“Trying to bridge the gap between next-generation optical disk formats, Ricoh said it has developed an optical component that reads and writes all disk formats—Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD, as well as DVD and CD—with one pickup and one objective lens,” Yoshiko Hara reports for EE Times. “Ricoh will show the optical device at the International Optoelectronics Exhibition ’06 outside Tokyo on July 12-14. The company intends to offer the device to OEMs by year’s end.”
“The component is a 3.5-mm diameter, 1-mm thick round diffraction plate with minute concentric groves on both sides which function as a diffraction grating,”Hara reports. “The diffraction plate is placed between lasers and an objective lens. The diffraction grating is designed to adjust a light beam to an optimum incident ray relative to the objective lens so that light focuses on the proper position for each disk format.”
“Although the diffraction device works for both reading and writing modes, Ricoh will initially offer the device for disk players only. Because some laser beam energy is lost at the grating, using the diffraction device for recording will require a blue laser with higher power than those used in conventional recorders,” Hara reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Too Hot!” for the heads up.]
Goodbye next-gen DVD format war?
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Related MacDailyNews article:
Broadcom announces decoder chip that plays both Blu-ray and HD DVD – January 03, 2006
Format wars no more.
Yes because *horror* the new BlueRays don’t read and write to ordinary cd’s.
Most likely something to do with Sony/BMG influencing Sony/BlueRay.
“Stop those computers from reading and burning cd’s!!”
Yes kiddies, the new Mac Pro’s will have a new case design to hold two disk drives, one BTO BlueRay and the other a cd/dvd something or the other.
“Yes because *horror* the new BlueRays don’t read and write to ordinary cd’s.”
What info have you been reading?
http://panasonic.co.jp/psec/en/device/storage/bd/bd_5582.html
http://www.hardmac.com/news/2006-06-07/#5581
never mind that. can somebody tell me why .mac web/desktop mail has been down for two freakin’ hours???
This is good news for Apple. Can you say “Ultimate SuperDrive”? Or maybe “SuperSuperDrive”? Perhaps “Universal SuperDrive” would fit best?
Dynamic Mesh = MacDude = Static Mesh = Channel Z = Jackass.
UltraDrive
SuperUltraMegaGoogleDrive
It took six margaritas to get that component just right….
macnut222
Thanks for the links. I was watching a videocast last week and they were talking about how the early Blu-ray burners were not able to read/write to regular CD media. Possibly a new model?
Here is the article I read from June 22: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1980095,00.asp
Check out page 2 – it mentions nothing of ordinary CD media.