Environmentally Friendly DVD Writes Data At 1X To 16X Speeds

Writable DVDs have become a "hot" technology for many consumers. But nothing cools down their enthusiasm more than the long write times for 4.7-Gbyte disks. Now, Philips Optical Storage has unveiled a disk that can be written at speeds from 1× to 16×, meeting the recording needs of any DVD writer and the most impatient consumer. Write times are down to just 5 minutes at the 16× speeds.

Developed in conjunction with CMC of Taiwan, the disk uses a new Oxonol dye developed by FujiFilm. It contains no heavy metals or banned substances, conforming to Philips' effort to reduce environmentally damaging materials.

The developments are based on the results of Philips Research's innovations in optical-storage technologies, which include the development of a new write strategy for high-speed writing. With the 1× to 16× DVD+R medium, users can record their precious video memories or data files with any DVD+R recorder, whether it's done on one of the latest 16× DVD writers or a legacy DVD+R writer.

Last year, Philips says, the market for recordable DVD grew by over 300%. The company expects 1.3 billion DVDs to be sold in 2004. With the increase of DVD writers in PCs, Philips projects the annual market for DVD recordable media to reach 5.1 billion disks by 2007.

Philips' new DVD+R disk is the first 16× media to be approved by the DVD+R/+RW Verification Laboratories Group (DVLG). The DVLG tests newly developed DVD+R, DVD+R DL, and DVD+RW disks from media manufacturers to verify that read and write performance comply with the standard specifications to ensure optimal recording on disks.

The 16× DVD+R disks will cost approximately $1.80, excluding taxes or other levies. For details, contact [email protected].