German website Heise reports that Verbatim will launch its first batches of double layer media at about 15 EURO a piece. In the end of June the first discs should become available in the stores and users will be able to store 8.5 Gbyte of data on the discs. Only a limited amount of discs will be available, most likely because the machines of Verbatim are not able to meet up to the demand.
15 EURO is expensive and will probably only be paid by early adopter who wish to test the technology or require it for professional use. Our sources have told us that the production costs of double layer media is not much more expensive then of single layer media so a price drop the coming months can be expected. Certainly when Taiwanese giants such as Ritek and CMC will start their production. However at the moment the production process in still pretty complicated:
| The reason of the high cost price lies on the one hand in at the beginning of still small production capacity and to second in the complex production procedure. The DVD+R DL (so the official designation) is produced momentarily still in the 2P-Verfahren so mentioned (photo polymerization), for which quasi two DVD Produktionslinien must be connected in series. The individual layers are successively laid on thereby. The information traces of the second layer must be pressed thereby in one about 50 µm thin Spacer, which reduces the production yield clearly. Experts estimate the yield with the 2P-Verfahren on under 50 per cent, during one with einlagigen blanks on over 85, partially 95 per cent come. |
Improvement of the production process should be coming when the so called Inverse-Stack procedure is put in place. This technology should reduce production time and the increase the yield number. If you can read German then read the entire article at Heise. Discuss this in our Media Forum.
Source: Heise.de
