Sharp is the first optical disc brand to launch the new Blu-ray format (BDXL) that offers 100GB of storage.
While the existing dual-layer Blu-ray format offers max 50GB per disc, the new BDXL format (by increasing the allowed layers on a disc from two to four) allows up to 128GB for write-once and 100GB for rewriteable..
Sharp's VR-100BR1 Blu-ray disc will first be available in Japan. Sharp will also releasing two players this month that handle the new BDXL format.
"This is the Year of Blu-Ray." Does that sound to you like a train that's long overdue in the station?
Sure, Japan's media association (JRIA) claims 98 million will be sold this year and 310 million by 2012. And Bitkom claims Europe will sell 890 million euros this year, up 70%.
But it is hard to trust these statistics when so many have predicted so much for Blu-Ray, and all has fallen short.
So when we hear that one of the Top 5 European BD-R brands (June 2009 report by the GfK) says it is expecting more than 300% sales growth this year (after 400% last year), maybe it's time to listen.
MediaRange's Markus Speer, CEO and Purchasing Manager, says prices for Blu-ray hardware are falling sharply leading to increased demand. Blu-ray is not only the new standard in our living rooms. Today, BD-ROM drives or burners are also found in most desktop PCs and Notebooks. Additionally, more and more games and films are appearing in Blu-ray format.
And it's time for all those consumers who held back in the recession to renew their aging home systems.
Will 2010 be the year of Blu-Ray? Once in a Blu-Moon, the market research companies get it right and we're betting MediaRange is right. Both 2010 and 2011 will be good years for Blu-Ray and BD-R media.
Go MediaRange
www.mediarange.de
USB will have its first major upgrade in 8 years — featuring 10X speed upgrade from current USB 2.0 standard. Today’s USB takes about 10 minutes to transfer a high-def video from a Blu-ray disc. With USB 3.0 (also called SuperSpeed USB), it will take only about a minute.
The first USB 3.0 devices won't show up until Q4 next year but at January CES you will probably see it in demos around HD video cameras and hard drives.
USB was first introduced in 1996 and last year more than 2.6 billion USB-enabled devices were shipped, says In-Stat.
TDK says they’llbe the first to start shipping new 6x write-once Blu-ray discs to Europe.
With data transfer speeds of 216Mbps, these BR discs reduce recording time for 25GB disc by 17 minutes.
Protected by DURABIS2 coating to ensure the discs are scratch, light and dust resistant, retail pricing will be recommended at 17.99 euros (25GB BD-R) and 44.99 euros (50GB BD-R).
Go TDK
Pioneer plans to start selling Blu-ray recorders in Japan before the year-end shopping season, followed by overseas launches.
Go Pioneer & Blu-ray
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