China Blue HD crosses over to the UK, third Opium War inevitable
by Richard Lawler 
posted Oct 13th 2009 at 9:24PM
[Via Format War Central]
blue laser posts
[Via Format War Central]
TDK's heavily stacked 320GB disc shows its nearly-clear face at CEATEC
by Darren Murph posted Oct 7th 2009 at 1:59AM 
Gallery: TDK's 320GB optical disk
TDK stacks 10 layers on a single 320GB disc
by Richard Lawler posted Oct 2nd 2009 at 4:09PM
[Via Hot Hardware]
China Blue HD players revealed, second stage of the format war is officially on
by Richard Lawler posted Apr 24th 2009 at 7:27AM
[Via CDR Info]
China's Blu-ray competitor CBHD brings HD DVD back from the dead
by Richard Lawler posted Jul 28th 2008 at 9:35AM
Sharp plans 8x+ Blu-ray burners by 2010
by Richard Lawler posted Mar 25th 2008 at 7:39PM
Sharp is continuing to move the bar in blue laser technology, recently unveiling a higher power (250mW) 6x Blu-ray recording laser, but more importantly tipped its hand regarding plans for 8x blue laser diodes by 2009. Those lasers will be able to output 300mW, followed by 400mW varieties capable of up to 12x speeds by 2010. Looks like blue laser shortages are a thing of the past, now we'll see how quickly speed -- and possibly multilayer discs -- can ramp up.[Via afterdawn]
Sigmatek's European SBR-1000 player does Blu-ray cheaper
by Richard Lawler posted Feb 15th 2008 at 8:01AM
[Via Blu-ray.com]
Kaai and Soraa already working up Blu-ray successor?
by Darren Murph posted Feb 12th 2008 at 7:36PM
[Image courtesy of DigitalHomeMag]
Atmel intros 'industry's smallest' laser diode driver for HD DVD / Blu-ray
by Darren Murph posted Jul 24th 2007 at 11:01AM
Atmel, the same firm known for cranking out uber-small GPS chips, has now created the "industry's smallest laser diode driver solution" for HD DVD, Blu-ray, DVD, and CD formats. The ATR0881 laser diode driver IC is available now and is designed for use in combination drives that play nice with all of the aforementioned discs. Notably, the ATR0881 itself is housed in a minuscule four- x four-millimeter QFN24 package, and should prove extremely useful in half-height combo drives as well as slim drives found in laptops. Smaller optical drives that handle every format harmoniously? Count us in.Blue lasers coming down in price, PS3 to follow?
by Erik Hanson posted May 1st 2007 at 11:11AM
Sony's semiconductor subsidiary recently announced an increase in blue-violet laser diode production, with a monthly capacity of 1.7 million, and capability to produce up to five million with future upgrades. In June the diodes are expected to cost around $8 per diode in bulk, as compared to a price of $125 per drive (including the diode and other parts) when they came onto the market last year. Analysts predict that the lower cost of materials will likely drive manufacturers of blue-laser products to lower their own prices, with the PlayStation 3 benefiting from this reduction by allowing Sony to reduce the price, possibly even lower than $499, to be very competitive with the Xbox 360 Elite model. Of course, Toshiba could also theoretically take advantage of similar cost savings to reduce the price of their own HD DVD players. Perhaps that Wal-mart player isn't such a far-fetched idea after all.Cheaper blue lasers on the way?
by Richard Lawler posted Feb 26th 2007 at 12:13PM
Whether the format war is over or not, one thing that would definitely get more buyers off the fence and owning more high definition players would be lower prices. Aonex Technologies and Kyma Technologies are the latest to announce they've found a better (and cheaper) way to pump out the blue laser diodes necessary in every Blu-ray and HD DVD player. Aonex claims its A-Sapph wafer technology improves on current sapphire based processes, enabling an increase in the number of chips per wafer and improving yields substantially. As fans of lasers in general, and not just in relation to HDTVs and lower prices, we're excited, but without even the hint of an expected release date it will probably be a while before these are ready for the market.High-powered lasers will allow burning dual-layer Blu-ray at 10x
by Erik Hanson posted Feb 22nd 2007 at 3:26PM
Once the realm of mighty giants with huge pocketbooks, burning a dual-layer Blu-ray (or HD DVD) disc might be yours at ten times normal speed starting in 2008, when Japanese firm Nichia Corp. will start production on a higher-powered laser diode for use in recorders. The diode emits pulsed light at a higher output than current models, and is stable enough for 1,000 hours of operation, which we estimate should net you around 5,000 two-hour burns... of data, of course! It will also allow for 2x burning of up to four layers. We're still waiting for word on how fast it will burn those ten-layered discs.Sanyo's blue laser to speed up HD DVD / Blu-ray burning?
by Darren Murph posted Jan 11th 2007 at 2:02PM
While Sony's certainly had its fair share of blue laser supply issues, and the current generation of HD DVD / Blu-ray burners are sluggish at best, it looks like the first step towards marginally acceptable write speeds to next generation formats has been taken. According to Nikkei, Sanyo has developed a blue laser diode which will speed up data access, and moreover, should be able to reach write speeds of "up to 6x for dual-layer discs." Similar to LG's combo unit, this diode also plays nice with both HD DVD and Blu-ray recorders, but there's no word if a hybrid writer using the laser is in our immediate future. Still, any progress towards harmony between the formats -- not to mention being able to burn a dual-layer Blu-ray disc in time for your next birthday -- is a step in the right direction, so we're expecting nothing less than a 6x burner to be hitting shelves sooner rather than later, Sanyo. [Warning: read link requires subscription][Via Inquirer]
Sharp brings its own blue lasers to the party
by Richard Lawler posted Dec 19th 2006 at 1:11PM
It might not have said so on the flyer, but Blu-ray and HD DVD in 2006 have been largely a BYOL affair, since neither Sony nor Nichia were able to supply enough of the lasers that are at the basis of both formats to meet demand. Well Sharp -- which hasn't released its DV-BP1U Blu-ray player yet -- has now decided to jump into the blue laser game as well, producing 150,000 units per month; they expect to be up to 500,000 units per month by September of next year. A company spokeswoman said most of the diodes will go into Sharp products, but we're sure European PlayStation 3 fans wouldn't mind seeing a few truckloads headed in Sony's direction, while everyone else is just hoping to see price drops on high definition players across the board.Read - Sharp starts blue laser diode production
Read - Sharp to Make Laser Diodes for Blu-Ray, HD Recorders
Silicon wafers to solve blue laser supply problem?
by Richard Lawler posted Nov 10th 2006 at 5:05PM
Blue lasers. The little diode is at the heart of Blu-ray and HD DVD technology, and its scarcity is the reason you might be reading this while camping out for a PlayStation 3 right now. Shimei Semiconductor Co. thinks it's found an easier way to make them by growing the gallium nitride LEDs on a silicon wafer instead of the sapphire-based process used currently. The predicted lower cost and longer lifespan of the components sounds great ...too bad these aren't expected to be available until April of 2007. Still, those waiting for a dual-format player -- or maybe a European PS3 -- might have one of these blue lasers in their future.[Via CNet]
