Toshiba, NEC Offer New Blue-Laser DVD Format

TOKYO, August 29 -- Toshiba Corp. and NEC Corp. have proposed to the DVD Forum a next-generation, high-capacity, blue-laser DVD format that will allow manufacturers to continue to use existing DVD plant and equipment.

The format covers both read-only discs, which are used to distribute high-definition movies, and read-and-write discs. The format uses a short-wavelength blue laser and the same disc technology used in current DVDs -- back-to-back bonding of two 0.6-mm-thick, 120-mm discs. This would increase the capacity of read-only discs to 15 GB for a single-sided, single-layer disc, and to 30 GB for a single-sided dual-layer disc, and would push the capacity of read-and-write discs, which currently are single-sided with a single-layer, to 20 GB. The increased capacity of the proposed format is achieved by employing a blue laser and by using the two companies' new signal-processing and phase-change media recording technologies. Contacts: Toshiba Corp. press@toshiba.co.jp or NEC Corp. d-mathieson@bu.jp.nec.com

For more information, visit: www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm; www.nec.com