Fujifilm intros DVD 1X-16X media with new, proprietary dye.

Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. has announced that the Fujifilm DVD+R 1X-16X optical media would be available in the U.S. market in September. The media is among the industry's first optical technologies to offer a disc capable of recording consistently and reliably in drives ranging from 1X-16X recording speeds. At a speed of 16X, a full 4.7 GB DVD+R disc can be written in about 6 minutes.

This new disc continues a legacy of innovation by incorporating Fujifilm's unique, patented organic dye coating that was announced in January. The heavy-metal free dye comes from the company's extensive research and development labs, which have over the last 70 years created an extensive library of innovative compounds based on photochemical research that have been responsible for advancing many technologies.

"As DVD recording technology has evolved, Fujifilm engineers have worked side-by-side with hardware vendors and retailers to help bring innovation to the marketplace," said Rich Gadomski, Vice President, Marketing, Recording Media Division, Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. "This new product will help decrease the number of SKU's retailers need to stock, simplify consumer choice and help retailers eliminate confusion."

The new media is optimized for customer recording valuable digital data, whether recording in real time at 1X speed or with a new 16x DVD drive. Fujifilm-branded DVD media incorporate the company's new "Oxonol" dye coating, the first such coating to be used by Fujifilm engineers in Japan in conjunction with leading hardware vendors to provide recording capability for such a wide range of drive speeds, and is compatible with existing drive technology already in the market.

The new Fujifilm technology is based on an organic dye that has proven to allow recording capabilities at speeds ranging from 1X to 16X. This will provide retail partners the ability to simplify shelf space by offering a recordable DVD that works with both new and legacy drives.

The new higher-speed DVDs are ideal for archiving, storage and retrieval of high-capacity data files such as photos and video. They can also be used for stand-alone PC or network backup at home or for business. Fujifilm has produced a simulated archival life estimate for the media of over 100 years (using the industry-recognized Arrhenius storage performance acceleration method.)

This environmentally friendly, heavy-metal-free organic dye was optimized for mass production by existing spin-coating manufacturing technologies.

Fujifilm is currently developing a dye that will provide an efficient, reliable media for the high-capacity and high transfer rate needs of emerging Blue-Violet LASER write-once technology.

The Fujifilm DVD+R 1X-16X media will be available in multiple disc packs and specialized use formats in Q4 2004 through key distributors, resellers and retail stores.