DaTARIUS open-platform approach to its test and analyzer systems is leading to accelerated development of HD DVD capability for its flagship DaTABANK test and analyzer system. The DaTARIUS team has a head start with this project as DaTABANK is effectively a format-agnostic platform. A unique strength of the design concept for DaTABANK is that from its earliest design stages, we developed DaTABANK as an open-format solution, says CEO James Steynor. The heart of the system is a central test, analyze and measure core with its highly customisable DaTAVIEW user interface. This media measuring core functions in the same way, whichever media format is being analyzed. The media format being analyzed is determined solely by the specification of the drive Cubes that are simply dropped into the DaTABANK with current support of DVD, DVD-/+R/RW/DL and BD. The drive Cube contains the disc format specific drive optics and all the hardware and firmware needed to deliver signal data to the DaTABANK's internal interface. This approach has already led to the development of the Blu-ray Disc (BD) measurement capability for DaTABANK, says Andrew Dumbill, DaTARIUS CTO. Customers can update their DaTABANKs to BD analysis capability when they are ready by simply slotting in a BD drive Cube and updating the software, he says. The same will apply for HD DVD, or any other new optical media format that emerges. Customers also see that their investment in DaTABANK is protected as new formats come to the fore. There is the added bonus that customers will also not have to go through further major installation work or retrain operators on new analyzer systems just because they are moving to the manufacturing of a new blue laser format.