVD materials and mass production technology translates directly to producing high- quality HD DVD media. We will leverage this experience to continue our leadership position as the preferred media brand for HD DVD-R in both the professional and consumer markets."
The HD DVD-R manufacturing process was developed at MKM's Singapore factory, also the location of the world's premier dual layer DVD production facility. "Utilizing our proven production technologies, Verbatim expects to be first to launch dual layer HD DVD-R, a 30GB single sided disc, later this year," said Clatterbuck.
Verbatim/MKM has already supplied burner/recorder manufacturers and their software suppliers with engineering samples of its new high-capacity media for securing read/write compatibility.
By providing them with benchmark media for performance and compatibility testing, Verbatim/MKM validates its media across the broad range of burners, recorders and players that will be released. For end users, the additional testing means they will have the best compatibility between their hardware and Verbatim-branded media.
With the availability of MKM/Verbatim premium-quality HD DVD-R media, users will be able to record and enjoy the amazingly sharp images that high-definition video provides. The high-capacity discs will also find extensive application in computer data storage.
11/10/2005 | Posted by Stephane Dion
Imation Corp today announced it is finalizing the development of both HD DVD and Blu-ray optical recordable media, with plans to utilize its proprietary hard coat protective disc coating in the development of both formats. The ultra-durable, scratch- resistant hard coating is designed to protect the valuable memories and data that users will save on advanced optical discs.
Continue reading "Imation Readies HD DVD and Blu-ray Optical Media Formats" »
09/21/2005 | Posted by Stephane Dion
Toshiba Corporation today reconfirmed the flexibility and expandability of the HD DVD format with the announcement of a 30GB dual-layer HD DVD-R (recordable) disc that extends the capacity for a write-once next generation DVD disc.
Continue reading "Toshiba Develops Dual-Layer HD DVD-R Discs" »
