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     This story was printed from CdrInfo.com,

     located at http://www.cdrinfo.com.

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CDs21 Solutions (Secretary Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Heitaro NAKAJIMA), currently promoting various CD standards and associated business models, has organized a working group to lay down guidelines on card type discs, so-called "Optical Card", by next spring to aim at sound spread of them. As the first step, the association has reviewed descriptions of the relevant instruction manuals attached to the optical cards and has prepared easier-to-understand "Notes of Caution" (descriptions and illustrations).

Accordingly, the association has begun distribution of them thus standardized among its member companies. It will strive for the prevailing use of them to aim at the user protection.

Recently, card type discs, called the "Optical Card", that permits reproduction on CD players and CD-ROM drives are appearing on the market. It is a medium devised from the user's standpoint where stress is placed on portability and the like features. It is already in wide use for sales promotion, e.g. PR and advertisement. It also has a big potential for the future as a communication tool for on-the-spot data reception and transmission by utilizing a notebook type personal computer.

Since, however, these optical cards are not products conforming to the CD standards in terms of the size and shape, not all of them can be reproduced on CD players and CD-ROM drives. That is, the compatibility assurance is yet to be given. At the present stage there are no guidelines on the size and shape, nor pertinent cautionary notes for the users. Therefore, in the worst case, there is the possibility of causing disorder to media and drives.

Against this backdrop, CDs 21 Solutions has been taking actions for a sound spread of optical cards, including technical studies of the compatibility, user enlightenment and various proposals. This time, to meet the demands from the users and the business sector, the association has prepared "Notes of Caution" as one of such move to aim at further progress of the associated industry.

The notes of caution prepared by CDs21 Solutions are composed of descriptions and illustrations that can be easily understood so that general users can be familiarized with the way of use while avoiding erroneous operation. The notes of caution is available in both Japanese and English versions. The point is that users can better understand the proper way of use if the associated industry sector employs such standardized notes of caution. At the same time, users may also understand that there are cases that the reproduction is impractical for the reasons attributable to media and reproducing devices themselves.

CDs21 Solutions has principal makers engaged in optical card business as its members. They all are going to employ the standardized notes of caution. The association also intends to invite other makers to participate in the move and utilize them actively.

CDs21 Solutions is continuing its activity of enlightenment for the industry sector concerned (traders, makers, etc.) including media makers and drives makers of optical cards. To this end, the association intends to pursue the practicability of various applications. As one of such activities for the future, it also plans to study guidelines aimed at enhancing the congeniality between the optical card and drive.

The members of CDs21 Solutions may use the "Notes of Caution", free of charge. Those considering joining in this association are suggested to raise your inquiry to the secretary office of this association.

CDs21 Solution's Activity

At present, many kinds of CDs (compact discs) are standardized for audio, data and picture, respectively. These commodities are now widespread over the world and are in habitual use. The CD is a medium that has become most popular among all of the optical disc media.

The biggest reason for this popularity enjoyed by the CD is the broadest possible compatibility in terms of reproducibility maintained for the CD media between different types and between different generations of players and drives. And there is no denying that this much owes the untiring efforts of the whole industry sector associated with CDs.

CDs21 Solutions, a voluntary association, was set up in April 2001 under close collaborations and eventual merger of the Multimedia CD Consortium and the Orange Forum, both of which were disbanded to this end. CDs21 Solutions is the largest organization of its kind at this stage, covering the entire CD related industry in a transverse and compound manner. It is actively working for the aim of contributing to the associated industry sector and the users on issues of improving the compatibility among application product groups including media (discs) that conform to various CD standards, hardware, software products, contents making, while devoting to further spread and promotion of the relevant servicing.

At present, the membership of CDs21 Solutions is 79 companies (53 domestic and 26 overseas).

For inquiry/membership participation, please contact:
Secretary Office, CDs21 Solutions
c/o Philips Japan, Ltd., RIVAGE SHINAGAWA 10F,
4-1-8 Konan, Minato-ku , Tokyo 108-0075, Japan
Tel: +81-3-3740-4592　　　Fax: +81-3-3740-5152
In charge: Wataru Fujihira