Blu-ray Edge?

We all know by now the perils of proclaiming a winner before all of the votes have been cast, but with the possible future of high-resolution audio and video data storage at stake, the temptation to call it early is great.

Unlike the SACD/DVD-Audio format struggle, which has passed largely unnoticed by the mainstream press for the last five years, the HD-DVD vs Blu-ray battle has already gained prominent notice around the globe, and strategic hardware and software alliances for both formats are quickly gelling.

Frost & Sullivan researcher Rajesh Kannan recently declared, "The winner of this conflict could go on to become the biggest data storage medium in the market, and early signs in the industry forecast a slight tilt in favor of Blu-ray." The analyst added that although this is good news for Blu-ray proponents, being positioned as the next-generation optical storage format leaves the technology open to intense competition. "Newer technologies touting better capabilities are likely to emerge."

A number of new data storage devices intended for large capacity archival system applications are already under development around the world. These include holographic optical discs, 3-D fluorescent multi-layer optical media, Reflective Multi-layer Disc, and near-field optical recording, among others. Kannan cautions, "Although these technologies are still in embryonic stages of development, Blu-ray needs to establish itself quickly in the mass market before the feasibility of a more advanced technology is proven."

Storage capacity is an area where Blu-ray faces the danger of losing out to competing technologies, reports Frost & Sullivan. "This is specifically pertinent for massive corporate storage applications where Blu-ray's capacity of 50GB is considered insufficient. Even assuming the existence of laser diodes operating at 200 nanometers to increase the storage capacity, the difficulty in obtaining low-cost optics limits progress on this front."

However, Sony and blue-laser diode maker Nichia announced last week the development of a component that they say is vital to realizing support for Blu-ray Disc and DVD discs in portable devices. Sony's Harumi Asai said that the component, an integrated dual-wavelength laser coupler, contains the blue and red lasers required for support of the two disc formats as well as the associated lenses and optical receivers.

Previous announcements had revealed a device that integrated the lasers and lenses, but required separate optical receivers. While that device is suitable for use in desktop and living-room optical disc players, further integration and miniaturization, such as the new integrated dual-wavelength laser coupler, is required before drives can be made small enough to use in notebook computers or portable disc players.

The two companies say they will work on making the device as small as possible by the end of 2005, when they are targeting the start of commercial production.

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