DVD jukebox technology appeals to CD users - Tape/Disk/Optical Storage - Industry Overview

Computer Technology Review, Oct, 2002 by Rich D'Ambrise

Information technology has dramatically altered the demand for data storage and enhanced its value to the workplace. Desktop, department, and enterprise environments have all evolved to the point where data that was once viewed as a static resource is now viewed as a mission critical company asset.

The emergence of key enabling technologies that fuel global competition have significantly impacted the market for mass information storage. These developments can be credited with opening up and accelerating the opportunities within the optical disc storage segment of the mass storage market. More specifically, these opportunities include record-once and rewriteable CD and DVD technologies housed within jukebox storage devices.

CD-R (recordable) and CD-RW (rewritable) technologies have been integrated into automated jukeboxes, allowing data access to and from banks of media using multiple drives within the same physical unit. CD-R and CD-RW media could be easily created and then accessed, stored in disc slots within magazines for later access, or exported from the jukebox to be read by CDROM drives or simply archived to another location. CD-R and CD-RW technologies in jukeboxes provide companies with the ultimate industry-standard gigabyte storage solution.

With the introduction of recordable and rewritable DVD technologies including rewriteable DVD-RAM, recordable DVD-R or DVD+R, and rewriteable DVD-RW and DVD+RW, 4.7GB and 9.4GB disc capacities are realized, and a new terabyte storage solution has appeared. This capacity increase represented more than 7 and 14 times the storage capacity of a 650MB CD-R and CD-RW, respectively. Initially, DVD recording jukeboxes were not able to record CDs, which made it difficult for users to replace their CD jukeboxes, and the first-to-market DVD technology called DVD-RAM could not be exported and read in standard DYD-ROM drives. Jukebox vendors used both CD and DVD drives within the same unit to accommodate CD write functionality along with DVD writing capability. Software application vendors were forced to supply complicated drivers to handle the insertion of a CD into a CD drive and insert a DVD into a DVD drive. Today, despite the fact that there are still multiple writable DVD formats, most DVD jukeboxes include drives t hat can write and rewrite DVD media that can be read in most DVD drives, as well as write and rewrite CD based media. An added benefit is that software vendors have produced reliable and automated disc-handling software. By allowing recordable and rewritable DVD jukeboxes to support both reading and writing of DYDs and CDs we have effectively replaced the need for a CD-R- and CD-RW-only jukebox.

There are other market reasons for why writable DVD jukeboxes can replace writable CD jukeboxes. A number of broad interrelated factors can be identified that are shaping information requirements and the way businesses want to use data. Within each of these emerging markets, DVD jukeboxes are playing a critical role in satisfying these needs and it is simple enough to say that DYD offers higher capacity and faster access times while retaining the ability to read and write CDs and read them in standard CD- or DVD-ROM drives.

Growth of the Internet and intranets: The explosion in Internet and intranet use by businesses is supporting the creation of vast amounts of information and multimedia content. The need to have online or near-line access to this information and media is becoming a mission-critical activity for the modem enterprise.

Data warehousing and mining: Data collection and the ability to manipulate and analyze that data has become a valuable commodity in itself and an important dimension. Mass storage devices that facilitate access to such databases form an integral part of any storage strategy.

Multimedia content and applications: The creation of new media forms has dramatically increased the need for storage solutions to accommodate the growing sizes of applications and data files. Broadcasting, entertainment and publishing are all examples of industries undergoing rapid change with respect to types of media and how it is being stored for purposes of production and distribution.

Migration to digital medium: Digital technologies are quickly becoming the standard not only for traditional information storage but as the media of choice for audio, visual, and network-based industries as well. The quality, integrity, and reproductive accuracy made possible by these digital standards face few obstacles to widespread use other than being affordable. DVD storage devices, and, in particular, jukebox devices represent an important enabling technology.

Declining storage costs: The emergence of affordable DVD drives and new, low-cost DVD recording techniques have made DVD disc creation inexpensive and the opportunity to own such systems available to a very sizeable market. As accessibility to DVD technologies becomes available to more market segments, businesses that require such technology will grow, further fueling the market opportunity for DVD storage devices.