Maxell has announced in a press release that they will start producing 48X certified media. This is of course no major deal since most manufacturers are switching to high speed media. In the announcement we can however read an interesting statement:
 Maxell's 48X CD-R discs are based on a new polymer dye formulation that is optimized for high-speed operations and works with a wider range of laser powers, making them more compatible among multiple brands of CD writers. When recording at 48X speeds, customers can burn a full 700 MB Maxell CD in less than three minutes. |
With its 48X product introduction, Maxell is joining with other CD industry leaders such as Sony, Yamaha and Plextor in adopting 48X as the new high-speed standard, as opposed to the 52X benchmark, because of reliability concerns at the higher speed. Maxell engineers determined that the minimal speed advantage offered by 52X drives is outweighed by the performance and safety issues of operating CD-R media in excess of 10,000 rpm. Research has shown that naturally occurring minute defects or cracks in the CD-R hub area can quickly expand when exposed to the physical stresses of 52X operations. These small, virtually undetectable defects can easily cause discs to break apart at 52X speed, destroying not only critical data stored on the CD-R media, but potentially damaging or destroying the CD drive.
So 48X is the limit according to the Maxell corporation. Maxell's high-performance 48X CD-R discs will be available beginning in March 2003. The full press release can be read here.
Source: Yahoo!Finance
