Sony to build cheaper, thinner Blu-ray drives

[Tekman]

http://www.current.com.au/2008/01/25...RZKFAYESQ.html

TOKYO: Sony Japan has announced what it claims is the industry’s thinnest Blu-ray laser coupler – only 3mm thin – which will lead to thinner, cheaper Blu-ray drives.

The company said the coupler, developed with LED and laser specialist Nichia, will hopefully go into mass production sometime this year and will be cheaper to produce than the current coupler.

In an interview with Current.com.au, a spokesperson for Sony Japan said the technology would be placed initially in laptop Blu-ray drives and car-mounted players and navigation systems. However, he said there were no plans as yet for any use of the technology for cheaper, thinner consumer model Blu-ray players and recorders.

At the current time, there was no internal discussion as to whether Sony would place the coupler in a Playstation 3 to make a thinner, cheaper version, a la the PS2, the spokesperson said.

[PeechCobblerPie]

However, he said there were no plans as yet for any use of the technology for cheaper, thinner consumer model Blu-ray players and recorders.

title is misleading

[Tekman]

Originally Posted by PeechCobblerPie

title is misleading

How is it misleading?
A drive is not a player

[STI Jaguar]

This is great news, I am going to wait until next Christmas to hopefully pick up a laptop with a BD drive. The current drive add-on at Dell is $500!

And damn right, we will see a slimmer PS3. That would be sweet looking.

[Greggy P. Wild]

Originally Posted by STI Jaguar

This is great news, I am going to wait until next Christmas to hopefully pick up a laptop with a BD drive. The current drive add-on at Dell is $500!

And damn right, we will see a slimmer PS3. That would be sweet looking.

I think it definitely need to get smaller. The Sony BD Players are ridiculously large. They look like 1970's VCR's.

[ESUNintel]

I currently have a Vaio FZ with a Blu player, but if Sony creates an SZ with a BD drive, I would get it right away. I can't wait for a smaller thinner drive, it'll mean a thinner and lighter laptop, thinner home Blu-ray players, thinner PS3's, it be cool

...quicker read and write speeds on the new drives too

[mystiksuicide]

One day but not yet!!

[Gremal]

This is great news. I don't need my PS3 to be thinner, but I do need BD drives in my next Macbook or iMac. Not that Apple will partner with Sony on this, but any advances in BD drive technology is a plus.

[J_UNTITLED]

... their lasers and cost, that is.

[LynxFX]

Originally Posted by Greggy P. Wild

I think it definitely need to get smaller. The Sony BD Players are ridiculously large. They look like 1970's VCR's.

I like the larger sizes, especially if it means more weight. I just replaced a dying DVD player with a new upconverting one and the HDMI cable actually lifts the whole player up in the back by a full inch. I may just have to get one of those soon to be free HD DVD players to put on top of it just to weigh it down.

[whoelse]

Originally Posted by Tekman

http://www.current.com.au/2008/01/25...RZKFAYESQ.html

TOKYO: Sony Japan has announced what it claims is the industry’s thinnest Blu-ray laser coupler – only 3mm thin – which will lead to thinner, cheaper Blu-ray drives.

The company said the coupler, developed with LED and laser specialist Nichia, will hopefully go into mass production sometime this year and will be cheaper to produce than the current coupler.

In an interview with Current.com.au, a spokesperson for Sony Japan said the technology would be placed initially in laptop Blu-ray drives and car-mounted players and navigation systems. However, he said there were no plans as yet for any use of the technology for cheaper, thinner consumer model Blu-ray players and recorders.

At the current time, there was no internal discussion as to whether Sony would place the coupler in a Playstation 3 to make a thinner, cheaper version, a la the PS2, the spokesperson said.

That wont happen for another 3 years i would say. Its the cell, graphics card etc which makes the PS3 so big.

[upnorthsox]

Originally Posted by whoelse

That wont happen for another 3 years i would say. Its the cell, graphics card etc which makes the PS3 so big.

the ps3 doesn't have a graphics card and the cell isn't that big and it's getting smaller every production run. That said, it still needs a fan and airflow which will keep it from getting too small (say in the ps2 slim neighborhood).

Where I do think we'll see these first beyond the PC market is in a Blu-Ray HTIB.

[ezcobar411]

Originally Posted by upnorthsox

the ps3 doesn't have a graphics card and the cell isn't that big and it's getting smaller every production run. That said, it still needs a fan and airflow which will keep it from getting too small (say in the ps2 slim neighborhood).

Where I do think we'll see these first beyond the PC market is in a Blu-Ray HTIB.

If the PS3 doesn't have a graphics card then what is the RSX?

[upnorthsox]

Originally Posted by ezcobar411

If the PS3 doesn't have a graphics card then what is the RSX?

it's a chip on the motherboard, thus it requires no extra room like a card would. It is also shrink along with the cell chip and others so eventually a smaller motherboard will be possible.

I do realize we're dealing with semantics here somewhat but in terms of size reduction I thought it prudent to point it out.