Sony ships first 23 GByte blue laser PDD media at DVinfo.net

Gints Klimanis · April 26th, 2004, 02:07 PM

http://www.tomshardware.com/hardnews/20040426_115948.html

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Sony ships first 23 GByte blue laser PDD media

By Wolfgang Gruener, Senior Editor

April 26, 2004 - 11:59 EST

Park Ridge (NJ) - Sony announced that it has shipped its first Professional Disc for DATA (PDD) media. Using blue-violet lasers, the new format offers a capacity of 23.3 GByte capacity per single-sided disc.

Sony's PDD media take advantage of 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. According to the company, the technology focuses on business applications to off a high-end back-up and storage solution especially for medical imaging, broadcast, audio/video editing, graphic design and enterprise content management.

While PDD media use a blue laser similar to Blu-ray technology, the two are disparate formats targeted at different markets. In contrast to PDD, Blu-ray is a consumer recording technology that is available only in Japan for now. PDD and Blu-ray discs are not interchangeable.

PDD media are characterized by a narrower track pitch than CD, DVD and MO technologies. The track pitch of an optical disc can compared to line spacing on a sheet of paper - where narrower spacing results in more information capacity. According to Sony, PDD media are designed for durability in anti-static polycarbonate resin cartridges that cover the discs, protecting them from damage and data loss or errors during the write/read process. The company estimates that PDD media have a lifespan of over 50 years and can be rewritten more than 10,000 times.

Second-generation PDD technology is expected in 2005, featuring a 50GByte storage capacity on a single-sided, double layer disc with a transfer rate of 18 MByte/s. Scheduled for release in 2007, third-generation PDD drives and media are projected to reach a 100GB storage capacity using double-sided media and a
transfer rate of 36 MByte/s.

PDD media are available for about $45 for both the write-once version and the rewritable version.

Bogdan Vaglarov · April 27th, 2004, 01:35 AM

It might be a bit ironic from my side but:

1. 160GB HDDs now cost about 100$
2. They are in metal cases protected from dust and light and you can right/erase as much as you want
3. Their transfer rate reaches up to 60MB/s (average 30MB/s)

But it's nice to hear about the new wonders of the technology!

P.S. don't get too serious with my post :))

Gints Klimanis · April 27th, 2004, 01:36 PM

True. It's even better than that. I bought a bunch of good 120 GB, 7200 RPM, 8MB buffer Western Digital drives for $50, after
rebates. HDDs aren't particularly road-worthy, so I'll assume their life span is as good as a CD-R, which now is about two years.

This PDD media should eventually cost $1-5, so I'm excited
they're out there as the next step for data on a disk.

April 26th, 2004, 02:07 PM	#1
Gints Klimanis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,222	Sony ships first 23 GByte blue laser PDD media http://www.tomshardware.com/hardnews/20040426_115948.html Hard News Hard News Index The last 7 Days Monthly Overview Submit News LAN Parties Search in Hard News: Hard Newsletter Sign up for breaking news, reviews, and first looks in Tom's Hard Newsletter Sony ships first 23 GByte blue laser PDD media By Wolfgang Gruener, Senior Editor April 26, 2004 - 11:59 EST Park Ridge (NJ) - Sony announced that it has shipped its first Professional Disc for DATA (PDD) media. Using blue-violet lasers, the new format offers a capacity of 23.3 GByte capacity per single-sided disc. Sony's PDD media take advantage of 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. According to the company, the technology focuses on business applications to off a high-end back-up and storage solution especially for medical imaging, broadcast, audio/video editing, graphic design and enterprise content management. While PDD media use a blue laser similar to Blu-ray technology, the two are disparate formats targeted at different markets. In contrast to PDD, Blu-ray is a consumer recording technology that is available only in Japan for now. PDD and Blu-ray discs are not interchangeable. PDD media are characterized by a narrower track pitch than CD, DVD and MO technologies. The track pitch of an optical disc can compared to line spacing on a sheet of paper - where narrower spacing results in more information capacity. According to Sony, PDD media are designed for durability in anti-static polycarbonate resin cartridges that cover the discs, protecting them from damage and data loss or errors during the write/read process. The company estimates that PDD media have a lifespan of over 50 years and can be rewritten more than 10,000 times. Second-generation PDD technology is expected in 2005, featuring a 50GByte storage capacity on a single-sided, double layer disc with a transfer rate of 18 MByte/s. Scheduled for release in 2007, third-generation PDD drives and media are projected to reach a 100GB storage capacity using double-sided media and a transfer rate of 36 MByte/s. PDD media are available for about $45 for both the write-once version and the rewritable version.

April 27th, 2004, 01:35 AM	#2
Bogdan Vaglarov Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Yokohama, Japan Posts: 366	It might be a bit ironic from my side but: 1. 160GB HDDs now cost about 100$ 2. They are in metal cases protected from dust and light and you can right/erase as much as you want 3. Their transfer rate reaches up to 60MB/s (average 30MB/s) But it's nice to hear about the new wonders of the technology! P.S. don't get too serious with my post :))

April 27th, 2004, 01:36 PM	#3
Gints Klimanis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,222	True. It's even better than that. I bought a bunch of good 120 GB, 7200 RPM, 8MB buffer Western Digital drives for $50, after rebates. HDDs aren't particularly road-worthy, so I'll assume their life span is as good as a CD-R, which now is about two years. This PDD media should eventually cost $1-5, so I'm excited they're out there as the next step for data on a disk.