According to Digitimes, top Taiwanese manufacturers of blank optical discs, including Ritek and CMC Magnetics, plan to start production of single-sided double-layer DVD+R/-R discs at the end of this quarter or early next quarter.

The disc manufacturers are under pressure to meet the production schedules of Sony,BenQ and Lite-On IT, who all plan to launch DVD+R or DVD-R DL burners beginning mid-May, the top Taiwanese optical disc makers indicated.

Ritek is undertaking trial production of DVD+R/-R DL discs for certification by potential clients and expects to begin volume production at the end of June, according to the company.

Because Philips and Pioneer have adopted stricter licensing terms for DVD+R DL than for DVD+R/-R, there will be technological barriers for small makers to join competition for OEM orders for their DVD+R DL discs, CMC pointed out. The OEM price level for DVD+R DL discs would not drop so fast as that for DVD+R/-R discs, the company added.

Although top Taiwanese makers have not yet quoted OEM prices for DVD+R/-R DL discs, they indicated that their initial price level may be 20%-30% lower than that of Japanese competitors.