Ritek Admitted as Class-A DVD
Alliance Member
December 3, 1997 (TAIPEI) -- Taiwan's Ritek Inc. revealed
that it was admitted as a "Class A" member of the
international group of electronic equipment makers that standardize
digital video disk (DVD) specifications.
Ritek is the first private-sector DVD maker in Taiwan to be granted
Class A membership in the alliance.
The alliance includes Philips Electronics NV, Sony Corp., Pioneer
Electronic Corp., Toshiba Corp., Hitachi Ltd., Matsushita Electric
Industrial Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Time Warner Inc. and
Victor Co. of Japan Ltd.
The Optoelectronics and Systems Laboratories of Taiwan's Industrial
Technology Research Institute also was admitted to the alliance as a
Class-A member earlier in 1997.
Ritek executives said the membership will help their company develop
overseas markets such as Europe, where the Ritek name is not yet
well-known.
Ritek's membership also will help raise Taiwan's status in making DVD
standards.
Excluded from such DVD alliances, Taiwan used to lag behind
international makers in introducing new products.
Ritek executives said Taiwan is now able to decide, instead of just
follow, DVD standards.
Ritek now has the power to vote in the DVD alliance, but it must still
participate in working groups under the alliance before it will be able to
join in the setting of DVD standards.
The company now participates in three of the eight working groups
under the DVD alliance -- those involving DVD-ROM, DVD-R and
DVD-video technologies.
Following the debut of its CD-RW, Ritek now plans to introduce a
high-density CD-R, or CD-RH, in December.
This is to be the first product of its kind made by a Taiwan firm.
With a capacity 25 percent larger than traditional CD-Rs, and a price
higher by at least the same amount, the product is expected to boost
Ritek's revenues significantly by year's end.
(Commercial Times, Taiwan) |
