TDK Showcases Blu-ray Disc Innovations At DV Expo 2006

Company Offers Professional Quality Media and Expands Format's Capabilities for HD Video

November 17, 2006

TDK, a world leader in digital recording solutions, is showcasing its Blu-ray Disc innovations at Digital Video Expo, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, November 15-17, 2006 (TDK booth #132). The company is currently shipping 25GB single-layer BD-R (recordable) and BD-RE (rewritable) media and will soon begin shipping 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray Discs as well as printable Blu-ray Discs. In addition, TDK recently announced a landmark in the development of recordable blue laser technology, achieving a groundbreaking capacity of 200GB. One of TDK's new 200GB blue laser discs could store approximately 18 hours of high definition video (encoded at 24Mbps). The massive capacity discs would be ideally suited for backing up HD editing sessions and archives. TDK was the first company to ship Blu-ray Discs with its April 2006 introduction of 25GB BD-R and BD-RE media, and will begin shipping 50GB Blu-ray Discs in the first quarter of 2007. Additionally, TDK Thermal and Inkjet Printable BD-R will begin shipping in the second quarter of next year. “TDK has played a key role in the development of Blu-ray, reaffirming the company's leadership as an innovator of recording technology,” commented Bruce Youmans, TDK Vice President of Product Research & Development. He continued, “From pioneering hard coating technology, to offering the first 25GB Blu-ray Discs and now road mapping 200GB capacity, we're expanding the capabilities of optical media. Our commitment to delivering the highest quality, cutting-edge recording media makes TDK an invaluable resource for video professionals who are leading the early adopter market for Blu-ray HD video applications.” TDK Sets the Standard for Blu-ray Disc's Future TDK's research and development efforts are achieving unprecedented capabilities for next generation optical media. The company's advanced material science played a key role in enabling the development of 200GB blue laser disc technology. For the 200GB technology development, TDK has stretched the physical margins of the Blu-ray Disc format, enabling a disc to store up to 33.3GB per layer while staying within the tolerances of the BD playback specifications. TDK's inorganic film formulation provides absolute stability with narrow track pitches and high recording densities, such as those employed by the Blu-ray Disc format. The formulation's optical qualities are so stable that TDK has already been able to achieve 6x (216Mbps) recording speed on a 25GB write-once Blu-ray Disc prototype. Professional Quality Surface Printing TDK Thermal and Inkjet Printable Blu-ray Discs will begin shipping in the second quarter of 2007. The discs will offer the highest compatibility with Blu-ray drives and recorders/players. Using a DVD/CD compatible thermal or inkjet printer, users can print custom text and graphics directly on each disc's label-side surface. The discs incorporate TDK's advanced DURABIS hard coating technology. TDK BD-R media has true WORM (Write Once Read Many) characteristics, making it ideal for backup use in regulatory and compliance applications such as Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and SEC 17-a. The Pioneer of Hard Coating Technology Because Blu-ray Disc media's data tracks are quite narrow even in comparison with DVD media, precise, stable interaction between the laser and the recording material is especially critical to ensuring error-free recording and playback. That's why TDK developed DURABIS, an innovative hard coating technology that protects the disc surface against common contaminants such as scratches and fingerprints. DURABIS increases the scratch resistance of Blu-ray Disc media by a factor of 100 in comparison with a non treated disc surface, as demonstrated in rigorous testing. Because the DURABIS coating technology rapidly discharges static electricity, the discs also resist the accumulation of dust. TDK pioneered hard coating technology, which is an integral part of the Blu-ray specification. TDK's exclusive DURABIS is the ultimate protective coating for Blu-ray Discs. A leading innovator of Blu-ray Disc technology, TDK is the only media company that's a founding member of the Blu-ray Disc Association. TDK is a Blu-ray Disc Association Board of Directors member. About TDK TDK Corporation (NYSE: TDK) is a leading global electronics company based in Japan. It was established in 1935 to commercialize “ferrite,” a key material in electronics and magnetics. The company today is a leader in the development of next-generation technologies such as Blu-ray Disc recording media, an optical disc ideally suited for high-definition video recording. TDK offers a full line of recordable DVD and CD media, digital camcorder tapes, professional data storage solutions including LTO Ultrium media, and much more.

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