Sony further enhances Optical Disc Archive with stable production and new addition of product line

At NAB 2018, Sony is announcing its continuous enhancement of Optical Disc Archive System with strong support from partner companies. Mitsubishi Chemical Media Co., Ltd. (MCM) has just signed a License Agreement in this month with Sony to produce Optical Disc Archive cartridges. In addition, Qualstar Corporation (Qualstar) also entered into a Product Development Agreement for Enterprise Class Optical Disc Library with Sony in November 2017.

“We are excited to partner with Mitsubishi Chemical media and Qualstar. Their decision to be involved in the Optical Disc Archive business indicates the expansion of the technology in the industry.” said Mikio Kita, Senior General Manager, Sony Imaging Products and Solutions Inc. “Sony will provide a stable supply of Optical Disc Archive cartridges with Mitsubishi Chemical Media – a leading manufacturer of recordable optical discs under their global brand Verbatim. On another front, Sony will offer Enterprise Class Optical Disc Archive Library that targets larger capacity around 27PB with second generation 3.3TB cartridge. This will be co-developed with Qualstar, a designer and manufacturer of data storage solutions. We believe our partners’ support is definitely advantageous and will further benefit our valued customers.”

The Optical Disc Archive is a high-capacity, future-proofed media storage that acts as an on-site backup and asset management solution. Widely used by broadcasters, sports organizations and production companies, the solution is gaining traction in other fields where data archive is key, including corporations, schools and financial organizations. It delivers reliable long-term storage and robust operations with eco-friendly power consumption. The second generation of Optical Disc Archive system adopts optical media developed jointly by Sony and Panasonic. The second generation doubles the capacity of a single cartridge to 3.3TB with a reduced price.

With over 20 years of technical know-how and production, MCM is a leading manufacturer of optical discs that has a large market share of recordable optical discs including CD, DVD and Blu-ray Disc. MCM is also an official licensee to produce XDCAM professional disc since 2014. “We are glad to have the opportunity to work with Sony, an industry leader in the professional field, and are convinced that we can contribute to the growth of Optical Disc Archive System with the supply of high quality media and cartridges.” said Masahiro Taguchi, President of MCM.

Qualstar, with more than 30 years of expertise specializing in data storage, possesses the depth and breadth of expertise in the areas of LTO library development. Sony is confident that Qualstar’s mechanical and robotics technology is definitely beneficial to the development of Enterprise Class Optical Disc Library. “We are delighted by Sony’s confidence in our technology and proficiency in the areas of data storage solution,” said Steven N. Bronson, CEO, Qualstar. “Demand for large capacity data storage is rapidly accelerating in every industry with business owners looking for the best suited archive solutions for their business needs. The Optical Disc Archive system is one of the optimum choices. We are extremely thrilled to work with Sony to design and develop the Enterprise Class Optical Disc Archive Library.”