Verbatim Corporation announced today that it is on schedule to deliver the industry's first Double-Layer DVD+R (DVD+R DL) discs. The new 2.4x DataLifePlus media nearly doubles the storage capacity on DVD recordable discs from 4.7GB to 8.5GB on a single side while maintaining compatibility with existing DVD video players and DVD-ROM drives. Verbatim's target launch date is spring 2004 to coincide with DVD+R DL hardware introductions by DVD+RW Alliance members.

The new media is fully compatible with the DVD+R DL standard endorsed by the DVD+RW Alliance and incorporates the Double-Layer DVD+R technology developed through the collaboration of Verbatim's parent company, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM) and Philips.

The first recording layer of the Verbatim DVD+R DL disc is semi-transparent, providing enough reflectivity for writing/reading data on the first layer, yet transmitting enough laser power to read/write on the second layer by refocusing the laser. In addition to optimizing layer reflectivity, new Metal Azo recording dyes were developed by MKM for each layer to optimize parameters such as signal amplitudes and power margins and ensure full compatibility with current DVD standards.