due diligence alert -- patent doesn't mention erasability, write-once timing, or cost
be very careful here; company press claims a "future"
version to improve upon already-commercial
consumer-writable disks, but this patent doesn't
cover the necessary details to make a competitive evaluation.
first, pick your level of interest:
- erasability? (e.g. for computer data, VCR
replacement applications)
no mention in the patent; the claims cover
write-once media only. check marketspeak against
DVD-Forum progress. [DVD-RAM extended by
blue laser, pit-depth modulation, etc. --
blue laser can give 3-4X, pit-depth 2-4X, so
existing non-exotic media can yield >200GB per
120 cm disk.] perhaps the "super-FMD" RAM only
mentioned in website PR (18-months away) has
some horrible disadvantage, like having to
slowly-read a whole sector/surface in toto
for bulky, slow, re-writing.
- ease of consumer-level write-once? [DVD-R is
the current benchmark here. extensions include
multifrequency readout.] perhaps you don't
need more than serial access, which is good
enough for camcorder apps...but how about
disk cost, read mechanism size, etc.
- only care about read ops? which applications
will this enable that don't have a cheap answer?
HDTV? hardly, already covered by straightforward
extensions to DVD, per above but with erasability
as a bonus.
lots of cagey stuff here. "initial discussions"
with major companies could mean one phone call with
a courtesy answer. stock status involves bulletin
board status with shell companies. no discernible
mention in respected trade journals -- at a minimum,
this would be headlined in e. e. times if something
was amazing.
there are plenty of storage schemes (holographic, OROM,
magneto-optical, nonvolatile amorphous, ferromagnetic,
bacterio-rhodopsin, dye ala p. rentzepis)
out there for the choosing, some sponsored by huge
trading combines, some put forth by small companies
with tiny half-life. |
