Verbatim Corporation has announced its new LightScribe 16x DVD-R media in 30-pack spindles that will begin shipping in Q1 2006. The company also is preparing to roll out LightScribe gold-background CDs and DVDs with a new coating that enables faster label printing, as well as color-background LightScribe CDs/DVDs in Q2. Engineering samples of the new LightScribe media are being showcased during CES in Las Vegas.

When Verbatim LightScribe media is combined with the LightScribe-enabled drives and software licensed by Hewlett-Packard Company, consumers can use the same optical disc drive laser to burn content to the data side of the disc and create a silkscreen-quality label on the other side of the disc.

The LightScribe media coating was developed by Verbatim's parent company, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Co., in collaboration with HP.

Current LightScribe drive owners will be able to take advantage of the new media by updating their LightScribe system software. In addition to the current gold color, the new coating technology will enable the discs to be produced with new jewel-toned background colors such as yellow, green, and orange.

According to HP, 2.5 million LightScribe-enabled drives were shipped in the first six months following the January 2005 launch. NPD reports that LightScribe-enabled drives represented a record 18.8 percent of the US retail market sales for aftermarket PC DVD burners in October 2005.

Story filed 08.01.06