Accredited Standards Committee * X3, Information Technology NEWS RELEASE Doc. No.: PR/96-022 Reply to: Lynn Barra at lbarra@itic.nw.dc.us X3 Announces the Approval of a New Project 90 mm Overwritable and Read Only Optical Disk Cartridges Using Phase-Change - Capacity: 1,3 Gigabytes per Cartridge for Information Interchange Washington D.C., March 1996 -- Accredited Standards Committee X3, Information Technology announces approval of this new project being developed within Technical Committee, X3B11, Optical Digital Data Disks. Note: This draft international standard is being processed simultaneously as an American National Standard and an International Standard. This standard will specify:

the physical, mechanical and optical properties of the disk and case;
the operational, storage, and shipping environmental requirements for the disk and case;
the recording format of a record, track and the disk;
the format, recording location, and use of the defective sector information;
the required signal levels for all pre-recorded and recorded information of the rewritable and read-only type on a 3.5 inch diameter optical disk with a data capacity in excess of 650 megabytes per side;
the format & recording of the control track information pre-recorded on the disk.
the conformance requirements and testing methods to assure interchangability of the disk and case.

Additionally, the standard will specify three related, but different implementations of such cartridges Type O/W, Type P-ROM, and Type O-ROM. Any individuals or organizations who are materially affected, have an interest, and wish to participate should contact the Chairman of X3B11, Mr. Patrick Sandell, Opticord, Inc., 707 Vermont Street, Palatine, IL 60067. Telephne: 708-705-1952. An initial call for possible patents and other pertinent issues (copyrights, trademarks) is now being issued. Please submit information on these issues to the X3 Secretariat at 1250 Eye Street NW, Suite 200, Washington DC 20005. Email: x3sec@itic.nw.dc.us FAX: (202)638-4922.

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