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.