Fujifilm Adds Super DLTtape II Media For Expanding Storage Requirements

Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc., the leading supplier of midrange tape media in the United States, today announced the broad commercial availability of Fujifilm-branded Super DLTtape II media cartridges. The new media provides the high capacity and performance capabilities to meet the needs of rapidly growing data centers, increasing storage requirements and regulatory compliance directives.

Designed for use with the Quantum SDLT 600 tape drive, the Super DLTtape II media offers native capacity of 300 GB and supports drive transfer speeds of up to 36 MB a second. When used with Quantum's DLTIce — functionality, any new, unused Super DLTtape II can be turned into a Write-Once-Read-Many (WORM) cartridge. As a result, the Fujifilm Super DLTtape II can meet today's strict regulatory compliance requirements, including those mandated under SEC 17a-4. Fujifilm Super DLTtape II media has an archival life of 30 years, addressing the storage longevity concerns of IT managers and CTOs.

"The capacity and transfer speed of the Super DLTtape II with the SDLT 600 system makes it a strong solution for many data-intensive storage applications, such as those emerging in the broadcast and video editing industries," said Rich Gadomski, Vice President of Marketing, Recording Media Division, Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. "Fujifilm engineers have worked closely with Quantum to drive advances in this media and we look forward to continuing to support and drive SDLT as a winning data storage format."

Quantum and Fujifilm are also working together to promote a unique application specifically designed for the broadcast industry. This new system — the SDLT 600A with DLTxchange — will marry proven data storage technology with the industry-standard MXF file format as a solution for video professionals utilizing a file-based workflow in a digital and increasingly high-definition (HD) environment. Quantum and Fujifilm provided a live demonstration of Quantum's SDLT 600A with DLTxchange at the 2005 National Association of Broadcasters Show (NAB) this April. In September 2005, Fujifilm and Quantum will once again have a working demonstration in the Fujifilm booth at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam (Stand 11.111).

The Fujifilm Super DLTtape II cartridge is based on Fujifilm proprietary ATOMM (Advanced Super Thin-layer & High Output Metal Media) technology. The media incorporates a nonmagnetic lower layer with an ultra-thin upper layer of high-energy metal particles applied simultaneously to a base film. The result is extremely low self-demagnetization, increased high-frequency output and significantly higher recording density. The technology is derived from several key features, including:

• A Pivoting Optical Servo (POS), which combines magnetic data recording with laser servo guidance to maintain precise track alignment during recording/playback;
• Laser Guided Magnetic Recording, which increases capacity by moving the servo information to the back-side of the tape, enabling use of the entire front side for storing data and creating room for additional encoding tracks on the front;
• Advanced Tape-cutting Mechanics, developed by Fujifilm engineers, increases the precision of the "slitting" blades necessary to create the half-inch tape reels from master rolls, a critical quality factor for maintaining consistent, stable media in every cartridge.

Fujifilm was the first Japanese domestic producer of computer tape in 1965, and continues to invest in future technologies and to innovate the process of manufacturing back-up tape for the computer industry. Fujifilm ATOMM coating technology was introduced in 1992 and has resulted in several breakthrough magnetic video and data and storage formats, including DVCPRO and DVCPRO HD videotape, Zip, DLTtape IV, Super DLTtape, and LTO Ultrium. With the introduction of Fujifilm Super DLTtape II, this technology has now been partnered with the Quantum SDLT600 with DLTIce. In addition, Fujifilm's ATOMM engineering methodology eventually led to the development of Fujifilm NANOCUBIC thin-film coating technology, which utilizes nanometer-sized magnetic particles and precision coatings engineered for the demanding enterprise storage market.

Fujifilm engineers constantly marry new discoveries in science to the company's mastery of thin-coating technology and manufacturing excellence to meet the increasingly stringent data storage and archival needs of today's IT infrastructure. Learn more at www.fujifilm.com/tech/TechStoreMagnetic.jsp.

Fujifilm Super DLTtape II cartridges are available through key reseller partners, or find more information at www.fujifilm.com/tapestorage.