Sony Electronics have started shipping their Professional Disc for DATA (PDD) media; the next generation of optical media. The PDD device uses a blue-violet laser unlike (infra-) red lasers as used by CD/DVD-ROM drives. These devices are intended for enterprise content such as audio/video editing, medial image storage or what ever requires a huge amount of storage. Last December, Sony had announced shipping of PDD drives & media to OEM's and system integrators.
The media features 23.3GB on a single-sided disc. With a narrower track pitch than DVD, this makes the media more sensitive to surface damage or contamination. As a result, PDD media are enclosed in an anti-static polycarbonate resin cartridge to protect it from physical damage such as fingerprints, scratches, dust and so on. Performance is rated at 11MB/sec read and 9MB/write for both record-once and rewritable media with seek times typical of a standard CD/DVD-ROM drive. PDD Media has an estimated lifespan of over 50 years with rewritable PDD media supporting over 10,000 rewrite cycles.
Sony expects to release a further two generations of Professional Disc for DATA technology. The second generation expected in 2005 will feature 50GB on a single-sided disc with up to 18MB/sec transfer rate. The third generation is planned for release in 2007 with an expected capacity of up to 100GB on double-sided with up to 36MB/sec transfer rate. PIER used our news submit to let us know about the following news:
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Featuring an extraordinary 23.3GB storage capacity per single-sided disc, Professional Disc for DATA media provides the storage capacity needed to fulfill the rigorous demands of data-intensive applications, such as medical imaging, broadcast, audio/video editing, graphic design and enterprise content management. The new format -- available in both write-once and rewritable versions -- also boasts fast 11MB/second read and 9MB/second write speeds for quick file storage and retrieval. "Professional Disc for DATA technology marks a new era for disc storage," said Masaki Hattori, Director of Marketing for Sony Electronics' Media and Applications Solutions Division. "Our customers have been clamoring for an innovative optical storage platform that offers massive capacity, while still retaining the high-speed, random access benefits of disc. Sony Professional Disc for DATA media is the embodiment of these attributes." Sony-branded Professional Disc for DATA media takes advantage of the shorter wavelength provided by a blue-violet laser and a high-performance lens to write up to four times more data on a disc than what is possible with red laser-based CD, DVD and magneto optical (MO) technologies. The Professional Disc for DATA laser's shorter wavelength allows for more data to be stored in a smaller area. "Blue laser optical storage technologies, such as Sony's Professional Disc for DATA format, overcome the capacity and performance limitations of current professional disc storage formats," said Wolfgang Schlichting, research director for removable storage at IDC. "The advanced imaging and editing requirements of broadcast and medical companies will particularly benefit from the 23GB capacity of Professional Disc for DATA." Read the full news article here. |
Note that Professional Disc for DATA is incompatible with the Blu-ray technology despite both using similar technology. PDD technology is aimed as a professional data storage solution where as Blu-ray technology is aimed at high-end consumer recording technology. Blu-Ray is currently only available in
Sony has started shipping Professional Disc for DATA drives, auto-changers and libraries through its Sony channel providers. Both its PDD write-once (model PDDWO23) and rewritable media (model PDDRW23) are now shipping for $ 45 per disc through various resellers and distributors.
Feel free to discuss and read more about PDD, Blu-ray and other types of media on our Media Forum.
Source: Yahoo Financial News
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