Dual-Layer Disc For BD-R Bows At Lower Cost

TOKYO — Mitsubishi Kagaku Media and Pioneer have developed a recordable Blu-ray Disc (BD-R) using an organic-dye recording layer that should significantly reduce disc production costs, according to a report from the Nikkei News Service.

The companies expect to launch the disc at the end of 2007 or in the spring of 2008, according to the report.

The companies have previously developed 25GB single-layer BD discs capable of up to 2x recording speed, but both recordable and rewritable BD media produced to date have employed inorganic materials for recording layers.

The companies said that by switching to organic dye, manufacturing and material costs can be "significantly reduced." Rival producers of HD DVD media introduced organic dye-based, dual-layer recordable disc commercialization in July 2006.

The low to high recording format, which supports organic dye dual-layer BD-R, is included in the Blu-ray Disc Recordable Format Ver. 1.2 specifications formulated in the spring of 2007, according to the report.

Mitsubishi Kagaku Media and Pioneer announced the development of another BD-R medium that has two or more layers and achieves 4x or faster recording using metal nitride recording layers along with the 2x speed recording BD-R. The companies, however, did not reveal details of the technology. The new disc technologies are expected to be presented at CEATEC Japan 2007 on Oct. 2.