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Home Entertainment

13 March 2008

Last week, there was a rumor circulating that Sony was in talks with Microsoft about incorporating Blu-ray into the Xbox 360. Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360, has squashed these rumors, stating that the company is not in talks with Sony, nor does it plan to integrate Blu-ray into the console.

The comments by Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360, poured cold water on recent speculation that Microsoft could support Blu-ray after Toshiba Corp, backer of the rival HD DVD format, gave up when key movie studios and retailers abandoned the technology.

"Xbox is not currently in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience," Greenberg told Reuters in an interview.

Take not that Greenberg is only denying the rumor about Blu-ray being integrated into the Xbox 360. There is no mention here of the addon player. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Duplicators

13 March 2008

Plextor LLC announced this week that it is getting into the duplicator business. Their new PlexTower CD/DVD duplication towers are available with one, three or seven drives and feature 18X DVD and 48X CD recording speeds.

Plextor LLC, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, today announced the immediate availability of the PlexTower series of CD/DVD disc duplication towers. The small footprint, slim profile towers deliver high-quality recording for low-volume applications, as well as one-touch operation in an economic package.

PlexTower series duplicators feature 18X DVD and 48X CD recording speeds, and each drive is capable of burning eight DVD discs or 22 CD discs per hour. In addition to DVD video, the drives also support dual-layer DVD-R/+R and DVD-ROM recording. Prassi Zulu 2 disc mastering software is included, while a simple interface and LCD readout make it easy to perform common functions like copy and verify.

Plextor is offering three models: a single-drive PlexTower PX-DTS100, a three-drive PlexTower PX-DTS-300, and a seven-drive PlexTower PX-DTS-700. USB 2.0 interfaces ensure easy connectivity and fast data throughput with personal computers running Apple Macintosh or Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista operating systems.

Plextor will ship the PlexTower series disc duplicators to distributors at the end of March 2008. More information, including pricing, can be found here. Add a comment

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Other

12 March 2008

Asus Striker II Formula nForce 780i SLI @HotHardware.com
CoolIT Systems PURE Liquid Cooling Kit @BCCHardware
Crucial Ballistix 2GB PC3-12800 Kit @ASE Labs
Diamond Viper ATI Radeon HD 3870 512MB Video Card @Benchmark Reviews
Genius BT-03A Bluetooth Stereo Headset @BlueTomorrow.com
Logitech MX5500 Revolution Bluetooth Keyboard And Mouse @BlueTomorrow.com
Kingston HyperX DDR3-1625 2GB Memory Kit @ThinkComputers.org
MSI GeForce N9600GT OC Graphics Card @TweakTown
MSI R3650-T2D512-OC (Radeon HD 3650 512MB) @Hardware Zone
Razer Piranha Gaming Communicator @HardwareLogic.com
Zalman ZM-RS6F USB 5.1 Surround Headphones/Headset @Tweaknews.net

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Flash Memory

12 March 2008

OCZ Technology sent out a press release earlier today, announcing its new SATA II 2.5” Solid State Drives. Available in 32GB and 64GB capacities, OCZ's SSDs feature a durable, yet lightweight, brushed alloy housing and are capable of 120MB/s read and 100MB/s write speeds.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and computer components, today unveiled ultra-fast OCZ SATA II 2.5” Solid State Drives, a lightweight and efficient alternative to conventional hard disc drives. The OCZ SATA II drive is designed to stay abreast of the performance features of high-end notebooks, and is ideal for energy-efficient mobile computing. With blazing access times combined with excellent reliability, the OCZ SATA II 2.5” SSD is the answer for enthusiasts demanding the most advanced storage for their notebooks and systems.

If you'd like to read more, OCZ's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

12 March 2008

DivX, Inc. announced today that it has granted DivX Certification to six new Blu-ray DVD players from Panasonic, Philips, and Denon. Here's part of their press release:

The new DivX Certified DVD models join the world’s best-selling Blu-ray playback device, the Sony PLAYSTATION 3, which has been capable of DivX playback since December, 2007. The growth of DivX technology in the emerging Blu-ray market demonstrates growing traction of the Company’s licensing business into new product categories. DivX technology has already become a de facto standard on standard definition DVD devices, with an estimated 41 percent penetration in the global market as of the end of 2007.

