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- Optical Storage
With Sanyo, Sony and Hitachi manufacturing most of the world's Blu-ray pick-up heads (PUHs), many smaller companies have been faced with ongoing shortages. To boost the supply, optical drive manufacturers from Taiwan and Japan have joined together to open their own Blu-ray PUH facility in the Central Taiwan Science Park. According to the Taiwan Economic News, the facility will eventally have 15 production lines, capable of producing 18 million pick-up heads a year.
Seven manufacturers of optic-disc drives from Taiwan and Japan yesterday announced their plan to open 15 lines for Blu-ray optical pickup unit production in the Central Taiwan Science Park at a cost of NT$2.5 billion (US$75 million at US$1:NT$33).
The seven manufacturers include Forward Electronics Co., Ltd. (Taiwan), Genius Electronic Optical Co., Ltd. (Taiwan), Tera Autotech Corp., Inc. (Taiwan), Sunext Technology Co., Ltd. (Taiwan), and TDK-owned SAE Magnetic Ltd. (Japan).
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- Flash Memory
SanDisk Corporation, the global leader in flash memory cards, today introduced a new line of SanDisk Extreme® Pro™ CompactFlash® memory cards, setting a new standard for fast, reliable, high-capacity memory cards designed for professional photographers. SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash cards feature a new SanDisk® Power Core Controller™, an advanced memory controller that enables lightning-fast read and write speeds of up to 90MB/s, doubling the performance from previous SanDisk high-end camera memory cards. The cards are shipping worldwide now with storage capacities ranging from 16 gigabytes (GB) to 64GB.
“The new SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash line is the direct result of SanDisk’s passion, commitment, and break-through engineering innovation to provide best-in-class flash memory cards for professional photography,” said Eric Bone, vice president, retail product marketing, SanDisk. “The SanDisk Power Core Controller delivers unmatched write speed and reliability, providing photographers with a spectacular combination of performance, capacity and peace of mind that images are safely stored.”
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- Flash Memory
Active Media Products (AMP), manufacturer of netbook SSD upgrades and unique USB drives including the Obama drive, today announced a 3-pack of WWF endangered species USB drives that includes a Panda drive, a Penguin drive and a Polar Bear drive packaged in an elegant gift box. These Windows® 7 compatible USB drives are crafted in the likeness of endangered species and benefit WWF.
The panda, penguin and polar bear drives are designed for carrying data on the go. Each drive measures only about 2.2-inches in length and includes a keychain for attaching the drive to a backpack, zipper pull or keys. These lead-free and PVC-free drives are made of soft non-toxic silicone rubber. The WWF Trio is an ideal gift. AMP offers the Trio as a triple pack of 1GB, 2GB, 4GB or 8GB USB drives, and contributes five percent of the retail price of this product line to WWF.
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- Optical Storage
Sonic Solutions, today announced that a broad and diverse range of professional authoring facilities across Europe have recently acquired Scenarist(R) BD systems, representing a major expansion of the region's Blu-ray Disc (BD) production capacity. The newly Sonic-equipped BD-capable studios, which include premier facilities in the United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Italy, Poland, and Russia, underscore Pan-European confidence in BD as an immediate and long-term growth and profit opportunity in professional content production.
"For years Sonic has provided the technology, products and support that have enabled facilities across Europe to produce millions of DVD titles. Now, as BD has proven its appeal in the European market with significant player expansion and title sales over the last 12 months, Sonic is on-hand to provide the products and expertise our customers need as they expand their business services with BD," said Chris Neely, VP of European Operations, Sonic Solutions. "With owners of movie content eager to build on BD's momentum, Sonic has been able to tap the resulting demand for BD production capacity with products like Scenarist BD and CineVision(R) which combine proven performance and stability with a feature set tailored to the needs of the post-format-launch era. We've invested in a strong product line to make sure we're able to meet the demanding needs of our family of customers as they take advantage of this growing market opportunity."
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- Hard Disks
WD®, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced its new, smaller, sleeker My Book® Essential™ and My Book for Mac® desktop external hard drives equipped with the new WD SmartWare™ software and hardware-based encryption. The new appliances visually present consumers' data in a software control center, providing them peace of mind that their precious photos, videos and files are securely protected. Available now at select retailers and the WD online store (shopwd.com), the new My Book Essential and My Book for Mac drives are offered in capacities ranging from 500 GB to 2 TB.
