OSTA ANNOUNCES COMPREHENSIVE CD-R TECHNICAL WHITE PAPER FOR WRITERS/EDITORS/ANALYSTS TRACKING WRITABLE OPTICAL STORAGE

White Paper Details How CD-R Devices Reliably Write Data to CDs Running Optimum Power Control (OPC)

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., April 13, 1998 -- The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) has announced availability of "Running Optimum Power Control: Data Integrity in CD-Recording," a white paper detailing the methodology used by CD-R devices to write data to CD media with a very high degree of reliability. Underscoring explosive CD-R market growth over the past two years, the white paper was written to broaden awareness of critical technical aspects of running Optimum Power Control and writable optical storage in general.

"This is the first comprehensive explanation available of how CD-R devices write data," said Brian Bartholomeusz, chairman of OSTA's CD/DVD Physical Compatibility Subcommittee. "A great deal of information is concisely presented in an easily understood manner. Anyone following writable optical storage, particularly as it pertains to archival and mission critical applications, will find this paper very instructive and helpful."

What Is "Running OPC?"

OPC is a special technique used in newer CD-Recorders for monitoring and maintaining data writing quality and ensuring the readability of all data written on a disc. The term Running OPC describes a general process which is also known by several trade names including "Dynamic Power Control (DPC)" and "Direct Read During Write (DRDW)."

Hugh Bennett, prominent industry author and president of Canadian systems integrator Forget Me Not Information Systems, wrote the white paper under the auspices of OSTA, whose mission is to promote broad understanding and use of writable optical storage. The Running OPC white paper is available on the OSTA Web site at www.osta.org.

Other related announcements recently made by OSTA include the organization's second revision of its Universal Disk Format (UDF 2.0) and the release of OSTA's MultiRead specification. Background materials for UDF 2.0 include a technical summary of the specification. MultiRead defines hardware parameters for optical devices to read data from media written by CD-R and CD-RW drives. The UDF 2.0 and MultiRead specifications are also available on the OSTA web site.

OSTA Background

The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) was incorporated as an international trade association in 1992 to promote the use of writable optical technologies and products for storage of computer data. The organization's membership includes optical product manufacturers and resellers from three continents, representing more than 80 percent of worldwide writable optical product shipments. They work to shape the future of the industry through regular meetings of CD/DVD, file interchange, market development, magneto-optical and planning committees. Interested companies worldwide are invited to join the organization and participate in its programs by contacting an OSTA representative at 805/963-3853 or by addressing its Web site at www.osta.org.

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