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Vmedia Miniature Optical Discs and Drives
Technology Brings Big Screen Entertainment to Mobile Consumer Devices
Vmedia Research, Inc. is an optical media technology company based in Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. The Company was founded in 2002 to bring compelling video entertainment experiences to mobile consumer devices. The technology driving this vision is an innovative optical media format that delivers the quality of a big screen experience and the simplicity of packaged to mobile consumer electronics.
Vmedia® discs give consumers an easy-to-use and convenient mobile entertainment media for enjoying feature-length movies, television series and video games on mobile devices. Miniature, blue laser-based Vmedia optical drives play Vmedia discs and are designed for integration into a variety of mobile consumer electronics platforms including:
- Netbook computers
- Mobile internet devices (MIDS)
- Personal media players
- Mobile phones
Vmedia Research defined and developed the core technologies and architecture for Vmedia discs and Vmedia optical drives. The company owns and licenses its intellectual property portfolio including patents and trademarks to manufacturers of Vmedia discs, Vmedia optical drives and developers of Vmedia software player applications.
What is Vmedia?
A Vmedia disc is a removable, miniature optical media that puts the latest movies, TV series and video games into consumer pockets for a mobile, personal entertainment experience any time, any place. Despite their tiny size, Vmedia discs hold complete feature-length movies at 576p (720x576) resolution by combining blue laser technology with advanced video (H.264) and audio codecs (AAC). Vmedia discs are easy to use - just insert the disc into any Vmedia drive and click "play." Content on Vmedia is protected from illegal copying by industry standard security. However, like all optical discs, there are no restrictions on the number of devices or screens on which Vmedia discs can be viewed. And with 576p image quality consumers can enjoy Vmedia entertainment on every screen in the household from netbooks to mobile phones and all the way up to big screen computers.
A Vmedia optical disc is just 32mm in diameter and is protected from mobile environments by a slim cartridge. The disc is molded polycarbonate allowing for economical, high volume manufacturing using processes similar to DVD replication. The first generation single-layer Vmedia disc has 1GB of capacity which will hold the typical feature-length film plus extra features. Vmedia disc capacity will increase to 2GB on dual layer discs which are expected to ship in 2010. A recordable Vmedia disc is under development for future release.
Playback of Vmedia discs in mobile devices is possible due to the advanced blue laser optical technology and miniaturization of the Vmedia optical drive. In fact, Vmedia drives are the world's smallest blue laser optical drives. With footprint of less than 48mm x 47mm, Vmedia drives fit easily into mobile consumer electronics that are too small for DVD drives. In order to speed integration for mobile device OEMs and ODMs the Vmedia optical drive is packaged as a complete, easy-to-integrate component. Vmedia optical drives are resistant to shock and vibration to withstand the rigors of mobile applications and feature low power consumption to conserve battery life. The first generation Vmedia optical drive is currently shipping to mobile device manufacturers. A second generation slim drive with a reduced height of 9.5mm is expected to begin shipping in mid-2009.
Vmedia Ecosystem Partners
Vmedia Research defined and developed the core technologies and architecture for Vmedia discs and Vmedia optical drives. The company licenses this key intellectual property to manufacturers of Vmedia optical drives and discs and software developers. Vmedia has developed an extensive ecosystem in order to deploy its technology into the consumer electronics and entertainment content marketplaces. The company has brought together world class leaders in optical and mobile technologies to develop and deliver a complete mobile entertainment solution for consumers, content providers and device manufacturers.
Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd. (PCC) - Vmedia optical drive development and manufacturing
PCC is the manufacturer of the first Vmedia optical drive. PCC is a world leader in optical drive design and development including DVD and Blu-ray Disc drives. In particular, PCC is known for its advancements in blue laser integration and optical drive miniaturization. PCC has been working with Vmedia for more than four years. The first Vmedia optical drives were developed in PCC's R&D labs in Fukuoka, Japan, an effort lead by the Director of PCC Research and Development Laboratory, Hiroaki Sakai. According to Mr. Sakai, "The Vmedia optical drive is an important new solution for bringing high quality video to mobile devices. We believe that this technology will open up a new market for PCC in mobile entertainment. We are pleased to be working with Vmedia and the entire Vmedia ecosystem on this exciting new technology." PCC has completed the installation of the first Vmedia drive production line in their Kumamoto factory. Additional manufacturing lines are planned for Kumamoto and other PCC optical drive factories.
Cinram International, Inc. - Vmedia disc development and manufacturing
Cinram is the largest pre-recorded optical disc manufacturer in the world and is the exclusive replicator of Vmedia discs. Cinram has played a key role in the development of Vmedia optical discs, working with Vmedia over the last two years to develop and perfect the molding and manufacturing processes. Cinram is currently shipping sample Vmedia discs manufactured on the world's first Vmedia production line in Olyphant, PA. In addition, Cinram is a certified Vmedia authoring facility, providing services to prepare content for replication. Cinram's expertise in logistics and fulfillment will also help retailers order and manage Vmedia titles. "We are very excited to be part of the Vmedia ecosystem," said Cinram CEO, Dave Rubenstein. "Vmedia is a natural extension of the miniaturization of entertainment devices and has enormous potential. Its quality, portability and ease of use are sure to make Vmedia the format of choice in this new wave of mobile video viewing."
PacketVideo - Vmedia software player
Leading mobile multimedia software company PacketVideo was brought onboard to integrate the world's first Vmedia player into its CORE™ multimedia framework for quality video playback. PacketVideo's CORE multimedia framework is the embedded multimedia engine that powers more than 200 million devices worldwide. Working with Vmedia in early 2007, PacketVideo established the core architecture for a Vmedia player that could be ported to numerous mobile platforms. "The Vmedia format expands quality mobile entertainment in a convenient packaged media to geographic markets that have an immediate demand for alternatives to broadcast services," said PacketVideo CEO James C. Brailean, Ph.D. "The removable media format is the ultimate in time- and place-shifted video viewing."
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