According to research firm Parks Associates, the average U.S. broadband household currently has over 120 gigabytes (GB) of digital media and files, which is expected to grow to over 1 terabyte (TB) of data by 2013. The accelerating shift from physical media (such as photo negatives, CDs and DVDs) to digital media (such as digital photos, videos and downloads) means that consumers' real lives and digital lives are increasingly overlapping. And while 70 percent of consumers back up their content, the majority of these people are using manual, cumbersome methods such as copying and pasting to multiple CDs and DVDs, and less than 18 percent use software that automatically and continuously backs up their content. As a result, many consumers' digital lives are unprotected and at risk.
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- Hard Disks
Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., the industry pioneer in small form factor hard disk drives (HDDs), today introduced a new line of 1.8-inch HDDs with up to 160GB of capacity in a single-platter, five-millimeter-high design targeted for next-generation portable media players, digital video cameras and other consumer electronics products.
Toshiba's new MKxx34GAL family of 1.8-inch HDDs offers consumer electronics manufacturers a thin and light package with the industry's highest storage capacity, best power consumption efficiency, most durability and quietest seek operation of any HDD on the market.
Equipped with a PATA interface, 4,200 RPM rotational speed and acoustic-reduction features, Toshiba's MKxx34GAL HDD is ideal for audio and video playback applications that require high-capacity in a small footprint with quiet operation to maximize the entertainment experience of the host device. Leveraging Toshiba's long history of technology expertise in miniaturization and the 1.8-inch HDD form factor, the MKxx34GAL is the quietest hard drive produced because of its size and the advanced acoustic management techniques that Toshiba has incorporated into all of its recent mobile HDD platforms.
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- Home Entertainment
Sharp today expands its suite of Blu-ray players with the introduction of the Full HD 1080p BD-HP52U AQUOS® Blu-ray Disc™ (BD) player. When paired with an AQUOS HDTV Liquid Crystal television, consumers can enjoy the latest Blu-ray Disc titles, as well as standard-definition DVDs, in the highest resolution possible. The BD-HP52U will also provide consumers access to premium streaming video content for a first-class home theater experience. The BD-HP52U also adds advanced audio decoding, additional playback options and Deep Color™ for the purest color available on video images, as well as an RS-232 port for management by external control systems.
The BD-HP52U supports BD-ROM Profile 2.0 for BD Live interactive features through an Ethernet jack-enabled Internet connection. Users can download and stream bonus content such as additional scenes, shorts, trailers and multi-player interactive games, providing the consumer full access to content otherwise unattainable.
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- Hard Disks
WD®, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced its smaller, smarter and more secure My Passport™ Essential™ and My Passport for Mac® ultra-portable external hard drives featuring WD's new WD SmartWare™ software and equipped with hardware-based encryption. The new My Passport drives are more than 20 percent smaller than the previous generation My Passport.
The new portable drives with WD SmartWare software visually present consumers' data in a control center, providing them peace of mind that their precious photos, videos and files are securely protected. Available now at select retailers and the WD online store (shopwd.com), the new My Passport Essential and My Passport for Mac drives are offered in capacities ranging from 320 GB to 1 TB and come in a range of colors including Pacific Blue, Real Red, Cool Silver and Midnight Black.
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- Flash Memory
The rapid advances in computer processing technology has seen CPU and memory speeds outstrip that of conventional mechanical hard disks. This is why it is increasingly being replaced by newer Solid State Disk (SSD) technology. To meet the overclocking needs of high-level enthusiasts, Team Group Inc. has once again leveraged its extensive technical expertise to launch the all-new Xtreem SSD series. First in the series are the Xtreem G1 and Xtreem R-type.
In addition to being quiet, light, energy-saving and shock resistant, the Xtreem G1 and R-type pushes SSD read speeds to a breath-taking 260MB/sec and write speeds to a respectable 180Mb/sec. Compared to thick, heavy conventional 7200RPM HDDs with a read speed of just 80MB/sec and write speed of just 60MB/sec, Team's Xtreem SSD is a Ferrari that easily pushes the edges of the speed envelope.
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- Network Storage
LG Electronics introduced a new Network Attached Storage option for consumers looking to protect their multimedia entertainment files, this week at Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) EXPO 2009 (Booth #2623).
To help safeguard treasured family memories, photos and music, LG's Network Attached Storage (NAS) model N2R1 uses a proven system of multiple hard drives used for sharing and replicating data to prevent possible damage or loss. Called RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Discs), this system automatically backs up and restores files for added security in the event of a hardware failure.
With up to two Tera-bytes (TB) of storage, the N2R1 provides a wealth of storage capabilities, allowing consumers to continue building their digital libraries of music, movies and other multimedia files. For an enhanced level of convenience, the N2R1 includes a DVD Re-Writer and Playback feature for additional back up or file sharing options.
