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18 September 2008

The DVD Forum held their 43rd Steering Committee meeting earlier this week. Among other things, the group approved the physical and file system specifications for single and dual layer DVD-Download discs. Interestingly enough, the group also took the time to approve the file system specifcations for the 51GB HD DVD-ROM. Here are some of the highlights from the meeting:

Approval of 
• DVD Specifications for Download Disc (DVD-Download) Part 2 File System Specifications Version 1.0
• DVD Specifications for Download Disc for Dual Layer (DVD-Download for DL) Part 2 File System Specifications Version 1.9 Approved

Approval of 
DVD Specifications for High Density Read-Only Disc (HD DVD-ROM 51G) Part 2 File System Specifications Version 2.0 Approved

Approval of 
• DVD Specifications for Download Disc (DVD-Download) Part 1 Physical Specifications Version 1.0
• DVD Specifications for Download Disc for Dual Layer (DVD-Download for DL) Part 1 Physical Specifications Version 2.0 Approved

Approval of 
Class-A Verification Lab of ALMEDIO for DVD-Video Disc Approved

Approval of 
VPC membership of ALMEDIO

If you'd like to read more, the Steering Committee's entire list of resolutions can be found here.

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Home Entertainment

18 September 2008

Memorex announced today that it will be shipping its first Blu-ray Disc player this fall. The MVBD-2510 supports BonusView, 1080/60p and 24p video output the decoding of advanced audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD. Best of all, Memorex's new player has a suggested retail price of only $269.00. 

Memorex, a portfolio brand of Imation Corp (NYSE: IMN), announced today the availability of the Memorex MVBD-2510 Blu-ray Disc Player featuring advanced Blu-ray Disc (BD) entertainment technology at an outstanding value of less than $270. Memorex also announced that it has expanded its specialty Blu-ray Disc offerings to include a full-line of BD cleaning and storage accessories.

"Our customers want products that bring entertainment into their homes, but at a family-friendly price," said Carla Pihowich, Memorex brand director, Imation Corp. "With this in mind, we have introduced a Blu-ray Disc player that offers consumers the full high-definition viewing experience, but at a price that almost anyone can afford. The high-definition movie experience, with its sharp details and amazing sound quality, is one that brings families and friends together."

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Software

18 September 2008

Primera Technology, Inc., the world's leading developer and manufacturer of CD, DVD, and Blu-ray Disc(TM) duplication and printing equipment, today announced its new PTProtect(TM) Software.  PTProtect is seamlessly integrated into Primera's PTPublisher(TM) v1.3.0 (or greater) duplication software. It provides a reliable yet effective anti-rip solution for protecting DVD video without adding extra steps to existing workflow processes.

PTProtect software is applied to the DVD image just before burning. When content is burned to a disc it is encapsulated to prevent common ripping programs from having access to it.  The content on the DVD is not modified in any way. Copy control encapsulation resides in areas of the discs not read by DVD players, so the play-back quality remains unaffected.

PTProtect copy controlled discs have full playability designed to match the same playability levels in DVD players as unprotected DVDs. In essence, PTProtected discs are designed to provide effective "speed-bump” protection to combat unauthorized casual copying.

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17 September 2008

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Hard Disks

17 September 2008

Iomega sent out a press release today, announcing its new eGo Helium portable hard drive. This ultra-thin drive offers 320GB of storage and can be powered off a computer's USB bus. The eGo Helium also sports a sleek design that matches that of Apple's Macbook Air.

Iomega, an EMC company (NYSE: EMC) and a global leader in data protection and security, today announced the exciting new Iomega® eGo™ Helium portable hard drive USB 2.0 320GB*, a perfect match for the style and incremental storage needs of Apple's revolutionary MacBook Air™ notebook.

On display this week at the Apple Expo tradeshow in Paris, the new eGo Helium portable drive brings the MacBook Air™ notebook's aesthetic to Iomega's wildly popular eGo portable hard drive. In addition to the drive's portable storage, the eGo Helium also harnesses the benefits of cloud computing with Mozy™ online backup service, giving users incredible value and security for securely storing, protecting and accessing important files.

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Home Entertainment

17 September 2008

At the HDTV 2008 conference, DisplaySearch projected that consumers will buy 2.38 million Blu-ray players this year, up from about 700,000 in 2007. They also stated that with prices continuing to fall and the rapid adoption of HDTVs, unit sales of standalone Blu-ray players will double to 5.31 million next year.

