InfoSmart Group, Inc. announced this week that it has purchased a Blu-Ray Disc replication system from Anwell Technologies. This new system will be installed in InfoSmart's Hong Kong plant and is expected to go live by the end of June 2008.
InfoSmart Group, Inc. ("InfoSmart" or the "Company") (OTCBB: IFSG), a leading recordable digital versatile disc ("DVDR") manufacturer in Hong Kong and Brazil, today announced its recent purchase from the world's only vertically integrated optical disc equipment maker. Anwell Technologies has sold their Blu-Ray Disc (BD) replication system -- "Smart BD" -- to InfoSmart. The BD system will be installed in InfoSmart's Hong Kong plant making it the first Blu-Ray Line in commercial use in China and Hong Kong.

InfoSmart and Anwell have also agreed to collaborate and leverage on each other's strengths. Specifically, the two companies will share the Blu-Ray disc manufacturing process know-how with each other. On February 19, 2008, Toshiba announced that it had bowed out from the format war. According to research firm Understanding & Solutions, it is estimated that global demand for Blu-Ray discs is expected to increase from 0.13 billion in 2007 to over 1.5 billion in 2011.
If you'd like to read more, InfoSmart's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
With Toshiba pulling out of the HD DVD market, it should come as no surprise that the HD DVD Promotions Group is closing up shop. The group's managing members issued a statement today, announcing that the group is disolving itself and closing its website.
The HD DVD Promotion Group was dissolved as of March 28, 2008, and the website was closed accordingly.

Please access to DVD Forum for HD DVD formats, and DVD Format/Logo Licensing Corporation for format books and its license. Regarding the HD DVD products, please contact each selling agency directly.
If you'd like to read more, the entire statement can be foundhere. Add a comment
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Super Talent has announced that it has started shipping the world’s thinnest 256GB SSD. Measuring only 12.5mm thick, the FSD56GC25H is 40% thinner than any other 256GB SSD.

The FSD56GC25H uses an industry standard 2.5-inch hard drive form factor and uses an industry standard SATA-I interface, making it 100% interchangeable with conventional 2.5-inch SATA hard drives. This SSD implements Super Talent’s patented stacking technology to pack an enormous amount of solid state storage into an exceptionally small and slim case, measuring a mere 12.5mm thick - 40% thinner than any other 256GB SSD available. The signature black case is made from a durable lightweight aluminum alloy.

The FSD56GC25H drive supports 0.1ms access times, a maximum of 65MB/sec sequential read speed and 50MB/sec sequential write speed. This SSD supports up to 1600G of shock and 16G of vibration, which is about five times greater than typical hard drives. With ECC support, bad bit management firmware and patented wear leveling technology, this drive offers extreme reliability and endurance.
If you'd like to read more, Super Talent's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Strategy Analytics released a new report this week, predicting that 29.4 million homes will have Blu-ray devices by the end of 2008. The report also predicts that the PS3 will drive the Blu-ray market until 2009, after which stand-alone players will become dominant.
The Blu-ray Disc victory in its recent format war with HD-DVD will propel this technology into 29.4 million homes worldwide by the end of 2008, according to the latest research published by the Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices service. According to, “Blu-ray Devices: Forecasting Sales and Ownership,” Sony’s PS3 games console will continue to drive the Blu-ray market until 2009, after which stand-alone Blu-ray players will become the dominant segment. By 2012 more than 132 million homes worldwide will own at least one Blu-ray device...

...This Strategy Analytics report predicts that global sales of Blu-ray devices will reach 18.8 million units in 2008, including 4 million stand-alone players, 13 million consoles and nearly 2 million PCs. By 2012, annual sales of all BD devices will reach 57.4 million units. The largest market will be in Europe, with 26.4 million, followed by the US (22.6 million) and Japan (8.4 million).
More information on Strategy Analytics' report can be found here. Add a comment
With the format war coming to an end, Blu-ray has seen a sharp spike in sales. While accounting for only 2-3% of a title's sales during the format war, The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Blu-ray has generated nearly 10% of the total sales for titles such as "No Country for Old Men".
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment's "No Country for Old Men" realized 9.8% of its total sales from Blu-ray Disc its first five days in stores, according to an analysis of Nielsen VideoScan First Alert numbers conducted by Home Media Magazine's market research department.

Fox's "Hitman," also released March 11, fared even better, generating 12.6% of its total unit sales from Blu-ray.
It's good to see that Blu-ray's market share is slowing growing. Nevertheless, they still have a long ways to go if they hope to take on internet downloads. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
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Earlier this week, Western Digital announced its new line of My Passport Elite Portable USB drives. These pocket sized hard drives feature a soft-touch finish and are available in capacities up to 320GB.

Expanding on its popular portable storage offerings, WD (NYSE: WDC) today introduced its new My Passport Elite Portable USB Drives which are designed to make it easy to securely carry thousands of songs, videos or photos in style. Available now at select retailers and at WD's online store (www.shopwd.com), the new fully-featured My Passport Elite Portable USB Drives include a luxurious, soft-touch finish that makes these drives easy to grip, comfortable to hold, and fashionable to carry.

Weighing in at less than 5 ounces and available in capacities of 320 and 250 GB, the new My Passport Elite drives are small enough to fit in a pocket for consumers on-the-go. Adding to the small footprint, these drives are USB-bus powered, which eliminates the need for an external power adapter.
WD's My Passport Elite Portable USB drives are available now, with the 320GB version retailing for about $199.99. Full details can be found here. Add a comment
Fujitsu has announced its new MHZ2 BJ series of 2.5" hard disk drives. Designed for use in high-performance PCs, these new drives are the first to feature a rotational speed of 7200 RPM and capacities up to 320GB.

Fujitsu Limited today announced its new MHZ2 BJ series of 2.5" hard disk drives that feature a rotational speed of 7200 RPM and capacities up to 320 GB(1)Sales of the new series will begin at the end of June 2008. The new series is designed for use in high-performance PCs, such as high-end notebook computers and compact desktops.

The MHZ2 BJ series requires only 2.3 W of power for read and write operations, ranking it among the most power-efficient drives in its class. The series is one of many new products announced as part of Fujitsu's Green Policy Innovation initiative, unveiled in December 2007 to promote energy-efficient products and services as a way to help customers lower their ecological footprint.
While Fujitsu has not announced a price, the company plans to begin shipments in June. Full details can be found here. Add a comment
CyberLink sent out a press release this morning, annoucing the launch of MediaShow 4. This new version of their media management software features a 3D "liquid" interface, direct upload to Flickr and YouTube and the ability to burn videos and photos to DVD in as little as three clicks.

CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), innovative solutions provider for the connected digital lifestyle, today released CyberLink MediaShow 4, combining photo and video management, enhancement, authoring, burning and sharing in one convenient application. The software features a next-generation 3D "liquid" interface that ensures ease-of-use and fun for users while working on their precious photos and videos.
MediaShow 4 is available now for $49.95. More information is available on CyberLink's website. Add a comment