Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : C-Cube -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Don Dorsey who wrote (41859)	6/8/1999 5:28:00 PM
From: BillyG	Respond to of 50808

Computex Taipei '99] Speedy 60x CD-ROM Drive, 8x DVD-ROM Debut nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com June 8, 1999 (TAIPEI) -- Speedy 50x or faster CD-ROM drives were introduced at the Computex Taipei '99 show, including the CD 960E, a 60x CD-ROM drive made by AOpen Inc. Every year the speed of CD-ROM drives draws attention at the exhibition. In 1998, the event showcased 40x CD-ROM drives from AOpen, Behavior Tech Computer Corp. (BTC) and Asustek Computer Inc. The disk rotation of the CD 960E, exhibited at the AOpen's booth, reached 12,000rpm. The data transmission speed of the outer rim of the disk was 9,000KB/sec. The maker has not yet decided when to ship the product. The company said it is for marketing reasons. It wants to avoid competition with the CD 956E, its 56x CD-ROM drive, for which volume shipments are planned in August. AOpen seems to have decided to exhibit CD 960E at the event simply to demonstrate its product development ability. Lite-On Technology Corp. also showed its 56x and 52x CD-ROM drives. However, shipment of the products will be delayed into the fourth quarter of 1999. Although Asustek presented its roadmap showing that 50x or faster drives will be shipped in the future, it exhibited only 50x drives at the event. The company will focus on improving the effective data transmission speed by solving vibration problems and improving the capability to adjust automatically the replay speed by application, a spokesman said. The firm's drive can reduce the speed of replaying the media by manual operation. In case noises generated by a high-speed replay of a 32x or faster CD-ROM drive annoy a user, the sounds can be muted by arbitrarily reducing the replay speed. As for DVD-ROMs, the first group of 8x drives were introduced at the exposition. Even though it is generally held that it is difficult to realize high-speed rotation in a DVD-ROM drive due to its heavy head, all the 8x drives introduced at the event were capable of 40x replay of a CD-ROM. AOpen plans to ship its 8x DVD-ROM drive, the DVD 9840, in October 1999. Traditional 6x drives have been manufactured by Pioneer Electronic Corp. on an OEM basis. Although some parts, including the pickup, are still made by Pioneer, the new product is, in principle, a proprietary product. Its media holder is a slot-in type, just as with Pioneer products. It will be able to read DVD-RAM as well in the future. Even though Asustek had planned to exhibit its 8x DVD-ROM at the exhibition, it decided not to do due to a delay in volume production of LSIs to be used for signal processing. The company will start sample shipments at the end of July. The firm's DVD-ROM drive can mute sounds by reducing the replay speed of a CD-ROM by manual operation, just as with its CD-ROM drive. BTC also introduced its 8x drive made by Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV on an OEM basis. The product will be shipped this summer. (Nikkei Byte)