Plextor Europe sent out a press release this morning, announcing its first external Blu-ray drive. Along with support for both FireWire and USB 2.0, the PX-B920UF features 4x BD-R, 4x BD-R DL and 2x BD-RE writing speeds and is capable of playing back both Blu-ray and HD DVD movies.  The drive will be available through European retailers at the end of this month.

plextor px-b920uf.jpg

Leading optical drive manufacturer and storage expert Plextor announces its first external ReWriter drive for burning high capacity Blu-ray discs – the PX-B920UF. Offering up to 50GB storage capacity (double layer), the dual-format drive is capable of writing Blu-ray discs at 4x (BD-R) and also plays HD-DVD ROM discs.

This fast drive is ideal for users serious about their storage and movies - and with both USB2.0 and FireWire connectivity, it’s compatible with Mac and PC systems. In addition, Plextor has added extra convenience by including LightScribe technology to enable custom text and designs to be printed/burned onto discs.

Developed from the company’s existing internal range of Blu-ray drives, the technology is experiencing serious demand from high-end users.  Rudy de Meirsman, Sales & Marketing Manager of Plextor Europe, explains: “Blu-ray drives are really taking off as HD movies become popular, availability increases and prices come down. Consumers still want high end, high reliability premium drives as part of their PC/audiovisual setup, despite the economic slowdown.”

Add a comment

Optiarc Europe announced a new external slimline DVD burner this week. The DRX-S70U-R is capable of 8x DVD±R, 4x DVD±R DL and 5x DVD-RAM writing speeds and a maximum DVD read speed of 8x. It also sports a stylish black and silver design and is both Windows and Mac compatible.

optiarc drx-s70u-r.png

At less than two centimetres in height and weighing only 440 grams, the DRX-S70U-R easily fits into any item of hand luggage without making it difficult to carry. This aesthetic DVD burner in a stylishly subtle black and silver design looks good on any table top and blends perfectly into any environment. The DRX-S70U-R is also a versatile piece of equipment. It is Mac and Windows compatible and can process all standard DVD and CD formats. With comprehensive software and NERO 8 express software for Microsoft Windows as standard, the burner is also ideal for multimedia applications.
The DRX-S70U-R writes to DVD±R and DVD+RW blanks at 8x speed. It achieves 6x speed writing to DVD-RW media and 5x speed writing to DVD-RAMs, 4x speed writing to DVD-R DLs and DVD+R9s and 24x speed writing to CDs. The drive reads DVD-ROMs at 8x speed and CD-ROMs at 24x speed.

CoolerMaster 932 HAF Case @ High Tech Reviews
ECS GF9300T-A Black Series GeForce 9300 Motherboard @ Bigbruin.com
Evercool Transformer 6 CPU Cooler @ BCCHardware
GIGABYTE EP45-UD3P Motherboard @ TweakTown
Honeywell Airlite 900 Bluetooth Speakerphone @ Benchmark Reviews
HTC Touch Diamond & Touch Pro @ InsideHW
Lenovo IdeaPad S10 Netbook @ Hardware Zone
MSI Radeon HD 4850 Video Card R4850-512M @ Benchmark Reviews
Norco DS-500 eSata RAID Storage Array @ Tweaknews.net
NZXT Guardian 921 Case @ Rbmods
OCZ Technology Alchemy Series Elixir I Keyboard @ Bigbruin.com
Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM 24 Inch LCD Monitor @ Futurelooks
SanDisk Sansa Fuze @ Hardware Zone
Thermaltake PW850i Watercooling Kit @ High Tech Reviews
Vantec AeroFlow FX 92 CPU Cooler @ ThinkComputers.org

Add a comment

Optiarc Europe announced today that it will be distributing the retail version of Sony's new 8x Blu-ray Disc writer. The BWU-300S offers 8x BD-R, 8x BD-R DL and 2x BD-RE writing speeds as well as a maximum BD-ROM read speed of 8x.

