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 : WDC/Sandisk Corporation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Craig Freeman who wrote (3441)	7/2/1998 2:15:00 PM
From: Ausdauer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 60323

Craig, Specifically in the digital film market the highest possible write speeds will be important as file sizes increase. The real question that one must ask is how large of a file is needed to give adequate resolution, yet not bog down the PC's where the images will be viewed and manipulated. Is the answer 150 KB, 250 KB, 500 KB, 1 MB or more? Ultimately the marriage between the camera and the storage media will determine the final speed. The device needs to grab raw data from the CCD, compress the data, and write a file format that may or may not be unique to the camera manufacturer. I suspect that each camera has some kind of a microprocessor which organizes this data prior to writing the file. Or does the storage media assist in the data compression and manipulation? From the multitude of cameras I have tested it is clear that a wide range of delay exists between pictures. The MAVICA, one of the hotest selling low resolution cameras, requires 10 seconds or so to process and write a file in 640 x 480 resolution. The old polaroid cameras take a whole minute to develop an image. Has this hindered its sales? The real question is how many people actually shoot multiple pictures in rapid succession and how long of a delay is too long. One second? Two seconds? Five seconds? I have tried both Lexar Media cards and SanDisk cards in my camera and there is no perceptible difference. Higher end, higher resolution cameras with larger file sizes may be a different story. How will SanDisk respond to the challenge? Perhaps they are working on a new controller to match the competition. They do have a respectable amount of resources being spent on R&D. Perhaps they will have to cross-license the technology from a competitor (SSTI?). Perhaps they will drop out of the digital film business altoghether and redirect their efforts. The question I ask in return is what will Lexar Media do if they do not gain access to the disc drive emulation technology via the upcoming litigation? Unfortunately, I do not have enough technical knowledge to answer that question. The litigation may revolve around the cross-licensing of these advances. The SanDisk emulation technology and the Lexar programmable controller technology. SanDisk has played hard ball with much larger and more resourceful foes than Lexar Media. Review some of the press releases from a year or two ago and you will see the options SanDisk may have at its disposal if it wins in court. IMHO, SanDisk may settle for a cross-licensing agreement where both technologies are exchanged. SanDisk may then opt to use the Lexar Technology and go head-to-head, or pull back from the competition and just collect royalties for the emulation patent. In that case both parties may win. Would you like to speculate? Ausdauer