Without fanfare or formal announcement, it has come to our attention that Falcon Technologies International (FTI) has stopped manufacturing recordable Blu-ray discs (BD-R).

Founded in 2004 by the former head of replication equipment supplier Multi Media Masters & Machinery (4M), as well as local government and other investors, FTI operates out of Ras Al Khaimah (United Arab Emirates). Supplying writable optical media to the commercial, government and institutional markets, the company launched its Blu-ray production in 2008 (employing licensed TDK technology) and continues to offer recordable CDs and DVDs under its own and other brands.

With ongoing industry consolidation and diminishing OEM opportunities, it is not surprising for FTI to rethink its position and sharpen its focus.

Contacted for comment, a representative remarked that the company is seeing increasingly “lower demand for professional grade BD-R” in favour of “consumer grade” products, “[and this] does not match with FTI philosophy and business strategy.”