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Film studios that have switched to Blu-ray may have crowed a little too early because the much-praised BD+ copy protection is an ad absurdum affair now, too. With today's release of version 6.4.0.0 of AnyDVD HD it is now also possible to make backup security copies of Blu-ray discs protected with BD+.If you want to check out the latest version of AnyDVD, it can be downloaded from SlySoft's website. Otherwise, SlySoft's entire announcement can be found here. Add a comment
Richard Doherty of the Envisioneering Group will have to revise his statement from July, 2007 regarding BD+: "BD+, unlike AACS which suffered a partial hack last year, won't likely be breached for 10 years". It is worth mentioning that since he made that statement only eight months have gone by.
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- Optical Storage
No word yet on pricing or availability. As we find out more, we'll let you know. In the mean time, AOpen's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
For your best video and storage experience, AOpen announces the first Blu-ray Disc drive BDR0412SA. It can read Blu-ray Disc at 4X (17,844KB per sec.), DVD-ROM at 12X, DVD+/-R at 12X, DVD-RAM at 5X and CD at 32X; and gives you an all in one optical reading option for multimedia entertainment.
Blu-ray Disc (BD) is an optical disc storage media format using blue-violet laser with shorter wavelength. Blu-ray Disc was developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association, a group of leading electronic companies: Sony, Matsushita, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp, and Samsung. It has the same dimensions as a standard DVD or CD but can hold 25GB (single layer) and 50GB (dual layer).
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With Blu-ray declaring victory over HD-DVD in the high definition movie format war, Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics retailer, is giving $50 gift cards to customers who purchased an HD-DVD player or HD-DVD attachment from its U.S. stores before February 23, 2008. Customers will get a gift card for each player or HD-DVD attachment that they purchased. Through this program, Best Buy will distribute more than $10 million in gift cards to customers across the country.Best Buy will be proactively sending out cards to members of the their Reward Zone program and to customers who purchased Performance Service Plans (PSPs) or who made their purchase online. Other customers will need to call (888) BEST BUY and provide a proof of purchase through a credit card or their Best Buy receipt.
“The DVD format war has divided our customers in a way we haven’t seen since Betamax took on VHS more than 20 years ago,” said Brian J. Dunn, president and chief operating officer for Best Buy. “At Best Buy, we understood and shared our customers’ frustrations as they were being asked to choose one format or the other. Now that the format war is over, we hope these gift cards will reassure our customers that we will help them make a smooth transition into the right technology for their needs.”
If you'd like to get rid of your HD DVD player altogether, you're in luck. Best Buy is also launching a new program on March 21st where you can trade in used electronics for gift cards. Full details on this program can be found here. Add a comment
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- Optical Storage
According to LG's press release, the GH22 can burn an entire DVD±R disc in about 4 minutes and 30 seconds. This is pretty impressive.. if the drive can deliver on these claims. The GH22 is expected to ship in the second half of 2008 and will be priced at about 30,000 won (~$30US). Full details can be found here. Add a comment
Writing Speeds: DVD+R: 22x
DVD+RW: 8x
DVD+R DL: 16x
DVD-R: 22x
DVD-RW: 6x
DVD-R DL: 12x
DVD-RAM: 12x
CD-R: 48x
CD-RW: 32xRead Speeds: DVD-ROM: 16x Max
Buffer Size: 2MB
CD-ROM: 48x Max
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Antec P190 + 1200 Case @HardwareLogic.comAdd a comment
ASUS 8800 GT 512MB TOP Edition @Virtual-Hideout
AutumnWave OnAir GT USB HDTV Tuner @Madshrimps
Cooler Master Cosmos S Case @ThinkComputers.org
Dell XPS M1730 Notebook @Hardware Zone
Rocketfish Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit @I4U
Sapphire HD3850 & HD3850 In Crossfire @High Tech Reviews.com
Western Digital Caviar RE2 750GB Hard Drive @HotHardware.com
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Antec P180 Enclosure @High Tech Reviews.comAdd a comment
Kingston SD/2GB-U @ASE Labs
NVIDIA nForce 790i SLI and GeForce 9800 GX2 @HotHardware.com
NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI Performance @Hardware Zone
Rosewill RX81-MP-SC eSATA HDD Enclosure @TweakTown
Steelseries Ikari Laser Gaming Mouse @Tweaknews.net
Tagan BZ 900W Power Supply @Phoronix
XFX 9800 GX2 Video Card @I4U
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TMPG, Inc. (www.tmpg-inc.com), the company that makes digital video easy, has added TMPGEnc MovieStyle to its software lineup. It allows users to easily convert video clips for use on 11 popular digital devices from portables such as the iPod and PSP to full HD devices such as Sony's Playstation 3. The free trial will be available for download on March 27th at www.tmpg-inc.com. The full retail version will be available shortly thereafter at $39.95 per license.As their press release points out, a free trial will be available on March 27th and the retail version will be available shortly thereafter for $39.95. Full details can be found here. Add a comment
"More and more, people are using digital devices to watch their favorite video clips, whether it's portable devices or video game consoles," remarked Kimi Matsuki, TMPG CEO. "With MovieStyle, users can easily convert video clips for these devices without any video encoding knowledge. That means users of any age, experienced or inexperienced, can use this software to convert video for portable or HD devices. We like to say, MovieStyle: your movies, your digital lifestyle."
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Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL; TSX:CRE), a leading developer of graphics, productivity and digital media software, today announced the latest release of Corel WinDVD, the world's number one DVD and video playback software on PCs. Corel WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray features a new, more intuitive user interface, new video technologies including advanced upscaling that enables users to create near-high-definition viewing with standard-definition DVDs, enhanced Blu-ray Disc playback, as well as the latest in high-definition surround sound for the ultimate viewing experience. With more than 200 million units shipped worldwide, WinDVD remains the industry standard for DVD, video and Blu-ray Disc playback.WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray is priced at $99.99 and is available now through Corel's website. The software will also be hitting retail outlets over the coming weeks. If you'd like to read more, Corel's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
"WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray is designed for the movie buff, frequent flyer and those who want a superior video and audio playback experience in one easy-to-use solution," said Jeff Hastings, President and General Manager, Digital Media at Corel. "More and more people are adopting the latest high-definition technologies such as Blu-ray Disc and AVCHD. With WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray, users will have access to the latest Blu-ray Disc playback capabilities including BonusView as well as revolutionary upscaling technology that enables users to create near-high-definition viewing with standard-definition DVDs."
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Interest among standard DVD consumers likely to buy HD packaged media increased to 10.8% for the week that ended Feb. 20, compared to 9.4% for the week that ended Feb. 13 and 8.9% for the week of Feb. 6. HD DVD interest, not surprisingly, dropped to 8.8%, from 10.6% (Feb. 13) the week before and 10.9% the prior week.The study also found that the high cost of Blu-ray players and consumer satisfaction with standard DVD is slowing growth. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
Comparative percentages for Blu-ray late last year ranged from 5% to 6.8% through Christmas.
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- Duplicators
The Aleratec 1:11 USB Copy Tower SA is available now for an estimated retail price of $1575. Full details can be found here. Add a comment
Aleratec Inc., leading developer and manufacturer of "Prosumers' Choice" solutions for the USB, Flash, HDD, Blu-ray, DVD/CD, duplicating, and DVD/CD publishing markets, introduces its innovative new 1:11 USB Copy Tower SA, the fast, economical way to duplicate the same information to multiple flash drives, and it's stand alone -- no computer or any other equipment is required. It will copy, compare, or erase up to 11 flash drives simultaneously and all functions are selectable via a very simple duplicator controller with a back lighted LCD display. The Aleratec 1:11 USB Copy Tower SA takes the hassle out of trying to copy USB flash drives.
