DaTARIUS announced the pending sale, to Prestige Optical Mastering Services Inc., of a DaTABANK for stamper and disc testing for HD DVD, BD and DVD. The DaTABANK is equipped with DVD driveCube, HD DVD driveCube, and BD-R/RE driveCubes to test both recordable and pre-recorded media. POMS, located in Henderson, Nevada, will be the first independent mastering house in the US to offer High Definition mastering.

POMS decided to buy the DaTABANK in order to create a lasting partnership with its test equipment supplier. "We want a partner going forward into HD and BD, not just a company to provide a test system," said Cyrus Tehrani and Terry Smith, POMS owners.

"BD is an exciting development for end-users but challenging for media manufacturers," says Bob Dobbin, Managing Director DaTARIUS USA. "Due to the physics of the BD format, it is not possible to use a glass compensation for BD stamper testing, so DaTARIUS developed its CoverTest technology, which also allows regular disc test capability. POMS has adopted the CoverTest system to enable stamper testing."