CeBIT 2002 - The Background Info

CD Format - Page 4

Something really interesting was the announcement of a new CD called "flexCD". As the word says, it is about a new ultra slim CD media line with a very flexible structure. Sonopress, a company that manufactures the most of your pressed discs, presented for the first time this new product that will boost the use of CD in every product you are currently buying. For user to read it would be needed a special plastic adaptor, that will be available for free. As Sonopress told us, the first batches of "flexCD" will come out from September/October 2002. Companies that may be interested to use such CDs, would have to make orders of higher than 100.000 pieces. In the future, Sonopress will accept fewer orders for everyone who wishes to use their new technology.

Lastly, we had some talk with Philips about the protected AudioCDs. Their general comments were upon the same line of the official Philips line. That Audio discs that are not compliant with the "CD standards" should not have the "Compact Disc" logo. Philips does plan to inform the various CD protection makers about this issue, but as they told us they do not plan to take any legal actions.

"The issue is not that user cannot copy the protected AudioCD at his PC, but the fact that most users cannot playback those CDs in their high-end systems or at their car. Users complain about this and they believe it's a fault of the hardware (CD player), while the problem lye upon the inserted CD" commented one of the Philips spokesman. Let's hope that in the future Audio discs will compliant to the official CD standards to have less in-compatibility problems.