DVD Burning Bits.com - Sanyo Doubles the Data on CD-Rs

Sanyo has unveiled a new technology that doubles the amount of data that can be stored on conventional CD-recordable discs. This development follows Plextor's announcement last week that its new CD writers can squeeze 40 percent more data into a standard CD-R.

While Sanyo's technique works with off-the-shelf blank media, the resulting discs can only be read on compatible CD drives or firmware-upgraded DVD drives. The company says it will license the technology to other manufacturers, as well use it in its own drives.

Today, there is a large and uncomfortable gap between the capacities of CD and DVD media, according to Sanyo. DVD blanks can store 4.7GB of data while CDs match only one-sixth that capacity.

"The need for intermediate range capacity between CD-R and DVD is steadily increasing as users demand an easy-to-use and affordable type of large volume media," said the Sanyo statement.

Sanyo says its new HD-Burn hardware platform can fit 1.4GB of data into a standard 700MB (80-minute) blank CD write-once or rewritable disc. Essentially, HD-Burn works by employing DVD-writing techniques on a CD-R blank.

The first step in the HD-Burn process is to shorten the length of the "pits" or holes burned by the laser, a technique also used by Plextor in its new Premium extra-capacity drives. The pits describe the 1's and 0's that make up digital data.

Then, the tracks--the "groove" the data is written on---is packed in much more tightly, similar to the spacing found on DVDs. This increases the chances of read-write errors, and Sanyo said it also improved the error-correction algorithms.

This renders the disc incompatible with standard CD or DVD drives. Only HD-Burn-compatible CD drives can read it back, while a standard DVD drive can read it as long as it has a firmware upgrade, claims Sanyo.

Taiwanese optical drive specialist Accesstek, one the first licensees, has announced the DD0203, a DVD+/-RW multiformat drive that supports HD-Burn. The firm could not be contacted for details on price and availability.

Plextor last week announced its GigaRec technology available on its PlexWriter Premium drives. The technique allows 40 percent more data on a standard disc, or up to 1.2GB on a 99-minute disc that usually stores just 880MB. However, not all CD and DVD drives can read such discs.