Some suggest the conflict between Blu-ray Disc (BD) and HD DVD can be resolved by simply offering devices compatible with both formats. I’m not so sure. It’s easy to paint a rosy picture of peaceful coexistence, but compromise comes at a price. Pax Optical Hugh Bennett EMedialive, Apr 3, 2007 “I came not to bring [...]
Archive of posts filed under the Columns category.
The Truth About Total Hi Def Disc (THD)
At a flashy press conference a month ago to promote its new Total Hi Def Disc, Warner Home Video invoked the heroic image of Superman rescuing a crashing airliner. Expected later this year, Total Hi Def disc (THD) will combine HD DVD on one side and Blu-ray Disc (BD) on the other side, thus delivering [...]
Rescuing the Golden Goose
The immediate question is, will Blu-ray Disc (BD) recorders, drives, and players read and write all types of CDs and DVDs? Will they clear the fog of application formats and content-protection measures? In last month’s column, I chastised BD device manufacturers for ducking clear answers to these questions. And surveying the broader situation, we see [...]
Blu-ray Disc and the Meaning of Backwards Compatibility
Change is unsettling. But, like it or not, change is once again upon us—this time with the arrival of next generation Blu-ray Disc (BD). Naturally, consumers and even professionals are apprehensive about this new format but, even so, BD’s promoters are doing an embarrassingly poor job of understanding and answering concerns. For example, manufacturers and [...]
18X DVD Recording – Why Bother?
Good grief. Just when recordable DVD hits the accepted speed limit we find a couple of joyriders stepping on the gas. Manufacturers already have tremendous difficulty delivering consistent and compatible lower-speed products and we know that next generation Blu-ray is due out in the spring. 18X DVD Recording – Why Bother? Hugh Bennett EMedialive, November [...]
Socrates, Pascal, and Multilayer Blu-ray Discs
Socrates tells us that the unexamined life isn’t worth living. The same can be said for business. With scores of product launches and decades of market experience behind it, the optical storage industry has had ample opportunity for introspection. But, sadly, I see little evidence that past experience has entered the minds of manufacturers who, [...]
Recordable & Rewritable Blu-ray Disc: How Far, How Fast?
As Blu-ray Disc’s (BD) entrance draws near, I’m increasingly asked about its writable formats. How long will it take to record a BD disc? How much will its writing speeds increase in the future? How quickly will it get there? And, frankly, is there a way for the industry to avoid past problems and intelligently [...]
Just Scratching the Surface: Writable Optical Disc Protection
Let’s face it — writable CDs and DVDs are tough but they can be damaged. Scratches, scrapes, fingerprints, dust, and just plain crud can play havoc with reading and, especially, with writing. Dealing with these everyday realities in ways that keep discs realistically priced and marketable remains a challenge for product designers. Just Scratching the [...]
Enter the Backulator
Question: What do you get when you cross a data backup system with an automated optical disc duplicator? Answer: A “backulator!”
BeAll Releases 4.85GB Extended Capacity DVD-R Discs
Who doesn’t need additional data storage space? BeAll Developers answers the call with its new EX (Extreme eXtended) DVD-R disc featuring an enhanced capacity of 4.85GB. Priced at a premium over standard media, 4X DVD-R EX is currently available while 16X is still in the works. BeAll Releases 4.85GB Extended Capacity DVD-R Discs Hugh Bennett [...]
CD-RW: Busted for Speeding
Here we go again. Despite the buying public’s four-year indifference to CD-ReWritable (CD-RW) technology, those involved in its creation just can’t take the hint. The latest attempt to increase the popularity of CD-RW involves extending its performance to 10X Constant Angular Velocity (CAV) and Constant Linear Velocity (CLV) writing speeds. Manufacturers must by now realize [...]
CD-Erasable: It’s a Wipe Out
Don’t mess with success. That’s a lesson Coca Cola had to learn the hard way. Maybe it’s just me, but I think CD-Recordable (CD-R) is a proven success that should not risk being undermined by CD-Erasable, which is, in my opinion, of questionable advantage and may confuse the established market.
DVD: A Problem Ignored
Now just a darned minute! Wasn’t the new high-density DVD/DVD-ROM specification supposed to be backwards compatible? Wasn’t it implied that DVD drives could play existing CD-Recordable discs?
