Print soldiers: front and center! This is a call to arms my friends! For years you have been storing your files to a plain old CD-R or CD-RW that holds 650 MB of data, but while you have had your head buried in your office foxhole there has been an optical media invasion in progress! As we speak you are under a four-pronged assault for desktop dominance. New writeable optical media is closing on your location seeking to conquer your desire for more storage space. Just like any invading force, these new formats are ruthless in nature and will take no prisoners on their way to your computer's drive bay. How do you handle this onslaught of burning technologies? Learn all you can about these new warriors. Form up for briefing!

 

DD CD-R

Double Density CD-Recordable drives may look like your standard CD-R, but they have been in training to bulk up and hold twice the data. Sony Corporation is the flag DD fights for. Sony devised a method of shrinking the size of the tracks and pits on a standard CD to hold the extra data and make DD a formidable enemy. Doubling the capacity of the disc allows a CD to hold twice the standard 650 MB capacity and to intimidate you with its technical might. Furthermore the drive costs only $250 with media priced between $2 and $3 making DD CD-R a budget mercenary.

How should you defend your turf against this new foe? EVADE AT ALL COSTS! While 1.3 GB (1,300 MB) is a roomy area for storage, the tradeoffs are large. DD CD-Rs will only read in a DD capable drive and nowhere else. This causes inherent problems for your print files in that you take an awful risk sending a DD CD-R as your Government Furnished Materials. Most printers will not have a DD CD-R drive and the prospects of a large adoption of the format is unlikely at best.

 

ML CD-R

Multi-Level CD-Recordable drives are mutants of the burning world and pack in over three times the data of a standard CD. TDK and Calimetrics are the corporate brainchildren of the ML format. ML discs take the standard CD-R construction, different depths of laser burned pits representing data, and throw it out the window. ML discs use similar sized spots of varying shades of gray to represent data. So while a ML disc may look like your average CD-R, the vile mutations lie below the plastic skin of it just itching to hold 2 GB of your files.

Does ML CD-R technology provide a threat to our current desktop kingdom? It very well may soldiers. While ML drives are not yet available, they are on the horizon and closing fast. In addition to their large capacity they will burn much faster than your standard CD because of their tweaked design. Like DD CD-R, ML discs will only play in ML drives. With the promises of higher capacity and read/write speeds, ML could be one tough customer. You would be wise to consider a strategic alliance with this one.

 

DVD+RW

While the newest CD formats are attacking from one front, the Digital Versatile Disc is on your flank. DVD is not just for your favorite movies and DVD+RW drives are armed with the latest laser technology to write over seven times the data of CD-R to each side of a disc! In short, a double-sided DVD+RW disc can hold 9.4 GB of data! That is equivalent to over 14 CDs and over 90 Zip 100 cartridges, so you know this is one dangerous format. Drives should run about $600 with a disc priced around $20.

DVD+RW is strong and the front lines have been expecting a +RW attack for years, but +RW can never seem to get organized. Things appear to be changing though and you can expect to see +RW drives near you soon. While it will play in any DVD+RW, DVD-ROM, and most set-top DVD players remember that a burned +RW disc will not function in any CD drive or player. Should you ally yourself with +RW or repel its attack? The next part of the briefing may give you a better outlook.

 

DVD-RW

DVD+RW is clearly looking to wipe out all challengers but it is also locked into a civil war with its rival: DVD-RW (pronounced "dash RW"). This clan of the DVD family is similar in nature, has just as strong a desire for your computers real estate, but has different ideals than +RW. -RW has trained with its rival and comes from similar stock, but -RW split with its brethren and took on a slightly different structure to hold your data. Do not let the details of its construction concern you, the only thing you need to know is that it is one tough customer that can also pack 9.4 GB on a disc (4.7 GB per side). Look for the drive to cost around $800 with media running $15 each for single-side discs and up to $30 for double-sided.

Repel or ally with -RW? A tough call. The compatibility of discs with drives is similar with +RW so there is little concern there. The real strength of -RW is that the drives are available now. So the question is, -RW now or +RW later? It is up to you to decide which format will wind up in your computer and which DVD format survives the war.

 

DISMISSED!

Quite clearly, there is a wealth of opposing high-capacity optical formats competing for your computer. Each format has its strengths and weaknesses, and this briefing should help you make the right call when you are out there in the trenches of printing and design. Strap on your helmet tight, lock and load your files! Remember: do not click burn until you see the whites of their eyes!

 

 

 

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