sony bwu-300s retail box europe.png

The new BWU-300S model burns single and dual layer BD-R media at up to 8X speed, recording a full 25GB disc in about 15 minutes and a full 50GB disc in about 30 minutes. The 8X recording speed is achieved using 6X compatible BD-R media. The drive also records DVDs at up to 16X, CDs up to 48X, and supports DVD-RAM recording, with an eye towards data backup, making it an excellent replacement burner for a standard DVD drive while offering all the benefits of Blu-ray Disc technology. Also included with the drive is CyberLink’s software suite for capturing, authoring, editing, burning, and viewing high-definition personal content.
“The BWU-300S provides consumers with the opportunity to experience high-definition movie playback and to output high-definition video on a Blu-ray Disc,” said Thomas Nedder, Managing Director of Optiarc. “The new Blu-ray Disc writer achieves a new level of performance and we are providing also the industry’s most complete software bundle to finish high-definition personal content.”

Intel has begun to ship its new enterprise-class solid-state drives (SSDs). The Intel X-25E Extreme SATA Solid-State Drive features 50nm single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory and is capable of 250MB/s read and 170MB/s write speeds. The 32GB capacity drive is in production and is priced at $695. A 64GB version is expected to go into production in the first quarter of 2009.

intel x-25e ssd.png

Intel Corporation has begun shipping its highest-performing solid-state drive (SSD), the Intel® X-25E Extreme SATA Solid-State Drive, aimed at server, workstation and storage systems. Unlike mechanical drives, the SSDs contain no moving parts and instead feature 50nm single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory technology. Systems equipped with these drives will not suffer from the performance bottlenecks associated with conventional drives. By reducing the total infrastructure, cooling and energy costs, SSDs can lower total cost of ownership for enterprise applications by more than five times.

Hard disk drive performance has not kept pace with Moores Law, said Kirk Skaugen, general manager, Intel Server Platforms group. Intels high-performance SSDs unleash the full performance of the latest Intel Xeon processor-based systems while increasing reliability and lowering the total cost of ownership for a broad range of server and storage workloads.

Add a comment

Plextor Europe sent out a press release earlier today, announcing its new external 20x DVD writer. Along with support for both FireWire and USB 2.0, the PX-830UF features 20x DVD±R, 12x DVD±R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds.

plextor px-830uf.jpg

Plextor launches the latest update to its external DVD Rewriter family – the high end Plextor PX-830UF. This fast 20x drive is ideal for all users looking for the latest optical speeds and with both USB2.0 and FireWire connectivity, it is compatible with both Mac and PC systems.

Rudy De Meirsman, Sales & Marketing Manager at Plextor, says: “Fast external drives, such as the 20x Plextor PX-830UF, are particularly useful for laptop users without optical drives, for example the latest small form-factor ultra-portable PCs and the MacBook Air. Plus anyone looking for a reliable drive in their home or office setup.”

Building on the success of the external PX-810UF 18x DVD ReWriter, the PX-830UF offers the latest burning speeds for professional and enthusiast users, through to anyone looking for a stylish addition or upgrade to their home/office set-up. Simply connect the unit using a USB or FireWire cable supplied, and you’re off!

Add a comment

SanDisk announced today that the first slotMusic cards have begun to ship to retailers. These cards come pre-loaded with high quality (320kbps), DRM-free MP3 music from more than 40 top artists.  With 1GB of capacity, they can also hold liner notes, album art, videos, and whatever other content that an artist may choose. slotMusic cards will be available at retailers like Best Buy and Wal-Mart for a suggested retail price of $14.99.

slotmusic card.png

The world’s four largest music companies and SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), a leading seller of MP3 players and flash memory cards in the United States, today unveiled the full list of artists joining the inaugural slotMusic line-up. Starting this week, music fans can purchase slotMusic cards—microSD™ cards with pre-loaded, high quality, DRM-free MP3 music—featuring new release albums from favorite artists like Coldplay, Katy Perry, Leona Lewis, Rihanna and Robin Thicke and catalog titles from Elvis, Abba and more. Within days of shipping, slotMusic cards will arrive on the shelves of Best Buy and Wal-Mart in the United States, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $14.99.

slotMusic makes today’s hottest music available on interoperable microSD cards that let fans instantly plug and play albums into their microSD slot-enabled mobile phones, portable media players, computers, and an increasing number of car stereos

More than just your typical music albums or single downloads, slotMusic cards boast 1GB (gigabyte) of capacity to offer artists a compelling new way to express themselves to their fans. In addition to songs, slotMusic cards may hold liner notes, album art, videos and other creative content that an artist may choose.

