Ricoh announces RICOH MP5120A drive and RICOH DVD+RW 4.7GByte media
We have posted the news longtime ago but here is the English press release, which explains things much better…
"...RICOH Company Ltd. (President Masamitsu Sakurai) has developed and is releasing the new ‘RICOH MP5120A’ the world’s first rewritable DVD drive, solely complying with the ‘DVD+RW’ standard. It also functions as a CD-R/RW drive, characterized now as the ‘Super Combination Drive.’ DVD+RW discs to fully highlight the advantages of the DVD+RW drive are also released. Along with providing a large capacity of 4.7 GB, DVD+RW features the following advantages:
1. Highly compatible with existing DVD-ROM drives and DVD-Video players, and allows free adding/editing of data: The physical structure of DVD+RW disc is designed to be compatible with DVD-ROM, and a combination of HF (High Frequency) Wobbled Groove and ADIP (Address In Pre-Groove) correction keeps the data connection points after adding or editing at 1 micron or less (Lossless Linking function). This technology provides the excellent compatibility even after data is added or edited. DVD+RW drives are also compatible with DVD+RW Video Recorder, integrating PC and AV worlds.
2. Easy and comfortable operation; shortened formatting time and high-speed writing/recording: The drive formats only a portion of disc first before starting the initial writing, and it only takes two to three minutes, about 1/15 of the traditional formatting time. The drive then automatically resumes formatting when writing or reading is not being processed (Background Formatting). It is also capable of 2.4x write speed, equivalent to 20x on CD drives, which corresponds to the DVD+RW standard.
Main Features of RICOH MP5120A
1. ‘Super Combination Drive,’ combining DVD+RW and CD-RW in one drive.
- Taking advantage of the know-how accumulated as a leading CD-RW and DVD-ROM combination drive supplier, Ricoh has employed newly developed mechanisms to accomplish rewriting capabilities for DVD.
- Pick-up module, that mounts LDs (Laser Diodes) for both CD and DVD, but only 1 lens (2LD-1Lens pick-up module), is upgraded for DVD writing.
- Newly developed analog front-end processor LSI, which controls pickup, servomotor, and seeking, and a digital controller LSI for encoding/decoding support DVD writing at 2.4x which requires highly accurate control.
- MP5120A is equipped with the ‘radial tilt correction mechanism’ that uses a sensor to detect a camber or a tilt of the disc, and corrects the laser angle so that laser light is always directed vertically to the disc surface. (It functions only in DVD recording and playback)
- A high-precision stepping motor supports highly accurate seeking, even for DVD+RW media which has narrow tracks. It also reduces noise during operation.
- Functioning as a CD-RW drive, it provides speeds of 12x for CD-R write, 10x for CD-RW rewrite, and 32x for CD-ROM/R/RW read.
Shortened formatting time (Featuring Background Formatting)
- MP5120A starts formatting for the random access write with a small portion of disc first (lead-in area and part of the data area, required to start writing). It then resumes for the remaining portion automatically in the background when there is no writing or reading operation (Background Formatting). This feature enables to start initial writing in just two to three minutes.
- Background formatting shall be suspended should additional reading/writing be required.
- Discs that are only partially formatted can be ejected from the drive, maintaining the compatibility with existing DVD-ROM drives.
High-speed write
- High speed writing of 2.4x, which is equivalent to 20x on CD drives.
4. Pursuing high reliability in designing the MP5120A
- Equipped with ‘JustLinkTM,’ solely developed by Ricoh, it automatically prevents “buffer underrun errors” which occurs when data transfer from PC cannot keep up with writing, by predicting the errors in advance. (JustLink works only at CD-R/RW writing. Buffer underrun errors cannot occur with DVD writing.)
- Stable performance for a long period of time is assured by its dust-proof design for the tray and the fan-less structure by low heat generation design.
Main Features of RICOH DVD+RW 4.7 GB media (for data and video)
1. The quaternary Ag-In-Sb-Te phase change recording material, previously developed by Ricoh which has won high credit for CD-RW media, has now been customized for DVD. Ricoh’s DVD+RW discs hold 4.7GB, the same as DVD-ROM, and is rewritable with reliability.
