BD Drive Can Record and Play Blu-ray Disc (BD), DVD, and CD Media Formats
Osaka, Japan – Panasonic, the leading brand for which Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is best known, today announced that it has developed the new chipset for disc drives to record and play Blu-ray Disc (BD), DVD-Multi (DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD-ROM), +R, +RW, and all CD formats. Blu-ray Disc format, which use a blue-violet laser, is being promoted as a standard for next-generation optical discs. So far chipsets for BD-R/BD-RE and DVD/CD were commercialized separately. However, the demand for a BD drive that is compatible with all BD/DVD/CD media formats increases. The chipset achieves the industry’s highest record/play BD performance. BD drives with DVD record/play and CD record/play functions can be easily manufactured.
Panasonic will start sample shipments in December 2005 and mass production in January 2006.
Advantages
This chipset is in accordance with BD and DVD/CD standards, and consists of two chips: a front-end processor for analog processing such as servo control and laser power control, and a optical disc controller for signal processing as digital lead channel. The advantages are as follows:
- Can be easily applied to PCs, which require compatibility with multiple media formats, by following the newest BD standards, including BD-ROM standards, and by making hybrid discs using conventional media.
- World’s first chipset that has perfect record/play compatibility among the BD, DVD-Multi, +R, +RW, and CD formats. Chipset also features the industry’s highest record/play performance (BD media record/play speed: 4x).
- As for PC interface, the new chipsets have a series of part numbers which are applicable for either ATAPI or Serial-ATA.
Technologies
The new chipset was achieved by applying the following technologies:
- BD/DVD hybrid digital lead channel technology using Matsushita’s original PRML method
- Highly accurate write strategy technology and high-speed signal processing technology for high-density and high-speed media
- Built-in Serial-ATA core developed by Matsushita (conforms to Serial-ATA 1.0a standard)
Practical Applications
Start of sample shipments: December 2005
Sample price: Depends on quantity
Start of product shipments: January 2006
Patent
Domestic patents: 247 Overseas patents: 315 (Including pending applications)
Best known by its Panasonic brand name, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of US$81.44 billion for the year ended March 31, 2005. The company’s shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, New York (NYSE:MC), Euronext Amsterdam and Frankfurt stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company’s website at http://panasonic.co.jp/global/index.html.
