DVD rewritable news........
Sony Expands License for Phase-Change Optical Disk Technology
TROY, Mich., March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.
(ECD) (Nasdaq National Market: ENER) announced today that Sony Corporation
("Sony") (NYSE: SNE) has expanded its royalty-bearing license under ECD's
proprietary phase-change rewritable optical memory technology to include
advanced technology for use in rewritable CD and DVD optical memory products.
Phase-change technology, invented by ECD, is used in PD and CD-RW rewritable
optical memory disks.
Stanford R. Ovshinsky, President and CEO of ECD, noted the significance of
the announcement saying, "ECD is proud to continue and expand its long
association with Sony, a leader in this field. Technology licensed from ECD
is incorporated in all of the major rewritable optical memory products on or
coming to market." The new agreement extends the scope of Sony's original
1985 license to include enabling technology for Sony's present and future
rewritable optical memory products.
ECD's phase-change technology is now used in both of the popular 650
megabyte rewritable optical memory disk formats, PD and CD-RW, and it will be
used in very high-capacity rewritable DVD disks that Sony will introduce later
this year. Rewritable 120mm DVD disks will be available in two data formats:
DVD-RW, developed by Sony, and DVD-RAM, developed by Matsushita Electric
Industrial Co., Ltd. ("Matsushita"). Both of these high-capacity data formats
are extensions of the present PD and CD-RW formats, respectively, and both use
ECD's proprietary phase-change rewritable optical memory technology.
Matsushita, Toshiba Corporation, TDK Corporation, Toray Industries, Inc.
and others are also ECD licensees.
Sony, co-developer of the original Compact Disk, is one of the world's
leading manufacturers of consumer and professional audio, video and
information technology products. Sony recorded consolidated sales of over
$45 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 1997.
ECD is a leader in the synthesis of new materials and the development of
advanced production technology and innovative products. It has pioneered the
development of products and production technology based on amorphous,
disordered and related materials, with an emphasis on alternative energy and
advanced information technologies. ECD's web site is ovonic.com.
SOURCE Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.
/CONTACT: Stanford R. Ovshinsky, President and CEO, or Stephen J.
Hudgens, Vice President, of ECD, 248-280-1900/
/Company News On-Call: prnewswire.com or fax, 800-758-5804,
ext. 283250/
/Web site: ovonic.com
(ENER SNE) |
