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While Pioneer did not specify a price, the BDC-202 is already available online and can be picked up for less than $280. If you'd like to read more, Pioneer's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
The newly designed drive offers playback of high definition Hollywood Blu-ray Disc movie titles on a properly configured PC. The BDC-202 internal Blu-ray Disc/DVD/CD combo drive also allows users to access and transfer data files onto DVD and CD. It reads BD-ROM, BD-R, and BD-RE single layer discs up to 5x speed and dual layer BD-ROM, BD-R, and BD-RE discs up to 2x speed. It will also read and write to most DVD and CD formats. The BDC-202 features a Serial ATA (SATA) Interface and ships with an optional, full-featured Corel media software suite. The software suite includes Blu-ray Disc playback software as well as enhanced functionality to design personalized DVD movies, create digital photo slideshows, burn music files to CD, backup files to DVD and CD, and more.
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The patent infringement law suit Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corporation (Ciba) had filed against CMC Magnetics Corporation and its US subsidiary Hotan Corporation has been settled, CMC Corporation and Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corporation, have announced today. Ciba had sued CMC and Hotan because it had found that some portion of CD-R manufactured, imported and sold by CMC and Hotan were produced with dye infringing Ciba's phthalocyanine and related CD-R media patents. Ciba holds worldwide patents for its advanced phthalocyanine dyes and disks, which include the United States of America, China and Taiwan, where CMC had produced the media. A CMC spokesperson commented: "We were not fully aware of the current dye technology and the related patent situation. After clarification from Ciba, we realize the importance of the technology of the Ciba dye in the dye industry. We regret that we had used for part of our CD-R production a dye from a local supplier that turned out to infringe Ciba's dye and media patents. After this incident we had instantly improved our internal processes to make sure that intellectual property rights are respected and switched back to Ciba's product."If you'd like to read more, Ciba's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
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For the first time, commercial vendors and individualconsumers will be able to legally create CSS copy-protected DVDs for playback onexisting DVD players. The Board of Directors of the DVD Copy Control Association(DVD CCA) gave final approval for this innovative use of the technology lateWednesday.If you'd like to read more, the DVD CCA's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
With this new application of the Content Scramble System (CSS), the copy protectionused on most commercially produced DVDs, vendors could, for example, createprotected DVDs in custom runs at new on-demand factories or on store-based kiosks.Individual consumers will also be able to legally record a variety of content at home,including select movies, as offered by the content owners. In addition, consumers couldobtain unusual, historical, or special content that is now unavailable on DVD becauseexisting demand does not economically allow the mass reproduction today’s marketrequires. The process will use special blank DVD discs with CSS encryption. Thecopies will be compatible with millions of DVD players in homes and businesses today.
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If you'd like to read more, Microsoft's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Microsoft Corp.today announced that its trademarked HDi(TM) logo will soon appear on allToshiba HD DVD players. In addition, Universal Studios Home Entertainmentand Paramount Home Entertainment will include the HDi logo on packaging forHD DVD movie titles beginning in the fourth quarter of this year. HDitechnology is Microsoft's high-performance implementation of theinteractivity layer for the HD DVD format, which has taken themovie-viewing experience to an entirely new level with such advancedfeatures as network connectivity and community scenarios. HDi is also atrademark of Microsoft, as recognized by the United States Patent andTrademark Office in its July 2007 notice of allowance for trademark.
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Among those who currently own HDTVs, half (52 percent) are familiar with the availability of high-definition DVD players, but only 11 percent expressed strong intentions to buy one in the next six months. Seventy-three percent of HDTV owners reported that their current traditional-format DVD player still works well for them, so they do not need to replace it; while 62 percent said they are waiting for the prices of high-definition players to fall.One important point to take from this survey is that most consumers are happy with standard DVD's and aren't ready to buy a high-def player yet. As NPD points out, manufacturers and studios need to do a better job explaining the benefits of these formats, if they want consumers to go high-def. If you'd like to read more, NPD's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
According to NPD, consumers' knowledge of the HD DVD format is more prevalent than for the Blu-ray Disc format. While 29 percent of respondents were aware of HD DVD, just 20 percent had heard of Blu-ray Disc. Consumers who purchased a Blu-ray Disc player reported that they did so because they believed it was superior to HD DVD; while those who purchased an HD DVD player did so because the price was lower than a Blu-ray Disc player.