In support of the new format, SanDisk has also launched its new Sansa slotMusic Player. This $19.99 player will play back slotMusic cards as well as MP3 and WMA files from any microSD card.

Add a comment

NETGEAR has announced the availability of the industry’s first six-bay desktop network-attached storage solution (NAS). Designed for small and medium-sized businesses, the ReadyNAS Pro is available in 1.5TB, 3TB and 6TB capacities and offers support for RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6 and NETGEAR's auto-expandable X-RAID2 technology.

netgear readynas pro.png

NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically advanced, branded networking solutions, today announced worldwide availability of the industry’s first six-bay desktop network-attached storage solution (NAS) for small- and medium-sized businesses. Designed specifically to meet the centralized network storage needs of up to 200-user SMBs, NETGEAR’s ReadyNAS® Pro Gigabit Desktop Storage family delivers high availability, high performance, expandability, and serviceability in a cost-effective unit that is easy to use and quick to deploy. The ReadyNAS Pro product line is available in storage capacities of 1.5TB (RNDP6350), 3TB (RNDP6310), and 6TB (RNDP6610) – broadening the company’s already successful, award-winning ReadyNAS product portfolio that has established NETGEAR as one of the fastest-growing players in the NAS market.

Add a comment

DivX, Inc.  and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced today that they have signed an agreement that will enable retailers to offer Warner Bros. titles in DivX format. The agreement covers Warner's entire catalogue, including current and back-catalogue movies and television programs. The first titles will be available in DivX standard definition format later this month, with high defintion coming in September 2009.

DivX, Inc. (NASDAQ:DIVX) and Warner Bros. Entertainment today announced an agreement that will enable online retailers to offer Warner Bros. titles in the high-quality DivX® standard definition format in October 2008 and high definition format in September 2009 for playback on DivX Certified® consumer electronics devices.

The wide-ranging agreement covers all titles available for digital distribution in the Warner Bros. catalogue including current and back-catalogue major motion pictures and television programs. All titles offered in the DivX format are compatible with a variety of DivX Certified devices from major consumer electronics brands, including DVD players, Blu-ray devices, gaming consoles and more. The agreement allows retailers who sign additional agreements with DivX and Warner Bros. to offer Warner titles in the DivX digital media format.

Add a comment

Pioneer Electronics sent out a press release this morning, announcing its first Qflix-enabled DVD writers. With the DVR-2920Q and DVR-X162Q, consumers can purchase and download movies directly from the Internet and then create a permanent copy that can be played back on standard DVD players. The two drives also offer 20x DVD±R writing speeds as well as support for features like Pioneer's Optimal Write Speed function.

pioneer dvr-x162q qflix.png

Advancing the current state of digital downloading for entertainment fans everywhere, Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today introduces two DVD/CD computer writers featuring Qflix™ DVD Download & Burn technology, enabling users to download their favorite movies directly from the Internet to DVD. As personal computers become media centers for many consumers, the new Pioneer® internal DVR-2920Q and external DVR-X162Q DVD/CD writers allow users to take advantage of this exciting technology while expanding their entertainment collections with a tangible, familiar media that will maintain into the future.

Jointly developed by Pioneer and Sonic Solutions®, Qflix is an emerging DVD technology that gives consumers the opportunity to purchase licensed Hollywood films, and eventually TV shows, from CinemaNow, some of which have previously been unavailable at retail.

Add a comment