As of Sept. 1 2010, all Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Co. products will be unified under the Verbatim brand, according to an announcement by company president Shigenori Otsuka. The brand has undergone a reorganization over the last few years. When first introduced, Verbatim was considered a global brand of Mitsubishi Kagaku Media and was available in more than 80 countries worldwide.

As the largest provider of recordable optical discs for five years, Verbatim expanded to sell a wider range of products, including USB memory, SD cards, portable hard disc drives, etc in 2008. In September of last year Mitsubishi transitioned the optical data disc product line to Verbatim.

As of now, all new products for recordable BD, recordable DVD, and recordable CD will be released under Verbatim, as well as all product lines to be released in the future. Redesigned packaging for new Verbatim products will soon be released to unify the product line and to make it easier for the customer to indentify Verbatim products. Consistent terminology will also appear on the new packaging in addition to new, corresponding designs symbolizing the terminology.

SanDisk has finally announced its release of the new flash iSSD (solid state drive) – the “i” stands for “integrated” – for tablet personal computers and ultra-thin notebooks. After much speculation, the drive from SanDisk, reportedly supports serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) in a small ball grid array (BGA) package.

Adaptable for advanced mobile computing operating systems, the SanDisk iSSD drive can be soldered onto any motherboard to be used on both Windows 7 and Mac OS X.

At 16 mm x 20 mm x 1.85mm – close in size to a postage stamp – and weighing less than 1 gram, the drive offers 160 MB/second sequential read and 100 MB/sequential write speeds and can store anywhere from 4GB to 64GB worth of memory. This is a significant increase in system responsiveness and storage capacity.

“New embedded SSDs, such as the SanDisk iSSD drive, which meet the stringent size requirements of small and light devices while offering greater performance, are designed to enable OEMs to deliver an enhanced user experience in their next-generation designs,” said Jeff Janukowicz, an analyst for IDC.

The iSSD drive is currently only available for equipment manufacturers.

Adding two major duplication equipment distributors to its arsenal, Microboards announced last week the addition of Epson America Inc. and TEAC thermal and inkjet printing products.

Epson products now featured by Microboards consist of the full Discproducer line, including desktop, network, and autoprinters. The Discproducer Network Disc Publisher (PP-100N) is embedded with a processor and hard drive and does not require licensing fees for multiple users. Epson line is highly secure, allowing for physical and electronic security checks, PIN-protected access, and door lock.

“Epson has selected Microboards to distribute its suite of Discproducer solutions because of Microboards’ strong knowledge of the publishing industry and its commitment to the dealer channel”, said Jeff Burroughs, National Channel Sales Manager for Epson System Device Group. “We are looking forward to a mutually beneficial relationship.”

Through Microboards, Teac will be represented by its line of thermal retransfer printer solutions and supplies, including the Teac P-55 series for sharp, high-quality print jobs. Microboards will also feature Teac’s a USB Flash drive printer and auto printer solutions available in two single printer models up to a 300-disc dual printer solution.

“The Teac offering provides an excellent economic alternative to other Thermal Print offerings in the market,” said John Westrum, Chief Operating Officer for Microboards. “Besides winning on total cost of ownership, Teac’s P-55 printer’s output excels in durability, color brilliance, and clarity.”

The partnership is a huge announcement by Microboards, cementing its position in the market as a one-stop-shop for duplication equipment and strengthening its already robust product line.

For companies who are looking to offer their clients and customers a product that is not only economical, but also ecoconscious, CD Digital Card has come to the rescue. The Flex DVD competes with the traditional DVD-5 discs on all levels, except that can be touted as the only “green” DVD replication option.

With the Flex DVD, CD Digital has created a more flexible, durable, and affordable DVD replication option by using one-half of the polycarbonate and chemicals in replication than the standard DVD-5 process. The Flex DVD is a single layer format, offering the same storage capacity as the DVD-5 (4.7 GB for standard size) at half the thickness of a standard DVD (0.6mm thickness).