Global unit sales of standalone Blu-ray players will triple this year and will double next year as prices fall, more titles are released and a larger percentage of the population own high-definition TVs, researchers for NPD Group unit DisplaySearch said at its HDTV 2008 conference at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel here.

Worldwide consumers will buy 2.38 million Blu-ray set-top players this year and 5.31 million next year, up from about 700,000 in 2007, said Paul Gagnon, DisplaySearch director of North America TV research, at the conference. With such a surge in standalone players, Sony's PlayStation 3 consoles, which include Blu-ray players, will no longer be the biggest selling Blu-ray hardware source by 2010, Gagnon said.

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Optical Storage

17 September 2008

Imation announced today that it will begin shipping its TDK Life on Record Blu-ray 6x media to the U.S retail market in October. Available in both 25GB and 50GB capacities, these new discs have a maximum data transfer speed of 216Mbps.

Imation Corp. (NYSE: IMN), exclusive licensee of the "TDK Life on Record" recording media brand, today announced the first 6x Blu-ray recordable (BD-R) and Blu-ray recordable double layer (BD-R DL) media for the U.S. retail market. Imation is also launching a full line of TDK Life on Record Blu-ray disc cleaning and storage accessories to protect and maintain high-definition content on this new media format.

"As more consumers create new digital memories in high definition, those memories will be relived on Blu-ray media," said Jean-Paul Eekhout, global brand director of the TDK Life of Record brand, Imation Corp. "The TDK Life on Record brand continues to be a sought-after Blu-ray pioneer both as the first- to-market with 6x Blu-ray recordable media, and for unique technology and accessories that make TDK Blu-ray media more durable and compatible with Blu-ray players."

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Home Entertainment

17 September 2008

While the sales of DVD's are flattening, its not the fault of digital downloads. A new report by NPD shows that Americans still spend most of their movie budget on buying and renting DVDs. According to the report, consumers spent 81% on DVD purchases or rentals with only 0.5% going toward TV shows or movies downloaded from the web.

DVDs are still the most popular format when it comes to how U.S. consumers choose to purchase movies and other video content. On average, U.S. consumers spend $8 out of every $10 of their budgets buying or renting DVDs, according to information presented today by The NPD Group’s Senior Industry Analyst for entertainment, Russ Crupnick, at the DisplaySearch HDTV 2008 Conference in Hollywood, Calif. Less-than one percent of Americans’ movie budget is currently spent downloading movies and TV shows from the Web.

“Everyone is guessing when video on demand and digital downloads will spell the end for packaged media” Crupnick said. “At this point, though, digital video is still an extremely small part of overall consumer entertainment spending.”

According to information from NPD’s recent “Entertainment Trends in America” report, 41 percent of dollars budgeted for movies and video was spent on DVD movie purchases, 11 percent for purchases of TV programs on DVD, and 29 percent on DVD rentals (including Netflix and other video-subscription services). In addition, 18 percent is spent on movie tickets, but just 0.5 percent is currently spent on renting or purchasing TV shows or movies in digital format from the Web.

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Flash Memory

17 September 2008

Super Talent announced today that it has added two new series to its MasterDrive family of Solid State Drives (SSDs). Based on anew multi-channel SATA-II controller, the MLC-based MasterDrive OX is available in capacities up to 128GB and is capable of 150 MB/sec read and 100 MB/sec write speeds. The SLC-based MasterDrive PX offers greater reliability and endurance as well as support for170MB/s read and 130MB/sec write speeds.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today added two new series of SSD products in their MasterDrive family that deliver substantially faster performance than existing SSDs.

These new SSDs are based on a sophisticated new multi-channel SATA-II (3.0 Gbits per sec) controller. The MasterDrive OX uses MLC NAND Flash to transfer data at speeds up to 150 MB/sec (sequential read) and 100 MB/sec (sequential write). The MasterDrive OX is offered in capacities up to 128GB, and is backed with a 1-year warranty.

The MasterDrive PX employs SLC NAND Flash to deliver the best possible reliability and endurance. Furthermore, it supports breath-taking sequential read and write speeds, up to 170 and 130 MB/sec read and write speeds respectively. MasterDrive PX SSDs are available in 32 and 64GB capacities, and includes a 3-year warranty.

The 128GB MasterDrive OX will be available this week at a street price of around $419.