DataPlay postpones disc release

Start-up DataPlay says it will delay the release of its 500MB discs until the first quarter of next year. The discs, which were expected this fall, will hold 11 hours of compressed music, or seven to 10 albums. A company representative said the setback "is due to the delays in the mass production of the engine," which plays the discs. DataPlay's discs are about the size of a quarter and should cost around $10 apiece.

In June, the Boulder, Colo.-based company signed a deal with data-storage company Imation to manufacturer blank and prerecorded discs in the company's new-media format. Two months later, DataPlay partnered with digital rights management software company InterTrust Technologies to gain security for its blank and prerecorded discs. DataPlay is betting that its discs eventually will replace CDs, which are considered to be a source of online music piracy.