What is iVDR? Storage / Other Posted by zmcnulty on Apr 12, 2004 - 12:46 PM |
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I've actually got two different articles for you today about a new removable medium called "iVDR." Well, I think it's new - this is the first time I've heard about it. However, the "iVDR Consortium [1]" was formed back in 2002, so maybe I'm just behind.  The iVDR Hard Disk Drive Consortium held a meeting on the 12th in Tokyo's Ootemachi.iVDR is short for "Information Versatile Disk for Removable usage," and describes the a standard for removable media supporting "lifestyle devices" such as HD recorders and video cameras. At the seminar, the consortium announced that they will add the "iVDR micro" (using a 1 inch HD) to the standard, as well as "iVDR-Secure" content protection functions. The iVDR micro is a new standard continuing on those set by the 2.5 inch HD using "iVDR" and 1.8 inch hard drive using "iVDR mini." Some of the standard specifications on the iVDR micro include a 50 x 8 x 50 (W x D x H) body size, shock protection up to 900G when not in operation, an original 26 pin connector, 10,000 plug/unplug durability, pin arrangement conforming to Serial ATA standards, and commands based on the ATA standard with extended security. The shock protection is said to be such that even if it falls off a table, it will not break. To start off the conference, there was a report on the latest news from the iVDR Hard Disk Consortium's representative, Toshiaki Hioki. Saying that "2004 is the first year of iVDR," he also noted that IO Data announced the first iVDR product on the 12th. Further developments in the future include the creation of a large volume, removable, high access speed, PC/AV device compatible medium, and create a next-generation data platform. He also announced an I/O card that furnishes wireless LAN and TV tuner functions through the use of the iVDR slot. Up next was an explanation/summary of iVDR-Secure from Hirai Tatsuya, of Hitachi Manufacturing's R&D HQ Storage Technology Research Center. He said that content protection on iVDR must be strict, since it is a medium that can easily be carried around. On the content creator side, content is encrypted with a content key (called "Contents Key," for some reason...), then sent to the user. The user then accepts the certification from the provider, and they can then receive the contents key and use the data. Also, on the HD inside the iVDR itself, there is security technology called "TRM," which consists of a special area on the disk that cannot be read by normal means. Since this includes HD firmware and information about previous connections, it is possible for the device that the iVDR is connected to (PC, recorder, etc) to deny connections from the host, depending on the information stored in this area. Next, Horiuchi Yoshitaka, an Industrial Analyst for Pixie Pixel Corporation, spoke about HD industry trends. The HD industry in 2003 was worth 260 million yen, and it is estimated to break 300 million yen in 2004. This includes the growth of quantity of hard drive under 2.5 inches. He continued to explain that in the case of 3.5" HD industry trends, the capacity has not gone up too much in the past year - this is blamed on the inability to get more than 100GB on a single platter. If the fence is broken, he said that there will be HD products in 2004 with 120GB on single platters. Mr. Horiuchi also said "iVDR is an ultra-extreme substitute product for VHS video tapes. The task is to suppress high prices with mass production, and increase the recognition for the preparation of the system structure." Finally, Tokunaga Takafumi, from Hitachi Manufacturing's Information/Communication Group Strategical Projects Division, stated his hopes. He commented that he would like to see "the safe, high speed iVDR as a ubiquitous HD. I hope for 'segment products' using iVDR until the complete unity of the standard, covering everything from PCs to AV equipment." On display at the show was a PC with a direct iVDR connection, an iVDR loading mechanism, and other samples using iVDR, as well as a connector with serial port.  [2] [3]Inspired by (plenty more photos here): http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2004/0412/ivdr.htm [4] iVDR Homepage (English): http://www.ivdr.org/index_e.html [5] iVDR Press Release (English) (PDF): http://www.ivdr.org/pdf/newsRelease20040412_E.pdf [6] |
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This article is from TechJapan http://www.techjapan.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.techjapan.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=227 Links in this article [1] http://www.ivdr.org/ [2] http://www.techjapan.com/images/0404/041204/iVDR-Secure-family.jpg [3] http://www.techjapan.com/images/0404/041204/iVDR-Secure-micro.jpg [4] http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2004/0412/ivdr.htm [5] http://www.ivdr.org/index_e.html [6] http://www.ivdr.org/pdf/newsRelease20040412_E.pdf |
