Imation Adds HD DVD to Media Storage Solutions

Imation Corp., a firm specializing in removable data storage, this week released its first recordable, transportable media for businesses using the new disc format HD DVD. (The firm unveiled its Blu-ray storage version last month.)

The HD DVD single-layer stores up to 15 GB of digital files, the firm said, or about three times the capacity of standard DVD discs. Both Imation's HD DVD and Blu-ray discs are produced with a new protective coating to provide added scratch resistance and anti-static dust resistance, for better durability.

Imation, based in Oakdale, Minn., plans to start shipping double-layer HD DVD discs by late 2006, delivering 30 GB of capacity on a single disc. Yet as the case with consumers, businesses now also face having to choose between one of two incompatible DVD formats for their storage needs, or wait it out to see if a single next-gen format will eventually be adopted in the marketplace.