Features - Storage Innovations:

SONY UNVEILS 23GB PER DISC ProDATA DRIVES

Sony Electronics is equipping businesses for a new era of data storage and backup with the introduction of its branded blue laser-based Professional Disc for DATA (ProDATA) solution kits.

Sony's ProDATA drives pack up to 23GB of storage capacity onto a single-sided optical disc by harnessing the benefits of blue laser technology and advanced optics.

The high capacity and high performance ProDATA drives are designed specifically for professional storage applications, such as document and medical imaging, e-mail archival, enterprise content management, multimedia projects, graphic design and audio/video editing/authoring.

"Sony ProDATA drives represent a new era of data storage characterized by high performance, high capacity, and write-once capabilities for regulated data retention," said Robert DeMoulin, marketing manager for branded storage products in Sony Electronics' IT Products Division.

The line-up includes three models for simple integration into nearly any environment -- an internal SCSI, an external SCSI and an external USB 2.0 version. In addition to the 23GB per disc optical storage capacity, they feature sustained 11MB per second read and 9MB per second write transfer speeds, offering a quantum leap in performance over existing optical storage formats. Sony and other media makers offer both write-once and rewritable ProDATA media, with an archival life of up to 50 years.

Given that it is optical-based, ProDATA technology allows for high-speed random access of files, making it suitable for both near-line and archival storage applications.

"It's a natural progression for companies that have outgrown 9GB Magneto Optical (MO) technology, including those in the health care, telecommunications, insurance, government, legal and financial industries," DeMoulin added.

"Blue laser optical storage technologies, such as Sony's Professional Disc for DATA format, overcome the capacity and performance limitations of current professional disc storage formats," said Wolfgang Schlichting, research director for removable storage at IDC. "The advanced imaging and editing requirements of broadcast and medical companies will particularly benefit from the 23GB capacity of Professional Disc for DATA."

The Sony-branded ProDATA solution kits include disc formatting and backup software package comprised of Software Architect's Disk Drive TuneUp and DataSaver Personal Backup for Microsoft Windows systems and Apple Macintosh computers, as well as one piece of Sony Professional Disc for DATA rewritable media. The media is encased in a special resin cartridge to protect it from dust, fingerprints and other outside contaminants.

About ProDATA Technology

Sony ProDATA drives leverage several technological advancements to achieve their unprecedented 23GB storage capacity and 11MB per second read and 9MB per second write speeds, including:

• Shortened Blue Laser Beam Wavelength -- ProDATA drives use a blue- violet laser to achieve a shorter wavelength (405nm) than possible with the traditional red lasers (650nm) used in CD, DVD and MO drives. The shorter wavelength creates a smaller laser beam spot, which results in higher storage density.
• Advanced Objective Lens -- The objective lens of ProDATA drives, used to focus the shortened blue laser beam, and can achieve higher density recording due to a higher numerical aperture.
• Ultra-Thin Media Cover Layer -- The physical size of Professional disc for DATA media is the same as a traditional DVD disc. The recording layer, however, has an extremely thin cover layer for recording that is five times denser than a DVD, resulting in fewer recording errors.
• Narrow Track Pitch -- Professional Disc for DATA discs feature a narrower track pitch than CD, DVD and MO technologies. Similar to lines on a sheet of paper, a narrower track pitch results in a higher recording density.
• Automatic CAV/CLV Selection -- Sony ProDATA drives incorporate both CAV (constant angular velocity) and CLV (constant linear velocity) transfer modes when reading and writing data.
• High-Capacity Cache -- ProDATA drives are equipped with a 16MB cache, much higher than other optical storage drives. A larger cache reduces errors by easing the load on the CPU. It also improves performance when accessing data by enhancing the drive's ability to read ahead.
• Dust-Resistant Drive Structure -- ProDATA drives are designed to be resistant to dust and other airborne contaminants, enhancing data integrity and hardware durability. A dual-shutter mechanism minimizes dust contamination, creating an airtight structure even when media is inside the drive.
• Improved Media Durability-Based on internal testing, Professional Disc for DATA media has an estimated lifespan of over 50 years and can be rewritten more than 10,000 times.