Verbatim Corporation announced its new 74-minute (650MB) 10X CD-ReWritable (CD-RW) discs.
For more information visit: www.verbatim.com
Unedited press release follows:
Verbatim Develops New Technology for 10X Speed CD-RW Media
Breakthrough Technologies Produce Higher-performance ReWriteable CDs with Noise-free Playback
CHARLOTTE, NC (June 14, 2000) – Leveraging its engineering and manufacturing expertise as a leader in the optical media industry, Verbatim® Corporation this week unveiled next-generation 10X 650MB CD-ReWriteable media. Fully compatible with the most recent version of the CD-RW standard, the new DataLifePlus® media incorporates revolutionary recording layer technologies developed by Verbatim and its parent company, Mitsubishi® Chemical Corporation. In addition to enabling recording speeds of more than 1.5 MB/sec, the new recording layer technologies provide noise-free playback and superior overwrite cyclability.
“The latest version of the CD-RW standard (Orange Book Part III, Volume 2) cleared the way for us to introduce economical CD-RW media that supports recording speeds ranging from 4X to 10X and provides significant playback improvements,” said Bob Burkhardt, Verbatim Vice President of Product Marketing. “These features make our new 10X CD-RW discs ideal for storing images, presentations, and downloads from the Web as well as audio files. The technologies developed to achieve higher performance and increased reliability for Verbatim 10X CD-RW media will also be incorporated in our higher-capacity DVD-RW and future HD-DVD media products,” he added.
Verbatim’s Super Eutectic Recording Layer (SERL) technology extends the capabilities of proven phase-change optical recording to provide fast erasing and overwriting, as well as noise-free playback. The recording layer technology eliminates the formation of coarse crystal grain growth around the laser mark which is typically produced by less-advanced recording layer technologies during the erase/rewrite stage. By minimizing nucleation and coarse grain growth in the recording layer, the new Verbatim media eliminates optical noise when the media is read by the drive. In addition, by eliminating nucleation in the amorphous stage, the new Verbatim media provides superior archival life.
Verbatim’s new CD-RW media is manufactured utilizing Ultra-Precise Molding (UPM) technology for higher reliability. With UPM, the deflection or tilt of the substrate is minimized so the media spins smoothly at high speeds, regardless of the type of drive. “Stable, high-speed rotation during the reading and writing processes virtually eliminates the possibility of data errors,” explained Burkhardt.
Verbatim DataLifePlus 10X CD-RW media supports direct write/rewrite in CAV (constant angular velocity) mode for faster random packet writing, and the conventional CLV (constant linear velocity) mode. Data stored on Verbatim 10X CD-RW media can be read on conventional CD-R/RW drives as well as MultiRead-compatible CD-ROM, DVD-ROM and rewriteable DVD drives, which makes it an ideal medium for file distribution. This capability also provides users with the assurance that the files they store today will be accessible in the future.
According to Wolfgang Schlichting, IDC’s research manager, removable storage products, the demand for CD-RW media will grow to more than 110 million discs this year worldwide, more than a three-fold increase over last year’s shipments. “The high capacity and relatively low cost of this rewritable CD media were the major reasons for its success.” he explained. “Considering the rapidly increasing installed base for CD-RW drives, we expect demand for CD-RW media will continue to be strong.” Schlichting added.
Verbatim, which has more than 30 years of experience in developing media and production technologies, works closely with standards organizations such OSTA, ISO, ECMA and ANSI as well as the DVD standards groups to stay ahead of market demand. “The new media technologies are a natural extension of the experience we have gained in developing and manufacturing CD-R, CD-RW and MO products,” said Burkhardt. “We have been able to leverage our expertise and experience with these technologies to produce media that will deliver the performance drive manufacturers and end users expect.”
Pricing, Availability
Volume shipments of the new media are scheduled to coincide with the release of 10X drives in July. The new DataLifePlus 10X CD-RW media will have a suggested retail price of $3.99 per disc. Verbatim backs the quality of its complete line of DataLifePlus media with a lifetime warranty.
Verbatim Corporation, a Mitsubishi® Chemical Company, is currently the only firm in the world that designs, develops and manufactures high-performance, high-quality CD-Recordable, CD-ReWriteable, DVD-Recordable and ReWriteable DVD media products, as well as a complete family of 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch MO media in a full range of capacities. For complete information on Verbatim’s new CD-RW media contact Verbatim at 1200 W.T. Harris Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28262, (800) 421-4188, FAX (704) 547-6609; or visit the company’s web site at www.verbatim.com.
