Fuji Readies 16X DVDs

Fuji joins the fray of makers of 16X DVD media with scheduled fall release.

Martyn Williams, IDG News Service

Fuji Photo Film, better known by its FujiFilm brand name, will begin selling 16X DVD+R media and double-layer DVD+R media later this year.

The company joins media manufacturers Verbatim and RiData in offering 16X-rated media, the fastest speed available for the DVD+R format. Both Verbatim and RiData plan to have 16X media available by September; Fuji is less specific, but expects to ship media by the fourth quarter. The release of media comes on the heels of hardware manufacturers launching drives in September that will support the double-layer and 16X DVD+R formats.

Speed Advantage

The 16X discs offer a write speed advantage over existing discs when used with drives that support writing at 16X. For example, supporting drives can write a complete 4.7GB disc in about six minutes, says Fuji. That shaves about two to three minutes off the time required to write a disc at 8X.

The high-speed discs use an organic dye developed by FujiFilm that was announced earlier this year. The dye improves disc playback quality at speeds between 1X and 16X, is operationally more stable, and is compatible with a wide range of existing hardware, according to Fuji. The company also claims the new organic dye extends the storage lifetime of data to over 100 years at room temperature.

The double-layer discs offer users a second recording layer on which to store data but at lower read and write speeds than the other new discs. DVD+R DL discs will have a capacity of 8.5GB, as opposed to the standard 4.7GB, and will write at up to 2.4Xa??the current maximum speed for double-layer.

Fuji's entry into this market may help bolster a media market with a limited number of participants as yet. Currently, only Verbatim and RiData have announced 16X media. The same two media manufacturers are offering double-layer media as well, which has been in scarce supply since drives were first introduced last spring, and which remains pricey, with a single disc at nearly 13 times the cost of single-layer media.

Next-Gen Drives

Drives supporting the higher speed are just now becoming widely available, while some manufacturers, including Lite-On and Sony, have been shipping double-layer drives for a few months now. However, the new wave of 16X drives is due to ship over the next month--and practically all of these drives are expected to include double-layer burning.

One of the first companies to market with a drive is BenQ, whose DW1620R drive is already shipping for about $128. The drive supports both 16X DVD+R and double-layer 2.4X DVD+R DL media.

Japanese drive makers Sony and Pioneer have recently announced 16X drives. Meanwhile, other Taiwanese drive makers, including Gigabyte Technology and Micro-Star International showed prototype drives at the Computex show in Taipei earlier this year, promising release within months. These Taiwanese companies specialize in mass production and often supply their drives to other companies for sale under their customer's brand names. The start of mass production in Taiwan will likely lead to many new drives appearing on the market, pushing prices down and helping them quickly become standard options in new personal computers.