Thanks to the superior compression and high visual quality of the DivX format, consumers can take advantage of Blu-ray technology to store and playback over 25 hours of DVD-quality video on a single Blu-ray disc. Newly certified DVD players include devices from Panasonic (Model: DMP-BD30EE), Philips (Model: BDP7200) and Denon (Models: DVD-2500BTC1B, DVD-3800BDC1B, DVD-3800BDSP and DVD-2500BTSP).

If you'd like to read more, DivX's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

12 March 2008

OPPO Digital has announced the launch of its flagship up-converting DVD player, the DV-983H. This new player features 7.1-channel audio, 1080p HDMI up-conversion and Anchor Bay's latest VRS video processing technologies.

OPPO Digital, Inc. (www.oppodigital.com), a renowned leader in up-converting DVD players, today announced the launch of the DV-983H, the new flagship in OPPO's line of award-winning up-converting DVD players. Featuring Anchor Bay's leading video processing technologies, 7.1-channel audio, and 1080p HDMI up-conversion, the DV-983H Universal DVD Player delivers the breath-taking audio and video performance needed to make standard DVDs look their best on today's large screen, high-resolution displays.

The DV-983H delivers film-like picture quality and scales up to 1080p full-HD resolution, while the player's HDMI all digital output provides the cleanest possible connection. With the DV-983H, OPPO has incorporated Anchor Bay's latest VRS (Video Reference Series) technologies -- including AutoCUE-C, Precision Video Scaling, Progressive Cadence Detection, and Precision Deinterlacing. These technologies combined generate a clearer, smoother, and true-to-life picture free of artifacts.

"We've leveraged our years of experience in up-converting technology, not to mention the latest innovations from leading video and audio partners, to release our most powerful, highest-performing player yet," said Jason Liao, vice-president of product development at OPPO Digital. "Home theatre enthusiasts can enjoy their DVD and music collections at a whole new level with the DV-983H before investing in an entirely new Blu-Ray library."

The DV-983H is available now for a suggested retail price of $399. Full details can be found here. Add a comment

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Software

12 March 2008

Nero released a new version of Nero 8 this morning. There is no change log yet. However, this new update brings the version count up to 8.3.2.1. If you'd like to check it out, the update can be downloaded here. As usual, feel free to share your experiences in our forum. Add a comment

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Software

11 March 2008

LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling has announced the launch of its new Windows software development kit (SDK). With this public SDK, software developers can integrate LightScribe functionality into their Windows-based applications.

LightScribe today announced the immediate release of publicly available Windows software development tools for its Direct Disc Labeling technology. These downloadable tools significantly simplify the creation of LightScribe DVD/CD labeling applications, expanding LightScribe integration beyond general data mastering software. The LightScribe Windows public software development kit (SDK) allows individual application developers to integrateLightScribe support into Windows-based software with a standardized LightScribe application user interface. LightScribe is a no-hassle way to burn professional, silkscreen-quality labels on CDs and DVDs right in the drive. The LightScribeWindows public SDK is available at(http://www.lightscribe.com/go/downloads/windows).

If you'd like to read more, LightScribe's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Software

11 March 2008

Corel has announced a new version of its Ulead VideoStudio software. According to Corel's press release, Ulead VideoStudio 11.5 Plus offers a complete, user-friendly solution for DVD and HD editing and authoring.

Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL; TSX:CRE), a leading developer of graphics, productivity and digital media software, today announced Ulead VideoStudio 11.5 Plus, the latest version of its award-winning consumer video editing and DVD authoring software. VideoStudio 11.5 Plus combines the benefits of VideoStudio 11 Plus and the VideoStudio 11 Plus Power Pack in one box.

"With VideoStudio 11.5 Plus, consumers now have access to the very latest in DVD and HD editing and authoring, all in one box, making it even easier to edit, author and share their favorite videos with family and friends," said Jeff Hastings, President and General Manager, Corel Digital Media. "VideoStudio 11.5 Plus also includes support for the latest HD formats including Blu-ray, HD DVD and AVCHD, giving consumers the ability to create professional-looking, high definition videos that they are proud to share whether it is in their living room, a board room, or over the Web."

VideoStudio 11.5 Plus is available now for a suggested retail price of $129.99. VideoStudio 11 Plus users can also take advantage of the features found in VideoStudio 11.5 by downloading the free VideoStudio 11 Plus Power Pack. Full details can be found here. Add a comment