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CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), a world leader in digital home solutions, announced today that Intel has demonstrated smooth, high quality video playback of HD DVD and Blu-ray with CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra and the latest Intel G33, G35, GM965, and G965 Express Chipsets. The demonstration was held at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco.If you'd like to read more, CyberLink's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra is optimized with for the Intel G33, G35, GM965, and G965 Express Chipsets and takes full advantage of Intel’s Clear Video Technology to deliver smooth high definition video playback. In addition, PowerDVD Ultra is also optimized for Intel Core 2 Quad processors. The optimization delivers a performance gain of 66% for PowerDVD Ultra’s frame-rate, which reduces heavy CPU load for playing back Blu-ray and HD DVD movie titles.
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"Postscribed ID for DVD" makes read-out of individual IDs embedded in DVD discs possible using standard DVD-ROM drives, without the need for firmware updates or any other software installation. Furthermore, the newly developed technology does not infringe the powerful error correction features present in the DVD format. This allows the same CD-ROM-based serialization services to now be offered on DVD-ROM media.If you'd like to read more about "Postscribed ID for DVD", Sony's entire press release can be found here. Add a commentBy using a high-power laser diode, new reflective layer material, and extremely accurate location control technology, the area between pits on the disc surface is modified to embed the ID data. This in turn allows for compliance with the powerful error correction technology built-in to DVDs and adheres to the DVD Format (DVD Specification for Read Only Disc). The EFM signal used for direct recording of serialized ID data is based on advanced technology for preventing any impact on pre-recorded data when recording the ID onto the disc, effective write-strategy and a special reflective layer.
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Acousti Products AcoustiCase 340 Quiet Computer Case @Bigbruin.com
Aeneon Xtune PC2-8500 CL5 1066MHz DDR2 RAM Kit @Benchmark Reviews
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The LaCie Portable DVD±RW Drive with LightScribe is available now at the suggested retail price of $99.99 for USB 2.0 and $149.99 for FireWire. If you'd like to read more, LaCie's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
LaCie announced today the shipping of its new Portable DVD±RW Drive with LightScribe. The stylish, slim drive was designed exclusively for LaCie by award-winning designer, Sam Hecht, and was created with a focus on pure design. With no feet, switches, or breaks in its clean simple shell, the design-inspired drive is as powerful as anything you would find in today’s marketplace. Measuring in at less than one inch tall, and one pound in weight the FireWire or USB 2.0 bus-powered LaCie Portable DVD±RW Drive offers true mobility for Mac, Windows or Linux operating systems.
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Intel Corporation and other industry leaders have formed the USB 3.0 Promoter Group to create a superspeed personal USB interconnect that can deliver over 10 times the speed of today's connection. The technology, also developed by HP, Microsoft Corporation, NEC Corporation, NXP Semiconductors and Texas Instruments Incorporated, will target fast sync-and-go transfer applications in the PC, consumer and mobile segments that are necessary as digital media become ubiquitous and file sizes increase up to and beyond 25 Gigabytes.A completed USB 3.0 specification is expected by the first half of 2008. If you'd like to read more, Intel's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
USB (Universal Serial Bus) 3.0 will create a backward-compatible standard with the same ease-of-use and plug and play capabilities of previous USB technologies. Targeting over 10x performance increase, the technology will draw from the same architecture of wired USB. In addition, the USB 3.0 specification will be optimized for low power and improved protocol efficiency. USB 3.0 ports and cabling will be designed to enable backward compatibility as well as future-proofing for optical capabilities.
