New 20X Controller Reduces CD Burn Time to 3.7 minutes; ExacLink(TM) Patent-Pending Feature Improves Success Rate When Burning Audio CDs
SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Oak Technology, Inc. today announced its latest Compact Disc - Recordable/ReWritable (CD-R/RW) controller, which records at 20 times the speed of the original single-speed CD specification, enabling drives based on it to record a full 650 Megabyte compact disc in less four minutes. The new 20X OTI-9796 controller features Oak's proprietary, patent pending ExacLink(TM) technology. Initial design wins for the new OTI-9796 controller include high performance CD-R/RW solutions from industry leaders, Yamaha Corporation, Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd., and LG Electronics.
"Selection of Oak's OTI-9796, with its ExacLink buffer underrun protection and Constant Angular Velocity is a logical next step in our ongoing partnership work together to develop advanced CD-RW solutions for both PC and consumer audio markets," said Takuya Tamaru, General Manager for Yamaha's Digital Storage Products Development Division.
Yamaha's new CRW2200 series CD-R/RW drives, the first in the industry to feature 20X write, 10X rewrite and 40X read speeds, are based on Oak's OTI-9796 controller and are being demonstrated March 22 to 28 at CeBIT 2001 in Hanover, Germany. The series of five drives includes Yamaha's Safeburn(TM) technology, which employs Oak's ExacLink buffer underrun protection integrated with Yamaha's own chips to achieve the highest accuracy and data continuity possible.
Mitsumi also selected Oak's OTI-9796 controller with ExacLink for its next generation 16X write, 8X rewrite and 40X read CD-R/RW drives, targeted for applications with major PC OEMs as well as for the retail market. "Oak's ExacLink technology, combined with the industry's highest level of integration in an optical storage controller, helps us meet market requirements for higher performance yet cost-effective solutions," said Tadao Kazuno, general manager, ODS Division, Mitsumi Electric Company, Ltd.
LG Electronics recently announced the industry's fastest CD-RW drive for notebook computers, based on Oak's OTI-9796 controller. The Model GCE-8080N supports 8X writing, 8X rewriting, and 24X playback and measures a mere 12.7mm thick, making it an ideal solution for notebook computers. "The 8080N is the third generation of CD-RW drives we have designed using Oak Technology's controllers and the new ExacLink technology in the 9796 enables us to provide stable, high performance drives with improved data recording capability," said Mun Hwa Park, CEO and President of Hitachi LG Data Storage Co.
"The enhancements to our latest controller make burning CDs a faster, more pleasant experience for consumers," explained Nicos Syrimis, vice president, marketing, for Oak's Optical Storage Group. "The 20X speed reduces burn time for a full CD to less than four minutes, eliminating the tedious delays experienced with early CD-R and RW drives. Plus, our ExacLink buffer under-run protection is an important feature for consumers who record digital music CDs to be played back in audio CD players. It eliminates the unusable 'coasters' that are created when the recording process is interrupted and employs a methodology that operates in a distinctly different, and novel fashion with respect to other technologies attempting to correct the buffer underrun problem."
Oak's OTI-9796 controller is capable of 20X CD-R and 20X CD-RW write speeds as well as 40X CD-ROM read speeds. This means that it records 20 times faster and reads 40 times faster than the original single speed CD specification, which required 74 minutes for the full 650MB capacity of a disc.
The OTI-9796 controller, combined with Oak's OTI-9073 analog front-end signal processor creates a low-power, two-chip solution for CD-RW drive applications. In addition to the chipset, Oak offers a hardware and firmware reference design to create one of the industry's most fully integrated, flexible and cost effective system solutions that significantly reduces the OEM's time-to-market.
The OTI-9796 controller uses advanced digital signal processing techniques to minimize the amount of required analog circuitry. This approach provides increased flexibility and greater immunity to system noise. An advanced architecture affords a high level of accuracy and improved seek access time, particularly for CD-RW media. Power management is provided to reduce power consumption and increase power efficiency. Oak's OTI-9073 front-end processor also simplifies drive design and contributes to a lower CD-RW system cost by eliminating a significant number of external components compared to conventional analog front-end solutions.
Availability
Oak's OTI-9796 controller is sampling now and will be available in production quantities in April. The controller is priced at $15.00 in sample quantities, and $10.00 each in production quantities of 10,000.
Oak's Optical Storage Controller Technology
Oak, founded in 1987, has established a leadership position in the optical storage segment. The Company is recognized as one of the leading suppliers of optical storage controllers, having sold more than 130 million optical storage controllers to date. Oak's latest generation of advanced CD-RW optical storage controllers have been selected by most of the OEM suppliers of CD-RW drives. The Company's recent product development efforts in the area have focused on emerging segments, such as CD-RW and Combo drives, which are fast becoming the mainstream optical storage device for the PC market, as well as on CD Recordable solutions for the consumer audio and video markets.
About Oak Technology
Oak Technology, Inc., a leading provider of solutions for the storage, manipulation and distribution of digital content, is committed to driving the emerging world of connected Information Appliances. The company's fully integrated products and technologies target two key markets: optical storage (CD-RW and DVD for PC and consumer) and digital imaging (advanced copiers, printers, faxes, scanners and MFPs). Founded in 1987, Oak is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has sales offices, design centers and research facilities around the world. The company trades on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange under the symbol OAKT. Additional information about Oak and its digital solutions can be found at www.oaktech.com.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: In addition to the historical information contained herein, statements in this press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Federal securities laws and are subject to the safe harbors created thereby. The following are among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements: The foregoing statements may consist of forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results. Factors that could cause actual outcome to differ materially from those set forth include, without limitation, the rate of adoption of new technology, the rate of growth of the CD-RW market, changes in product mix or distribution channels; the demand for semiconductors and end-user products that incorporate semiconductors; technological difficulties and resource constraints encountered in developing and/or introducing new products, and market acceptance of new products. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release regarding expected financial results, industry trends, sales and future product development and business strategies and activities should be considered in light of these factors, and those factors discussed from time to time the Company's public reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, such as those discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10K for fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, and in quarterly reports on Form 10Q.
NOTE: Oak Technology is a registered trademark and the Oak logo and ExacLink is a trademark of Oak Technology, Inc. All other product names or company names are mentioned for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE: Oak Technology, Inc. |
