Due to a lack of supply for laser diodes or LD's, we may see a lag in the mass production of the new speedy 16x iterations. Apparently, there is a difficulty in producing these lasers in a reliable manner. Right now, the lasers are being manufactured at only a 30 percent success rate. Couple that with the scarce 16x DVD+R media and it's enough to throw a wet blanket on manufacturers.
Most Japanese makers originally planned to begin volume production of 16x DVD+RW burners in the middle of next quarter, while BenQ, Lite-On IT and Accesstek planned to begin in July, according to the Taiwanese makers. However, the supply of LDs used for 16x reading/writing is not currently adequate, as average yield rates are still below 30%. In addition, the technical adjustments needed to match 16x DVD+RW burners with 16x DVD+R discs will not occur until early August, as Japanese makers including Mitsubishi Chemical and Taiyo Yuden plan to begin production of the 16x discs no earlier than the end of July. |
This lull in production is expected to prolong the product life cycle of 12x DVD Dual burners and 8x DVD DL burners. Possibly as long as 1-2 quarters instead of the intended 2 or 3 months.
Source: DigiTimes
