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Optical Storage
The OpticalStorage Technology Association (OSTA) and Ecma International announced this week that the International Standards Organization (ISO) has approved a global standard to test the archive life of recordable and rewritable DVDs. With this new standard, OSTA and EMCA hope to make it easier for end users to identify and select archival-grade optical media.
The OpticalStorage Technology Association (OSTA) and Ecma International announcedtoday that the International Standards Organization (ISO) has approvedISO/IEC 10995, a global standard for optical media archive life testing forrecordable and rewritable DVDs. The standard will enable the opticalstorage industry to offer reliable archival-grade optical discs to helpend-users select the media life expectancy best suited to their applicationrequirements.

Approval of the new standard is the culmination of joint developmentefforts by OSTA and ECMA to define standard procedures for media archivelife testing and classification, and then fast track the archival-gradeoptical disc testing specification through the ISO process.
If you'd like to read more, OSTA and ECMA's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Antec Veris Fusion 430 @Phoronix
ASRock ALiveDual-eSATA2 AMD Socket AM2 Motherboard @Redaktion ocinside.de
HighPoint RocketRAID 2300 PCI-E SATA @TweakTown
Intel Skulltrail Core 2 Extreme QX9775 @HotHardware.com
Kingston MobileLite Card Reader @ASE Labs
Thermaltake Xaser VI VG4000BWS Super Tower Case @HardwareLogic.com
Zalman 750W Heatpipe Cooled PSU @BCCHardware
Zalman ZM850-HP Power Supply @PC Apex
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Optical Storage
North Coast Interactive sent out a press release today, announcing their UltraPrint-M Metal Everest Printable media. This new CD-R media features a unique metallizing across the surface of the disc which does not change in density or reflectivity.

North Coast Interactive is proud to announce the immediate availability of UltraPrint-M Metal Everest Printable Media. UltraPrint-M media is the latest addition to NCI's industry leading line of Everest Printable Media products. The “M” series of CD-R media features a unique uniform fully metalized surface that eliminates color shifts across the surface of the media. With UltraPrint-M there is no gray or bright silver/white ring around the center of the discs to throw off the colors of the print which is a common problem with competing products. This makes them ideal for color critical applications, particularly those with light colors or fades near the center of the disc. Of course, they work great with darker colors too, making them the best choice for all applications. Finally, UltraPrint-M is available with a clear (silver effect) surface, making it the only fully hub printable silver disc on the market.

“UltraPrint-M marks a huge step forward in print quality for media in this price range, for both white and stunning full silver effect prints.” explains Thomas Blaha, President of North Coast Interactive, Inc. “Since the Everest printer came to market, users have been forced to choose expensive media for perfect prints, or live with the quality deficiencies of lower cost media. With the introduction of UltraPrint-M, that choice no longer has to be made.”
NCI's UltraPrint-M Metal Everest Printable media is available now in 700 MB (80 min) 52X CD-R hub printable white and hub printable silver formats. Full details can be found here. Add a comment

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Microboards has announced that they've started shipping a new version of its CopyWriter Live. The company has added a new feature which allows users to burn two identical discs from the same audio input.

Microboards has begun shipping its CopyWriter Live with the ability to record live CD Audio to discs to two recorders at the same time. The new feature allows users to have two copies of an event immediately after recording it. Ideal for environments producing many discs live, users can initiate copying in more than one duplication system using the two masters, or use one for immediate playback or review.

