Myce was formerly known as CDFreaks and has always been the number one authority on optical storage. One of the big players in this market has been Optiarc, which started as a joint venture between Sony and NEC but now is 100% Sony owned. The company has been manufacturing optical drives which were well known as the firmware of their CD and DVD burners could be changed to add functionality or to remove restrictions on the drive.
Unfortunately the Japan Times reports that at the 31st of March 2013 the company will no longer produce optical drives for PC's. Optiarc will not be totally closed down, as the company will continue to produce optical pick up heads for consumer electronic products such as BD and DVD players and recorders. The reason for withdrawing from the PC optical storage market is the lower demand and increased competition.