CD Digital has designed, engineered, tested, and patented its technology to ensure that the materials are 100 percent recyclable and will emit 53 percent less carbon during the manufacturing process. The company claims that is Flex discs are shatter-proof and crack-proof – resistant to all types of breakage – and playable on any basic DVD player.

The lighter and more resilient disc makes the Flex DVD more adaptable and more affordable for shipping – ideal for direct marketing, mailing, books, magazines, and even children’s applications – and makes it possible to eliminate polybagging and to ship as Standard Mail.

How does 100GB disc storage capacity sound to you? For the consumers and major Blu-ray production distributors alike, that number sounds pretty darn good. Verbatim, TDK, and Sharp are among just a few of the companies preparing to sell Blu-ray discs with double the previous storage capacity.

Based on a statement released in mid-July, Sharp will be the first to offer 100GB-capacity discs; its product, the VR-100BR1 will conform to the Blu-ray Disc Association’s new BDXL format specification and can be written only once.

TDK will debut its larger capacity Blu-ray discs in September, and Verbatim will begin shipping its discs sometime next year.

The 100GB-capacity discs utilizing the new BDXL format, will add a third storage layer and, if all goes as planned, will one day be able to add a fourth layer of storage, increasing storage capacity to 128GB. Currently Blu-ray discs are available in 25GB with single-layer storage and 50GB for dual-layer storage.

While the higher-capacity Blu-ray discs will not be necessary for movies – traditional 50GB discs have the capacity to store 3D media – the new BDXL media format reportedly won’t work on traditional Blu-ray drives. Users would need to purchase new drives. Sharp, however, is prepared to meet this demand with its new Aquos BD-HDW700/BD-HDW70 Blu-ray disc recorders for the 100GB capacity discs available in now in Japan. These types of recorders, like DVD+/-RW drives, can be used for archiving and data, video, and image storage.

Vinpower Digital Rolls Out Manual Tower Duplicators

The California-based company Vinpower announced last week a new series of compact, manual CD, DVD, and Blu-ray duplicators called SlimMicro. These duplicators are a slimmed-down version of the companies SharkCopier series, but only in size.

Available in CD / DVD or CD / DVD / Blu-ray configurations and with four or five writer drives, Vinpower’s new duplicators pack a big punch in a small package – shoebox size to be exact. The SlimMicro was designed for a small workspace or for travel, and because it’s a standalone device a SlimMicro duplicator can be powered up anywhere an electrical outlet is available.

The SlimMicro series was originally developed as part of a joint venture between Vinpower and SHINANO KENSHI CO, LTD. as part of the PlexCopier line for release in Europe and Japan only. Vinpower obtained rights to release its own version of the product in the United States.

MAM-A Completes Upgrade to Only U.S.-Made Media Line

As the only CD-R and DVD-R/+R producer to offer products made in the United States, MAM-A has injected some juice into its homemade brand. The company recently completed an upgrade to its Colorado Springs manufacturing facility and is now able to offer a full range of “Made in the USA” silver CD-R and DVD-R/+R products, plus its 24kt Gold Archival CD-R and DVD-R/R+ recordable media products.

This expansion gives more companies and consumers to option to buy local and cut down on their import tariffs.

Calibre 1080 DVD PC Line Discontinued

Styron, the Michigan-based company, has announced the Calibre 1060 DVD as the successor to the 1080 DVD PC resin, which the company recently discontinued. The Calibre 1060 will be available worldwide and will feature new functionality for all the company’s CD, DVD, and Blu-ray duplicator applications, including improved ductility and toughness. The new application offers high-flow capabilities, fast cycle times, and good pit replication for improved yields.

Although their competitors have largely avoided any new investments into flash fabricator production facilities, SanDisk Corp and Toshiba Corp. think otherwise. The two powerhouses have announced construction on a new NAND flash chip fabrication facility at Toshiba’s Yokkaichi City plant in Japan.

