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25 January 2008

The DVD6C Licensing Group has announced that they've revised its patent licensing program. The new license agreement offers reduced royalty rates for DVD Read-Only Discs as well as new categories for DVD+R and DVD+RW discs.

The DVD6C Licensing Group (DVD6C) consisting of nine developers of DVD technology and formats —Hitachi, Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC) and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. — today announced that it has revised its worldwide patent licensing program beginning on and after January 1, 2008, including offering a new license agreement (the "New DVD6C License"), which offers reduced royalty rates on certain products and additional licensing options.

Key changes to the new licensing program include the following:

Reduction of royalty rates for DVD Read-Only Discs (i.e., the DVD-Video Disc, DVD-Audio Disc and DVD-ROM Disc) from US$0.045/Disc to US$0.040/Disc for sales of DVD Read-Only Discs beginning on or after the Effective Date of the New DVD6C License.

The addition of +R Discs and +RW Discs as new categories of licensed DVD Products. The royalty rates for +R Discs shall be the same as the current royalty rates for DVD-R Discs, and the royalty rates for +RW Discs shall be the same as the current royalty rates for DVD-RW Discs.

Inclusion of Time Limited DVD Discs in the DVD-ROM Disc, DVD-Video Disc and DVD-Audio Disc categories of licensed DVD Products.

More information, including a list of royalty rates, is available on the DVD6C Licensing Group's website. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

24 January 2008

HP and Sony Pictures announced today that they have signed a licensing agreement giving HP the ability to offer catalog Sony titles via their DVD manufactured-on-demand service.

HP (NYSE:HPQ) and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) today announced that SPHE will license select catalog titles from its vast home video library for production and distribution via HP’s DVD manufactured-on-demand service.

This agreement makes Sony the first major Hollywood studio to present its home video titles using HP’s service.

“HP’s manufactured-on-demand service provides us with a viable means of delivering a broader range of niche and library product to consumers,” said David Bishop, president, SPHE. “We know there is strong consumer demand for these titles, and by working with HP we can monetize our deep product library and help give retailers the means to bring a wider offering of Sony Pictures product to consumers without a significant investment in inventory.”

The list of available titles has not yet been finalized. However, content currently being targeted for release includes classic TV shows, foreign and independent movies and recently broadcast TV shows and sporting events. If you'd like to read more, HP and Sony's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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23 January 2008

ATI Radeon HD 3450 HTPC Video Card @I4U
ATI Radeon HD 3870X2 1 GB @InsideHW.com
Crucial 4GB (2GB x 2) DDR2-6400 800MHz SODIMM RAM @I4U
MSI Radeon HD 3870 X2 OC Graphics Card @TweakTown
OnAir HDTV GT @ASE Labs
Patriot Viper 4GB DDR2-800 (PVS24G6400LLK) @HardwareLogic.com
Thermaltake Toughpower Q-Fan W0163RU 650Watt Modular Power Supply @Tweaknews.net
Tuniq Miniplant 950watt Power Supply @TweakTown
Ultra X2 750W Modular PSU @BCCHardware
ViewSonic VX2235wm-5 22-inch LCD Monitor @Hardware Zone

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23 January 2008

NME announced this week that they will be showcasing the world's first commercial 'Multilayer' HD VMD replication line on "Global HD VMD Day." The new line is located at the VDL-ODMS headquarters in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

NME will showcase the world's first ever commercial 'Multilayer' HD VMDreplication line to both the entertainment and optical disc industries andpress. The event will be a celebration of the HD VMD format and willprovide industry and press with worldwide updates of recent milestones. NMEwill also take this opportunity to announce some of its new partnerships.

Attendees will see presentations from co-hosts NME and VDL Group andwill be given an exclusive tour of the new line at VDL-ODMS. Guests willalso see technology demonstrations as well as exhibits of HD VMD productsand services. Confirmed attendees include distinguished members of thepress from the entertainment/video, consumer electronics, digital authoringand optical disc industries.

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

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Software

23 January 2008

Roxio recently announced the launch of BackOnTrack Online. This new backup service automatically protects the files on your hard drive by storing them online.

Roxio, a division of Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today launched BackOnTrack Online, a digital media storage solution that automatically and continuously protects personal data and precious family memories. Trivially easy to set up and maintain, personal content is encrypted and uploaded to a remote and secure Roxio online backup center. In the event of computer data loss due to a crash, system theft, human error or even natural disaster, consumers' digital files can be quickly restored from any Web-connected computer. Consumers can begin safeguarding their digital lives today through a risk-free, 15-day trial available directly from Roxio at www.roxio.com. A 12-month subscription offering unlimited storage space is available for $49.99.

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

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Home Entertainment

22 January 2008

Contrary to post-CES rumors, Universal Studios has no plans to drop HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray. In a recent interview with BetaNews, Ken Graffeo of Universal has stated that the company is not making any changes to its strategy at this time.

First of all, I want to say that none of those rumors were substantiated. Nobody ever talked to us. I know nobody talked to Paramount because Brenda, their PR person, sent out a statement immediately. This is business as usual for us and there are no plans to make any changes. We just made an announcement of our new HD DVD titles yesterday, with American Gangster. We also have a lot of other things planned. It's business as usual.

If you'd like to read more, the entire interview can be found here. Add a comment

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21 January 2008

ASUS EAH3850 Top ATI HD 3850 Video Card @I4U
B-Gear/B-Tarantula 550 Watt Power Supply @hi-techreviews.com
Intel QX9650 Core 2 Extreme @HardwareLogic.com
MSI X48 Platinum Motherboard @TweakTown
SimpleTech PC3-10600 DDR3 1333MHz S1024R5NP2QA @Benchmark Reviews
ZeroTherm HC92 CU 8800 @SweMOD

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Home Entertainment

21 January 2008

While Warner's decision to support Blu-ray has had little effect on national retailers like Best Buy, Video Business is reporting that a number of smaller retailers have begun to lean towards the format. By emphasizing Blu-ray in their stores, these retailers hope to end consumer confusion and get them to go high-def.

Predicting falling demand for HD DVD as consumers learn that the industry’s leading film supplier will stop producing in the format, Trans World Entertainment, Newbury Comics, Video Buyers Group members and Hastings Entertainment are among the retailers beginning to emphasize Blu-ray.

The format war is not over, however, as 1 million HD DVD devices are in households and plenty of HD DVD titles line shelves. But there is hope among some retailers that if they proactively push leader Blu-ray, they can spur the fledgling high-def business. To date, studios and retailers have blamed format war confusion for stopping consumers from adopting high-def.

While the war isn't over, its going to be hard for HD DVD to increase their disc sales without retailer support. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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18 January 2008

ASUS P5K3 Deluxe WiFi-AP Intel P35 Motherboard @Benchmark Reviews
D-Link Xtreme N Networking @BCCHardware
Intel D201GLY2 ITX Motherboard @ASE Labs
Logitech Harmony One @I4U
Mapower MAP-OT21 2.5 Inch eSATA / USB Enclosure @Bigbruin.com
OCZ PC2-8500/DDR2-1066 nVidia SLI-Ready Edition 2GB Kit @Redaktion ocinside.de
Super Talent 2GB Pico Series USB Drives @HardwareLogic
X-Arcade Tankstick Dual Controller With Trackball @HotHardware.com

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