Verbatim/Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM), world-leading optical media developer and marketer, announced today that Santa Clara Consulting Group (SCCG), an independent research firm, has identified Verbatim/MKM as the leading supplier of recordable CD and DVD media worldwide. The SCCG report on 2004 global unit shipments shows Verbatim/MKM achieved its Number One worldwide position with 12.1 percent of the CD-R market and 14.6 percent of the recordable DVD market. Verbatim brand media is marketed in North America, Europe and other areas of the world. In Japan, media is sold under the Mitsubishi brand.
Verbatim/MKM's worldwide dominance in the recordable CD and DVD media markets can be attributed to a number of factors, including the ability to combine high reliability, stability and longevity with high performance and broad compatibility.
To achieve these characteristics, MKM and Verbatim pioneered the development of a patented AZO dye for the recording layer of optical media. AZO technology maintains the best recording compatibility with drives from all the leading hardware suppliers over a wide range of recording speeds.
"The Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Group is committed to setting the pace for technical advancements in the CD and DVD industries, not just keeping pace with them," said Dr Yoshimitsu Kobayashi, CEO of Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Group. "And with each increase in performance, CD/DVD burners have become less tolerant to media imperfections and quality media has taken on a whole new level of importance. MKM's extensive R&D capabilities, our strong relationships with hardware makers and Verbatim's stringent quality/performance testing procedures have helped Verbatim maintain its reputation for being first with new disc technologies that rank first in quality. These are also the key reasons we're asked to provide drive manufacturers with benchmark media for their testing and certification," he noted.
The market for recordable CD and DVD media is being driven by the growing demand for DVD burners that write to both CD and DVD media. With CDs playing a vital role for recording personal music, photos and home videos, analysts expect the market for CD media to be fairly stable for the next two years, if not longer. However, with the price difference between DVD recorders and DVD players declining and data volume doubling every year, analysts see worldwide shipments of recordable DVD media increasing from 1.35 billion in 2004 to over 3 billion units in 2005.
"The demand for DVD burners and recorders is being fueled by more affordable digital cameras, MP3 players, and camcorders as well as the growing number of consumers that want to share their personal memories and enjoy timeshifting and archiving their favorite TV programs," said Dr. Jon Peddie, president of the Tiburon, Calif. multimedia market research firm Jon Peddie Research. "Verbatim has contributed to the increased adoption rate by developing technologies that enhance media reliability. Mainstream blue laser–based products are still a few years away, so we expect DVD-based CE devices to continue stimulating DVD disc sales for years to come."
Verbatim/MKM has consistently been first to market with new technologies such as higher-speed media, double-layer discs and product differentiators such as DigitalMovieT DVDs with a movie reel look and VideoGardT hard coat technology (called HardCoat ScratchGuard in Europe). To maintain its leadership position, Verbatim/MKM continues to develop advanced and innovative storage solutions for the future, including Blu-ray and High-Definition DVD (HD-DVD) media technology.
Availability
Verbatim-brand CD and DVD media is marketed in North America, Europe and other areas of the world. The complete line of Verbatim CD and DVD media encompasses all media formats (CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, +R, -RW, +RW and -RAM) and is available through leading retailers, Internet resellers and distributors around the world.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Verbatim/MKM
Verbatim/MKM is an international organization that develops and markets innovative, high-quality products for storing, moving and using digital content. Known for its leadership in the removable storage media and related accessories markets, the company provides reliable, unique technologies and products that are highly sought after and broadly distributed worldwide.
Contact
Verbatim GmbH, Frankfurter Straße 63-69, 65760 Eschborn
Maria Csilics, phone: 06196-9001-30; email:mcsilics@verbatim-europe.com
www.verbatim-europe.com
LEWIS Communications, Baierbrunner Straße 15, 81379 München
Jutta Schausten, phone: 089-17301911, email: juttas@lewispr.com
www.lewispr.com