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Technology Stocks : Energy Conversion Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Don Devlin who wrote (2483)	10/15/1998 1:55:00 AM
From: Metacomet	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8393

I hate to keep pointing out the obvious here but I guess somebody has to be concerned. It was mentioned a few posts back that there are considerations surrounding stocks trading below $5. I believe the specific comment was they can no longer be margined. There was a passing reference to delisting. Anybody have a feel for the exposure ECD has to that type of action? Sorry to butt into the wonderful future for ECD's stuff with concerns like these....they probably have the same discussions at their place. I just wish to hell they would get a designated driver before they get high on their expectations.

To: Don Devlin who wrote (2483)	10/15/1998 8:48:00 AM
From: Ray	Respond to of 8393

Last Updated From the Excite Site, news on "new" phase change material from TDK. Is this really new material or something that is liceensed from ECD? 7:38 PM ET October 14, 1998 TDK Breakthrough Heralds The Age Of Home DVD Video Recording PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (BUSINESS WIRE) - The era of home DVD video recording drew nearer last week as TDK announced a major breakthrough in phase-change recording material critical to the development of a rewritable DVD disc capable of playback on DVD-Video players and computer DVD-ROM drives. At technology seminars hosted by the company in New York and San Francisco, TDK demonstrated working prototypes of a 4.7GB DVD-RW disc using the company's new ReCom (Rewritable/Compatible) recording material. The disc, which was recorded in the company's research laboratory, displayed high-quality video programming when played on a variety of consumer DVD-Video decks. According to a TDK research engineer who made the presentation last week, the new ReCom recording material will prove critical in the creation of compatible/rewritable DVD-RW discs, as well as increasing the capacity of today's DVD-RAM discs from 2.6 GB to 4.7 GB (DVD-RAM discs are not playback-compatible with DVD-Video and DVD-ROM). Compounded of silver, antimony, tellurium and indium, ReCom is unique in its ability to form ultra-small, highly precise data marks in response to very rapid laser pulses. In addition, the material is extremely well-suited to multiple rewrite operations, and has been tested in excess of 1,000 record/overwrite cycles. In a related announcement, TDK also disclosed that it has succeeded in creating a write-once DVD-R disc with a full 4.7 GB capacity, up from the 3.95 GB capacity of current DVD-R media. Write-once DVD-R discs are playback compatible with DVD-ROM and DVD-Video drives, and with 4.7 GB capacity - the same as pressed read-only DVD discs - the new TDK DVD-R discs will be a more flexible and convenient medium for multimedia producers and DVD authoring professionals. TDK has achieved 4.7GB capacity in its DVD-R discs by use of its proprietary MSI metal-stabilized cyanine dye technology, which was retuned for the shorter laser wavelength necessary for higher-density optical recording. TDK, which pioneered in the development of cyanine-based recording materials for its line of Certified Plus CD-R discs, noted that other types of organic dyes currently used by some CD-R manufacturers do not have the properties necessary to create 4.7 GB DVD-R discs. According to Mr. Kuni Matsui, president of TDK Electronics Corporation, recordable optical media represents the future for many business and entertainment applications. Said Mr. Matsui, "The success of CD-R has proven beyond a doubt that optical disk-based recording is the way the market will go. This year, industry-wide sales of CD-R discs in the U.S. will total some 150 million pieces, and should double within three years. And as recordable DVD technology begins to reach home and desktop users - especially with media that is playback compatible with DVD-Video and DVD-ROM drives - the market will grow even faster. Though there are many hurdles that must be overcome before the age of home video recording on DVD can be achieved - not least of which are the needs of copyright holders and content creators -- the technologies to create a disk-based optical recording universe are rapidly coming into place. It is in this universe that TDK sees its future." TDK currently offers a broad variety of recordable DVD media, including 3.95 GB DVD-R discs as well as 2.6 GB (single-sided) and 5.2 GB (double-sided) DVD-RAM discs. The company expects to offer 4.7 GB DVD-R and DVD-RAM discs in the 1st and 4th quarters of 1999, respectively. Timing for the introduction of DVD-RW discs must await publication of standards for the format, but market introduction could be as early as the 2nd quarter of 1999.