2. Capable of 2.4x write speed and CAV recording.
- Reliable writing anywhere between 1x and 2.4x write speeds.
- Outstanding disc quality provides capability of keeping data more than 100 years. (estimated figure based on the accelerated test)
3. Two types of DVD+RW media are available; one for DVD+RW drives mainly for data and the other for DVD+RW Video Recorders mainly for video recording..."
1. Highly compatible with existing DVD-ROM drives and DVD-Video players, and allows free adding/editing of data: The physical structure of DVD+RW disc is designed to be compatible with DVD-ROM, and a combination of HF (High Frequency) Wobbled Groove and ADIP (Address In Pre-Groove) correction keeps the data connection points after adding or editing at 1 micron or less (Lossless Linking function). This technology provides the excellent compatibility even after data is added or edited. DVD+RW drives are also compatible with DVD+RW Video Recorder, integrating PC and AV worlds.
2. Easy and comfortable operation; shortened formatting time and high-speed writing/recording: The drive formats only a portion of disc first before starting the initial writing, and it only takes two to three minutes, about 1/15 of the traditional formatting time. The drive then automatically resumes formatting when writing or reading is not being processed (Background Formatting). It is also capable of 2.4x write speed, equivalent to 20x on CD drives, which corresponds to the DVD+RW standard.
Main Features of RICOH MP5120A
1. ‘Super Combination Drive,’ combining DVD+RW and CD-RW in one drive.
- Taking advantage of the know-how accumulated as a leading CD-RW and DVD-ROM combination drive supplier, Ricoh has employed newly developed mechanisms to accomplish rewriting capabilities for DVD.
- Pick-up module, that mounts LDs (Laser Diodes) for both CD and DVD, but only 1 lens (2LD-1Lens pick-up module), is upgraded for DVD writing.
- Newly developed analog front-end processor LSI, which controls pickup, servomotor, and seeking, and a digital controller LSI for encoding/decoding support DVD writing at 2.4x which requires highly accurate control.
- MP5120A is equipped with the ‘radial tilt correction mechanism’ that uses a sensor to detect a camber or a tilt of the disc, and corrects the laser angle so that laser light is always directed vertically to the disc surface. (It functions only in DVD recording and playback)
- A high-precision stepping motor supports highly accurate seeking, even for DVD+RW media which has narrow tracks. It also reduces noise during operation.
- Functioning as a CD-RW drive, it provides speeds of 12x for CD-R write, 10x for CD-RW rewrite, and 32x for CD-ROM/R/RW read.
Shortened formatting time (Featuring Background Formatting)
- MP5120A starts formatting for the random access write with a small portion of disc first (lead-in area and part of the data area, required to start writing). It then resumes for the remaining portion automatically in the background when there is no writing or reading operation (Background Formatting). This feature enables to start initial writing in just two to three minutes.
- Background formatting shall be suspended should additional reading/writing be required.
- Discs that are only partially formatted can be ejected from the drive, maintaining the compatibility with existing DVD-ROM drives.
High-speed write
- High speed writing of 2.4x, which is equivalent to 20x on CD drives.
4. Pursuing high reliability in designing the MP5120A
- Equipped with ‘JustLinkTM,’ solely developed by Ricoh, it automatically prevents “buffer underrun errors” which occurs when data transfer from PC cannot keep up with writing, by predicting the errors in advance. (JustLink works only at CD-R/RW writing. Buffer underrun errors cannot occur with DVD writing.)
- Stable performance for a long period of time is assured by its dust-proof design for the tray and the fan-less structure by low heat generation design.
Main Features of RICOH DVD+RW 4.7 GB media (for data and video)
1. The quaternary Ag-In-Sb-Te phase change recording material, previously developed by Ricoh which has won high credit for CD-RW media, has now been customized for DVD. Ricoh’s DVD+RW discs hold 4.7GB, the same as DVD-ROM, and is rewritable with reliability.
2. Capable of 2.4x write speed and CAV recording.
- Reliable writing anywhere between 1x and 2.4x write speeds.
- Outstanding disc quality provides capability of keeping data more than 100 years. (estimated figure based on the accelerated test)
3. Two types of DVD+RW media are available; one for DVD+RW drives mainly for data and the other for DVD+RW Video Recorders mainly for video recording..."
