Lite-On sent us a press release late this afternoon revealing that it will be introducing a Blu-ray Disc DVD burner in the UK in August, model number LH-2B1S.
That's about the top-and-bottom of what was said. All we can add right now is that we'd imagine we'll be hearing soon the plans of a whole lot of other companies for introducing Blu-ray burners in August or even earlier.
That expectation is based on the fact that Lite-On's main business is making opticals for a large number of big-name firms and so it usually ends up only having own-brand stuff to sell after the needs of all its OEM customers have been satisfied.
Update - June 7, 19:50
Would you Adam and Eve it?
Our team over in Taipei at Computex has posted a story about a BenQ
external Blu-ray Disc burner that, you can be pretty sure, is
being made by Lite-On. Why pretty sure? Well, Lite-On makes all of
BenQ's opticals, as you'll see from our recent interview
with Lite-On's Jelmer Veldman.
Comments? Put them in the HEXUS.community, if you would.
Oh, and while we await, fingers crossed, more detailed info and pics (yes, we have asked), we thought you might like to see if we've left out any crucial details by reading what Lite-On says in its press release. So here it is:
Lite-On IT plans BD (Blu-ray
Disc) launch this autumn
6th June 2006
Eindhoven, The Netherlands - Lite-On IT, one of the world's
largest optical disc drive manufacturers, announces production of BD
(Blu-ray Disc) compatible drives this summer.
The first Lite-On-branded drive incorporating Blu-ray technology will be the LH-2B1S, due to be available in August 2006 in the UK market. As with other Lite-On products, this drive will also be compatible with DVD+/-R and RW media and CD-R/RW media.
The Blu-ray format provides more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs - holding up to 50GB of data on a double-layer BD disc or 25GB on a single-layer disc. By using the new blue-violet laser, users can record, rewrite and play back high-definition (HD) video, as well as store exceptionally large amounts of data.
Lite-On IT is capable of producing high quality, optical disc drives in considerable volume from Guangzhou Science Park plant (China), with a current production capacity of over five million drives per month.
About Lite-On IT
Lite-On IT Corporation is part of the Taiwanese Lite-On Group, which consists of nine consolidated companies. Lite-On Group is a world leading company in digital convergence (3C: Computer, Communications, and Consumer electronics) employing 35,000 people worldwide. Lite-On Group has 45 factories, 29 branch offices, and 4 R&D centers worldwide and generated total revenue of 5.2 Billion USD in 2005.
Lite-On IT was founded in 1995 and has grown since to become the World's 2nd largest optical disc drive manufacturer. In 2002, recognizing the convergence between the computer and consumer worlds, Lite-On expanded its portfolio and formed a Consumer Electronics Division, focusing on the development of digital audio/video appliances. Check http://www.liteonit.com for further information.
UK trade authorized distributors
Computer Connections
Harrogate UK
http://www.storagecompany.com
Ingram Micro
Milton Keynes Bucks
http://www.ingrammicro.co.uk
Actebis
Swindon Wiltshire UK
http://www.actebis.co.uk
Micro P
Lancashire UK
http://www.micro-p.com
The first Lite-On-branded drive incorporating Blu-ray technology will be the LH-2B1S, due to be available in August 2006 in the UK market. As with other Lite-On products, this drive will also be compatible with DVD+/-R and RW media and CD-R/RW media.
The Blu-ray format provides more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs - holding up to 50GB of data on a double-layer BD disc or 25GB on a single-layer disc. By using the new blue-violet laser, users can record, rewrite and play back high-definition (HD) video, as well as store exceptionally large amounts of data.
Lite-On IT is capable of producing high quality, optical disc drives in considerable volume from Guangzhou Science Park plant (China), with a current production capacity of over five million drives per month.
About Lite-On IT
Lite-On IT Corporation is part of the Taiwanese Lite-On Group, which consists of nine consolidated companies. Lite-On Group is a world leading company in digital convergence (3C: Computer, Communications, and Consumer electronics) employing 35,000 people worldwide. Lite-On Group has 45 factories, 29 branch offices, and 4 R&D centers worldwide and generated total revenue of 5.2 Billion USD in 2005.
Lite-On IT was founded in 1995 and has grown since to become the World's 2nd largest optical disc drive manufacturer. In 2002, recognizing the convergence between the computer and consumer worlds, Lite-On expanded its portfolio and formed a Consumer Electronics Division, focusing on the development of digital audio/video appliances. Check http://www.liteonit.com for further information.
UK trade authorized distributors
Computer Connections
Harrogate UK
http://www.storagecompany.com
Ingram Micro
Milton Keynes Bucks
http://www.ingrammicro.co.uk
Actebis
Swindon Wiltshire UK
http://www.actebis.co.uk
Micro P
Lancashire UK
http://www.micro-p.com
