http://www.nwfusion.com/edge/topics/optical.html The latest optical news and analysis from NetworkWorld.com. Network World, Inc. Copyright(C) 1994 - 2009 Network World, Inc. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/100809-reese-ciena-prepped-to-pay-more-for-nortel.html A  mere five days before Ciena announced its deal to purchase Nortel's Metro Ethernet Networks business, Ciena was prepared to pay $10 million in cash more for it. Network World staff 2009-10-08T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/100509-nortel-ciena-metro-ethernet.html Ciena is in advanced discussions to acquire Nortel's Metro Ethernet Networks (MEN) business unit, both companies confirmed Monday. Jim Duffy 2009-10-05T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2009/093009-lg-electronics-wh08ls20-blu-ray.html Blu-ray is on the road to becoming mainstream, if LG's WH08LS20 internal SATA-interface burner is any indication. My experience with it was sublime; the drive functioned smoothly, and came with all the software I needed to burn any disc I wanted, including Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, and CDs. One thing I particularly liked about the WH08LS20 was the shorter-than-normal lag when identifying discs. If you've ever had to wait 10 or 15 seconds for Explorer to refresh when you stick a disc in a drive, you know the phenomenon of which I speak. Jon L. Jacobi 2009-09-30T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2009/092909-buffalos-br-816su2-external-blu-ray.html Buffalo's BR-816SU2 external USB/eSATA Blu-ray burner ($310 as of 9/3/09) is a winner, at least in performance--in my tests the drive performed as advertised, writing in times commensurate with its rating. It also played Blu-ray movies nicely, without stutters or slowdowns. Jon L. Jacobi 2009-09-29T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/052709-verizon-trials-100g.html Verizon Business took its next step toward deploying 100Gbps by trialing its 100G optical service with the United Kingdom's national research and education network, JANET. Brad Reed 2009-05-27T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/052109-researchers-use-nanotech-to-create.html Researchers at an Australian university used nanotechnology to create an exponentially more dense recording medium that could allow a DVD-style disc to hold up to 10TB in the next five to 10 years. Lucas Mearian 2009-05-21T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/lans/2009/051809lan2.html Motorola this week introduced its Passive Optical LAN technology for enterprise networks. At the Interop trade show in Las Vegas, Motorola unveiled POL, which brings gigabit passive optical networking, or GPON, to enterprise backbones. Jeff Caruso 2009-05-21T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/042709-ge-crams-500gb-of-data.html General Electric Global Research says it has figured out a way to put up to 500GB of data on a regular-sized DVD disc under laboratory conditions. GE says its breakthrough was achieved by writing 3-dimensional patterns that represent data onto a disc made of highly reflective material. The disc then acts as a mirror that makes it possible for a laser to pick up the entire piece of data. GE's process doesn't just put information onto the surface of the disc--as DVDs and CDs do--but etches the micro-holographic patterns below the surface of the disc as well. Ian Paul 2009-04-27T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/041609-if-blu-ray-is-dying-why.html Will Blu-ray finally get some respect? The high-definition optical disc format has long been the whipping boy of media pundits, many of whom predict consumers will spurn Blu-ray and gravitate instead toward video-on-demand, online download, and movie streaming services. Blu-ray is old school, they say, a relic of the bygone era of physical media, despite the fact that it bested challenger HD DVD in 2008 after a two-year high-def format war. Jeff Bertolucci 2009-04-16T12:00:00-04:00 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/033009-netflix-raises-blu-ray-fees-time.html Buying a new movie on Blu-ray may be getting cheaper these days, but renting one is actually getting more expensive. Netflix has announced it's raising its Blu-ray surcharges, replacing the US$1-a-month flat rate introduced last fall with a new tiered alternative. Translation: Your bill will go up by anywhere from $1 to $8 per month, depending on which plan you've chosen. Jr Raphael 2009-03-30T12:00:00-04:00