Just like the time when CD-Recorders reached its speed limit of 52x, the recording speed for DVD-recorders will also reach its limit once 16x DVD recorders launch this fall. It takes just under 6 minutes to fill a DVD at 16x and at this recording speed, the rotational rate is around 10,000RPM; similar to that of 52x CD recording. This is the limit that the polycarbonate material in CDs and DVDs can safely handle before the risk of the disc rupturing significantly increases.
However once 16x burners DVD±R being shipping, there will still be room for improvement on rewritable recording speeds and particularly the 2.4x recording speed for DVD+R DL as this is just the beginning for the dual-layer DVD recordable. So far no manufacturer has announced whether dual-layer recording speed can be improved on.
Sony and Matsushita expect to commercialise Blu-Ray recorders with up to 50GB recording capacity by the end of 2004. The current drawback of Blu-ray recorders is the requirement of two optical pick-up heads (one for red/infra-red & one for blue/violet) which makes the manufacturing process more complex and expensive. Sony expects to release a 3-wavelength pickup head within the next two years. Thanks to mcbyte for submitting the following news:
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Manufacturers will still have some leeway to charge higher prices for dual-layer DVD burning capabilities, but for many, a DVD burner will become a commodity product later this fall. For the first time in more than a decade, moreover, the optical storage industry also won't have a clear-cut path leading toward a next-generation storage medium. As always, a problem for drive makers is a boon for consumers. Take, for example, the fate of the CD writer: several years ago, the ability to burn a CD could command well over a hundred dollars. Today, a high-end internal CD burner can be purchased for as little as . The shift won't happen overnight, manufacturers said, but the writing is on the wall. The problem, once again, is spindle speed. Six years ago, the CD-ROM drive began running into physical limitations at 32X speeds, and manufacturers said then that they were phasing out their products to jump to next-generation DVD-ROM drives. That transition actually occurred somewhat later, as "40X" and "52X" drives were developed, combining marketing hype with new motors that compensated for the wobble the high-speed discs produced. Rewritable CD media also prolonged the format, allowing consumers to burn their own discs for archiving. Meanwhile, the constant race to develop faster and faster speeds -- the "X race" -- brutalized profit margins, analysts said. Read the full article here. |
At the moment, both single layer DVD recordable media and 8x DVD recorders are both reasonably affordable and offer decent recording speed. When CD-Recorders reached around 32x, there has been a similar debate on whether to wait for faster writers to save a few minutes or seconds recording time per disc or just buy what is available. With the high price tag of dual-layer DVD+R media, it will be another few months before its popularity increases.
Feel free to discuss and find out more about DVD recordable media on our Media Forum and about Blu-Ray and on our new Satellite, HD-TV, Blu-ray and HD-DVD Forum.
Source: ExtremeTech Technology News