Referred to as “Fab 5,” the facility will be able to produce 210,000 NAND wafers a month when in full production. The name is derived from an existing partner facility, “Fab 4,” and will be comparable in size – Fab 4 has a ground area of about 125,000 square feet and a total floor space of 613,517 square feet. The first phase of the two-phase process is scheduled to be complete next spring; the facility will employ about 4,300 people, including 250 engineers. This will be the fifth flash memory fabrication facility for in Yokkaichi City for Toshiba.

Demand for the NAND flash chips has been on the rise, with prices recently leveling off, but the sheer investment cost of constructing fabrication plants – in the hundreds of millions – has kept most companies, including Samsung and Micron, static in the market.

Toshiba, on the other hand, has jumped head first into production, believing that the demand is poised to increase based on the rise existing and emerging applications in smartphones and solid-state drives using flash.

“With our partner SanDisk, we will increase the manufacturing capacity gradually in accordance with market conditions, in a way that further enhances our competitiveness in the memory business,” said Koyoshi Kobayashi, a Toshiba corporate senior vice president.

The plant will initially use Toshiba’s 20-nanometer lithography technology – the company’s smallest – which will allow the company to fit more data on a single NAND chip.

DVDDuplication.net was facing a challenge in 2010: how to keep up with growing demand. The company’s solution? Simple. Increase production capacity.

In July, the California-based DVDDuplication.net upgraded and replaced 30 percent of its equipment and incorporated an additional 20 percent in overall capacity – a costly endeavor and one that’s not popular in the industry.  But, based on the year’s projections, the company is now ready to take on significantly more business and increase efficiency for its current and future clients.

“This is a milestone moment for our company given the economic difficulties of 2009,” said president and owner Brian Fisher. “The industry in general has been put under strong price pressure, both, from the 2009 recession, and from the stagnant growth of the overall market. However, DVD printing and duplicating equipment manufacturers continue to make improvements in their equipment.”

Equipment manufacturers have been making improvements to their CD, DVD & Blu-ray duplication lines. Blu-ray publisher sales are growing and continued demand for 2011 sees the potential for duplication facilities to add a Blu-ray duplicator to their production line. Rimage has a new professional series publisher line consisting of the 3400 and 5400; Microboards released the G3 Publisher this year. Manufacturers continue to improve duplication and publishing equipment.

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WebShop, the new online store from Rimage Corporation, makes the company’s disc publishing supplies available to customers. Traditionally, Rimage customers would have secured their CD and DVD printing and replication equipment from authorized third-party suppliers, but now these customers have a direct link to the products they have come to rely on.

The WebShop is available to U.S. customers at webshop.rimage.com and to European customers at webshop.rimage-europe.eu. Rimage believes the new site will help strengthen and simplify their partner network and help ensure their customers get the most out of their investment.

“The WebShop provides our customers with an important option that helps them keep their operation running smoothly,” said Christopher Wells, vice president of marketing and strategy for Rimage Corporation. “They can shop direct from Rimage, or from one of our authorized partners.”

Rimage customers can find print ribbons, CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, print cartridges, and media kits on WebShop, but they can still get their Rimage products from their disc publishing partners.

Blu-ray discs have been on their way to taking over the home movie market for quite a while, but now the Blu-ray Disc Association is stepping up its game. They have developed what is being called the BDXL format which allows a Blu-ray Disc to hold up to 128GB of information in a quadruple-layer format – a significant increase from the average 50GB high-definition Blu-ray discs on the market today.

The new BDXL format will also come in a triple-layer version, which will be rewriteable, however the first release will only be available for data storage.

“The BDA worked diligently to create an extension of the Blu-ray Disc format that leverages the physical structure of the design of the disc to create even more storage capacity,” said Victor Matsuda, Blu-ray Disc Association Global Promotions Committee chair.

Sony has not as of yet agreed to take the new BDXL capture and playback product to the consumer market, but admits that it may not be long before players may be capable of playing the BDXL format as well as the conventional 2GB and 50GB Blu-ray discs. Both types of formats were developed from the same technology.