SAI - The Leader in UDF Solutions

SAI has been working on UDF longer than any other software developer. We started before it was called UDF. We helped co-author the standard and continue to be a leading member of the Optical Storage Trade Association.

SAI has the world's first and most comprehensive line of UDF file system support for personal computer storage devices. Products are available in English, Japanese, French, German, Spanish & Italian language versions. The UDF Developer Toolkit is available in an English version only.

All SAI products are OSTA UDF compliant. This means that SAI follows the spirit, intent and goal of UDF, which is troublefree interchange of disks. Some other companies may produce UDF products, but they may not be 100% compliant (meaning that you have to buy their other products and are not automatically readable by Microsoft and Apple readers).

SAI's UDF products are compatible with the built in UDF reader support in MS Windows 98, Me & 2000, XP and Windows Server 2003; and Mac OS 8, 9 and X. Furthermore SAI is the only company to support all versions of UDF.

• V1.0.2 - Basic file system as used by DVD video players (ie rental movies)
• V1.5.0 - Support for CD-R and CD-RW drives and media
• V2.0.0 - Support for NT streaming.
• V2.0.1 - Support for Video Recording Files (ability to copy, read and delete VOR files)
• V2.5 and 2.6 are pending release
  
  Click here for PDF document to learn more about UDF

UDF Product and Support Overview

UDF�stands for Univeral Disk Format�and file system. Originally specified for DVD, the UDF format is fast becoming the new international format standard for all types of storage devices because it ensures that disks can be properly used on all types of computer systems, on large storage devices and consumer digital appliances.

UDF was the file system selected by the computer and entertainment industries to enable complete data interchange between computer-based and entertainment-based media ("digital convergence"). The initial goal is to enable disc interchange between different vendors' computer, video players and home entertainment systems. The overall goal of UDF is to facilitate data interchange independent of hardware, software and operating system by standardizing on the way the information is stored and organized on the disk.

UDF is based upon the International Standards Organization's (ISO) ISO-13346 standard and the implementation guidelines are published by the Optical Storage Technology Association (www.osta.org).

UDF represents a key element to developing, mastering and playing the future family of optical discs such as DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, CD-RW and CD-ROM. For example, with the initial deliveries of DVD discs in one of two basic formats: DVD-Video and DVD-ROM, strict adherence to international standards is necessary to provide broad-based compatibility and accessibility to the content provided.

The effectiveness of adhering to international standards is best illustrated with CD-ROMs and ISO-9660. Developed to ensure first generation CD-ROM interchange across multiple operating systems, the ISO-9660 file system was fundamental in establishing an installed based of conventional CD-ROM drives estimated to exceed 40 million. Yet ISO-9660 was based upon audio CD-ROMs is inadequate for larger and more complicated files and for the higher capacity, recordable and erasable discs. As a result, UDF was chosen as the file system of choice for the coming generation of DVD and other devices and media.

Advantages of the UDF file format include:

• Supports very large capacity disks.
  UDF can store and manage data at the terabyte level on a single volume. UDF is the ONLY way to ensure proper use of high capacity disks. For example, Windows file system FAT 16 does not allow for larger than 2gbyte volumes in legacy operating systems and only 4gbytes on newer ones. The OSTA UDF specification allows for 1 terabyte and above volume sizes in UDF. UDF was designed for high capacity storage and for interchangability between operating systems. UDF is the ONLY way to ensure proper use of high capacity disks and the new large hard disk drives.
  
• UDF supports the Unicode character set for compatibility with foreign language files and systems.
  
• UDF is a standard format controlled by an industry organization (OSTA) that, with the appropriate software, can be applied for use on any proprietary operating system. This format is suitable for data archival purposes where the recovery of data may be in the future when operating systems have changed.
  
• UDF File transfer rates can be optimized for large files, such as digital video.
  
• UDF supports file "extended attributes", that are used by some operating systems
  
• UDF supports long file names beyond the limits of most operating systems
  
• UDF provides an international standard for read only, recordable and re-writable disks to be formatted to, to enable disk interchange between a large variety of computer systems and digital consumer devices, such as DVD devices.