Long History and Reputation in Optical Disc Drive Business Positions Company as Industry Leader in New BD Format
Eindhoven, The Netherlands - Now that the "bun-fight" between Blu-ray Disc (BD) and HD-DVD appears to be over, Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions (PLDS) are set to become an industry leading company in the market of Blu-ray Optical Disc Drives.
In 2006, Lite-On IT wisely positioned itself to compete in both formats by first signing an agreement with Toshiba to license its use of HD-DVD patents and later that same year in acquiring BenQ's Optical Storage business and thus the existing joint venture between BenQ and Royal Philips Electronics (PBDS) was renamed Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions.
Since Philips is not only a 'board of directors'' member of the Blu-ray Disc Association but also owner of various Blu-ray Disc related patents, the new partnership gave Lite-On IT access to an impressive portfolio of patents which allowed the company to begin R&D and ultimately production of its current line of leading Blu-ray Disc products.
As one of the few companies in the ODD industry that has access to a large Optical Disc Drive production facility as well as the above mentioned numerous Blu-ray patents PLDS leads others in bringing the latest Blu-ray Optical Disc Drive technologies to the marketplace. Other traditional ODD manufacturers will need to either pay Blu-ray royalties to the original patent holders and/ or outsource their production of BD drives to other manufacturers.
"Combining Lite-On manufacturing abilities with Philips Blu-ray patent coverage gives the joint venture PLDS a competitive advantage," says Jelmer Veldman, European Marketing Manager at PLDS." The Lite-On brand has a long history and reputation in the ODD market and we are very exited to continue to offer high quality Optical Disc Drives at a competitive price to the consumer, with Blu-ray as the future standard," Veldman adds.
Lite-On Blu-ray Product Portfolio
Under the Lite-On brand PLDS was one of the first companies to introduce a Blu-ray writer: the LH-2B1S has been on the market since November 2006. The LH-2B1S is still available and a safe choice for early adopters who are ready to upgrade their system with Blu-ray reading and writing capacities. This BD writer has received various recommendations and awards in the international IT press.
To make the Blu-ray format available for a wider audience, PLDS introduced the Lite-On DH-4O1S in 2007. This is a BD-ROM drive that allows users to playback Blu-ray discs from their PC at home. The competitive price point of the BD-ROM makes it an attractive option for users who are looking for an economic solution for Blu-ray playback.
Looking Ahead
In the 2nd quarter of 2008, PLDS will introduce an external version of the Lite-On BD-ROM. The DX-4O1S is a portable BD-ROM drive that allows users to playback their Blu-ray Disc on any PC through a USB 2.0 connection. The stylish black & white casing gives the DX-4O1S a modern and trendy look and received the RedDot design award by the German Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen for high design quality.
* Minimum system requirements must be met to be able to playback Bu-ray Discs
