Philips Electronics announced that it has developed an optical pick-up unit (OPU) that will be able to read and write CD-R/-RW, DVD+R(DL)/+RW and the next generation in optical storage: Blu-ray Disc (BD). With its new OPU81, Philips has created the first important building block of the all-in-one recorder that can record and playback all popular consumer optical formats. The new OPU can be used for the design of future data drives for the PC as well as consumer set-top box recorders. Mass production of the new OPU will start in 2006 when Philips anticipates that the mass-market demand for BD recorders will pick-up.
'Today, DVD recording is extremely popular in both PC and consumer video recording applications," says Cor Saris, CEO of Philips Optical Storage. 'With the future rise of digital TV, consumers will want to record their high-definition content onto a high capacity 25/50 GB BD disc, but still want to record their standard definition content on a DVD+R or DVD+RW disc."
By integrating the infrared, red and blue wavelength lasers and single detector into one single OPU concept, Philips has succeeded in developing a flexible triple-writer OPU design in a compact form factor, similar to the current OPU66 DVD writer. This means that hardware manufacturers can easily integrate this advanced OPU in a standard half-height drive or slim-line consumer set-top box recorder design. The compact OPU81 form factor is achieved by using a patented objective lens design. In this way the three different wavelengths (CD infrared 780 nm, DVD red 650 nm and BD blue 405 nm) can all use the same optical light path. A unique lens construction with active collimator enables reading and writing double layer Blu-ray Discs up to 50 GB.
The OPU81 is designed for mass production and will meet mass consumer price levels. The cost-effective OPU81 flexible architecture with three separate lasers allows the read and writing speeds to be optimized to specific applications. Moreover, future speed improvements using higher-powered lasers can be implemented quickly with this OPU concept.
Philips, as one of the 13 members of the Blu-ray Disc Founders, continues to develop new standards and products in anticipation of future consumer storage requirements. The OPU81 is a clear indication of Philips' commitment to introducing new technologies in mass volume applications of today.
|
|
Current DVD OPU66 |
New developed OPU81 |
Read and Write Formats |
CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+R DL, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW |
CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+R DL, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, BD (25 GB) and BD double layer (50 GB) |
Dimensions |
Height 20.25 mm, shaft distance 47.5 mm, weight 40 g |
Height 20.2 mm, shaft distance 56.5 mm, weight 50 g |
|
Lasers |
2 (CD infrared 780nm, DVD red 650 nm) |
3 (CD infrared 780 nm, DVD red 650 nm and BD blue 405 nm) |
|
Detectors |
1 |
1 |
About the Blu-ray Disc Founders:
The Blu-ray Disc Founders was formed in May 2002 to pursue broad acceptance of the Blu-ray Disc formats. The original members were Hitachi, Ltd.; LG Electronics Inc.; Panasonic (Matsushita Electric); Pioneer Corporation; Royal Philips Electronics; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Sharp Corporation; Sony Corporation; and Thomson. The Blu-ray Founders currently consist of 13 companies including the nine original members and Dell Inc.; Hewlett Packard Company; Mitsubishi Electric Corporation; and TDK Corporation. The Web site for the Blu-ray Disc Association is http://www.blu-raydisc-official.org
About Royal Philips Electronics:
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of EUR 29 billion in 2003. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip TV products. Its 165,600 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, semiconductors, and medical systems. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.
Source: Mail