CopyWriter Live has led the event-recording market for years because of its unique spanning feature - automatically initiating the recording process to a second recorder when the disc in the first becomes full. It also functions as a disc-to-disc copier, using one recorder as the master and the other as the target.
This new version of the CopyWriter Live is shipping now for a suggested retail price of $699. Full details can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment
While most anime companies have been slow to go high-def, ADV Films has thrown their weight behind Blu-ray. According to ICv2, ADV will begin releasing some of its newer titles on Blu-ray as early as this spring.
ICv2 has learned that ADV Films has chosen the Blu-ray high definition format and plans to begin releasing high def versions of some titles as early as this spring. A highly placed source at the company told us that "frontlist is more important than catalogue right now," so the first high def releases will be the company's newest titles. The move to begin releasing Blu-ray versions of some new titles may have an impact on ADV's release schedule, as high def transfers will have to be prepared.
If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Software
In celebration of their boss' 40th birthday, the folks at VSO Software are offering 40% off of all of their software. With this discount, you can become a goldmember, which gives you access to all of their software, for less than $84.
It is an exceptionnal event today, our dear boss (also the main developer of ConvertXtoDVD) has turned 40 years today. So we have decided to do a very special discount of 40% (even on the Goldmembership which is the package of all our software with unlimited lifetime upgrades) ONLY today.

This special offer is available by typing "boss40y" in the discount coupon area of your order, it is only available if you buy with avangate payment system (the default method)
What are you waiting for? Head on over to the VSO Software website and take advantage of this sale before its over. Add a comment

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ASUS Triton 75 CPU Cooler @TweakTown
Booq Mamba Sling Laptop Bag @ThinkComputers.org
MSI K9A2 Platinum AMD 790FX Motherboard @HotHardware.com
NZXT Cryo LX Notebook Cooler @Bigbruin.com
Origen S21T Motorized 12.1" Touch Screen HTPC Enclosure @Madshrimps
Razer Lachesis Mouse And Destructor Pad @BCCHardware
Samsung LN-T4681FX LED Backlight 46" 1080P HDTV @BCCHardware
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The Playstation 3 isn't the only Blu-ray player getting support for Profile 1.1. Earlier today, CyberLink released a 71.8MB update for the retail version of PowerDVD Ultra. Along with improved BD-Java compatibility, this new update adds support for BD-Video Profile 1.1.
List of Updates:
  • Support BD-Video Profile 1.1.
  • Improves BD-Java compatibility to enhance interactivity with some BD-ROMs.
If you'd like to give it a try, the update can be downloaded for free from CyberLink's website. Add a comment

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Software
CyberLink has announced that they are participating in the formation of a joint HD DVD patent license and that one of their own patents has been determined to be essential to the HD DVD standard.
CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), today announced it is participating in the formation of a joint HD DVD patent license based on its ownership of a patent determined to be essential to the HD DVD standard.

CyberLink's patent relates to the specifications for interactive content over a network for prerecorded HD-DVD Discs, for playback according to the DVD Specifications for High Definition VIDEO (HD DVD-Video).

"Innovation is the key to CyberLink delivering leading products to our customers as well as sustaining long-term business success," said Alice H. Chang, CEO of CyberLink. "We're extremely proud be a part of a group of essential HD DVD patent owners who have come together voluntarily for the purpose of forming a joint license, as this is testament to the strength of our core technology."
If you'd like to read more, CyberLink's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Antec True Power Quattro 850W Power Supply @HardwareLogic.com
AutumnWave OnAir HDTV-GT USB ATSC/NTSC Tuner/Receiver @ThinkComputers.org
Crucial Ballistix DDR3 PC3-12800 2GB Memory @BCCHardware
ECS GeForce 8800GT Accelero S1 512MB @TweakTown
Galaxy Tvisto Pro Digital Media Enclosure @ThinkComputers.org
HighPoint RocketRAID 3520 SATA Raid Controller @TechwareLabs
Microsoft LifeCam VX-7000 USB Webcam @Everything USB
MSI P7N SLI Platinum Motherboard @Hardware Zone
NZXT Rogue Super Cube @TweakPC
Seasonic M12II 500watt Power Supply @TweakTown
Thermaltake NBcool T2000 Notebook Cooler @TechwareLabs
Thermalright Ultima-90 Heatpipe CPU Cooler @Bigbruin.com
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