Optiarc, Toshiba and Samsung showcased their upcoming
products in the optical storage segment at CeBIT in
Germany.
Sony NEC optiarc
The joint venture between Sony and NEC showcased the
upcoming 20X DVD burners, as well as slim-type Blu-Ray
drives for notebooks.
The AD-7191A is an ATAPI Super-multi DVD burner capable of
writing on DVD recordable media (DVD±R) at 20X, DVD-RAM at
12X, DVD±R DL/+RW at 8X and DVD-RW at 6X. The drive is
expected in the market next month.
The company also exhibited a serial-ATA, version of the
AD-7173A, available under the code-name AD-7173S. The
Labelflash direct disc labeling technology is supported by
this model.
In addition, Optiarc's new AD-7633A and AD-7960A 8x
Super-multi DVD burners for notebooks were available at
the company's booth. Both drives feature a slot-in loading
tray.
Possibly the most interesting products at the booth were
the upcoming Blu-Ray drives for notebooks. The new
BD-5500A is a slim ATAPI Blu-Ray burner will be available
sometime next summer. The basic specifications of the
drive are available below:
Write:
BD-R SL,DL 2x
BD-RE DL 2x
DVD-R 8x
DVD-R DL 4x
DVD-RAM 5x
DVD+R /-R 8x
DVD+RW 4x
CD-R 16x
CD-RW 10X
Read:
BD 2x
DVD-ROM 8x
CD-ROM 24x
Optiarc will also release the BD-5500S, a SATA version of
the BD-5500A drive in 2008. At the same year, we should
expect the availability of the BD-5600S and the BD-5710S
SATA slot-in drives for notebooks.
Samsung
The Korean giant showcased the new SH-S203 20x SATA DVD
burner with Lighscribe. Basic specifications of the drive
include 20x writing for DVD±R, 12x for DVD±R DL/-RAM 8x
for DVD+RW, and 6x for DVD-RW. Note that this is the first
drive that will support the 12x speed for DVD±R DL. The
DVD Forum has approved the specifications for 12x DVD±R DL
writing. The drive will be also available in an external
USB 2.0 version, code-named SE-S204. Availability of the
drives should be expected in late May.
Samsung also presented a new Blu-Ray drive. The SH-B043 is
a SATA drive for PCs, capable of 4x BD-R and 2x BD-RE
writing. The drive uses 2 lens and 2 laser diodes for
supporting all BD/DVD/CD formats. In the beginning of
2008, Samsung is also expected to release an external
version of the new Blu-Ra drive, the SE-B046. The drive
will have a dual USB 2.0/IEEE 1394 interface and will be
able to connect to Sony's PS3 game console, according to
the company.
Toshiba's New HD DVD Drives
Toshiba was also there to showcase its next HD DVD drives
for both desktop and notebooks.
Starting from the desktop drives, the company showcased
the SD-H903A, a half-height HD DVD-Writable drive with
SATA interface. The drive uses a single objective lens for
HD DVD/DVD/CD, according to Toshiba. Its basic
specifications are available below:
Write:
HD DVD-R SL,DL 1x
DVDRAM 3x
DVD-R SL 8x
DVD-R DL 2.4x
DVD-RW 4x
DVD+R SL 8x
DVD+R DL 2.4x
DVD+RW 4x
CD-R 16x
CDRW 10x
Read:
HD DVD-R SL 1x
HD DVD-ROM 2.4x
DVD 8x
CD 24X
Other interesting products include the TS-L0802A HD
DVD-ROM drive for notebooks (read: HDDVD/DVD/CD , Write
DVD/CD), as well as some HD DVD-Writable drives for
notebooks such as the SD-L902A, the SD-T913A and the
SD-U913A, all capable of reading HD DVD/DVD/CD and writing
of HD DVD-R/-RW/DVD/CD.