Sony goes blue

Sony Electronics has begun marketing high-density storage products based on blue laser drives using its Professional Disc for Data (ProDATA) format. The new products are being positioned for the storage of medical images and records, as well as other data-intensive professional applications. Sony has developed three models of these drives, each of which can pack 23 GB on a single-sided disc. The drives-an internal SCSI, an external SCSI, and an external USB 2.0 version-read data at 11 MB/sec and write data at 9 MB/sec. Blue lasers create light with a shorter wavelength than the traditionally used red lasers, allowing more data to be stored in a smaller space. Sony is the second company to announce the development of storage technology based on blue lasers. The first, Plasmon, claims its ultradensity optical (UDO) technology can store 30 GB on a single cartridge-three times the capacity of DVDs and magneto-optical media (SCAN 5/5/04).