smaller size CDs and DVDs...

according to appleinsider.com, apple has issued a patent for "a collapsable hardware solution that would allow [their] company to reduce shipping and packaging costs by selling software on smaller discs which could then be used in slot-loading optical drives built for standard 12 cm CDs and DVDs, a new filing has revealed."

An additional quote states, "Software is traditionally shipped on the 12 cm discs, but many applications exist today that require less storage capacity than what is available on the those discs, the filing adds. However, slot-loading drives found in notebooks and car audio systems are only designed only to accept 12 cm discs."

Disney backs new HD DVD standard

Major studio Walt Disney through in their two sense according to X-bit's website. Walt Disney has always been on the side of Blu-ray, so this could be a sign of something new... As Blu-ray and HD DVD battle to replace our current DVD standard, it will be interesting to see who continues to fall on what side.

Tech Tip: Dual Layer DVDR

A standard DVDR contains about 4.7GB. The Dual layer DVDR have a capacity of 8.5GB, not quite twice. A dual layer DVDR is actually a DVD with two optical layers on the bottom of the disc rather than the normal one layer. You can't see the difference because the layers are determined by focusing the laser at different depths inside the dye.

It appears that if you need more space than a standard DVD can supply you, simply use a dual layer disc, right? Hang on; this is where it gets tricky.

Service bureaus like dataDisc are often some of the first users to find out how good a new technology really is. When the first dual layer discs hit the market, folks like us were reporting recording failure rates upwards of 50%. The technology is far improved from its early days. Now, failure rates are about where CDs failure rates are. Yep, you'll still get some "bad burns" but very few. It appears now that things are stable, everyone would like to use those recorders that have been shipping in home computers for several years now. Supplies of dual layer DVDs are much tighter than standard DVDs. So much so that even buying large quantities of dual layer discs will cost 4-10 times that of a standard DVD.

What does that mean for your next small run DVD project? Maybe nothing! On the other hand; it might actually be less expensive to do a 2 disc set. Make sure to do your homework!

by Al Foster, VP
dataDisc, Inc.