Tech Shout!

Sony Electronics has started distributing its 25 GB single layer Blu-ray Disc recording media with AccuCore technology. The electronics giant will be releasing a dual layer 50 GB capacity disc in the month of June.

“Sony knows Blu-ray technology like no other company,” said Mike Lucas, director of marketing for Sony Electronics’ Media and Application Solutions Division. “Coupled with our uniqueAccuCORE technology, we expect our Blu-ray recording media to take the high-definition experience to a new level of performance.”

Sony’s AccuCORE technology, which was first incorporated into recordable DVD media over a year ago, has been re-engineered for Blu-ray Discs to deliver superior consistency and stability. Its major benefits include:
- Scratch Guard: hard coating that resists scratches, dust and static
- Archival Reliability: special material design that prevents data and image corruption and decline to guarantee quality playback
- Stable Writing: a consistent and accurate cover layer that reduces fluctuation as the disc spins
- Temperature Durability: a high-precision disc structure helps prevent warping during severe changes in temperature and humidity

Sony’s Blu-ray media also supports a 2x recording speed, which offers a high data transfer rate of up to 72 Mbps, making it ideal for high-definition video recording and data storage applications.

Apart from media, Sony will soon offer a wide range of Blu-ray Disc devices, including a Blu-ray Disc player, VAIO desktop and notebook computers and an internal Blu-ray Disc drive.

With devices such as these, Sony said users could possibly edit high-definition video shot on a Sony HDV camcorder on a Blu-ray-enabled computer, then burn it onto Blu-ray Disc media, and finally play it back on a Blu-ray Disc player.

Sony released the world’s first Blu-ray Disc recorder and media in Japan in 2003. The following year, Sony helped found the Blu-ray Disc Association, which now has over 160 members and contributors from various industries, to promote the new format.

Sony has been producing Blu-ray Disc recording media in a cartridge format for several years, but has recently begun producing bare discs for release in the U.S. and elsewhere.

The BD-R (write-once) 25 GB and BD-RE (rewritable) 25 GB recording media have suggested retail prices of $20 and $25, respectively. The soon to come BD-R 50 GB and BD-RE 50 GB recording media will have suggested retail prices of $48 and $60, respectively.