Until now, Nero's SecurDisc Technology has been available on only a few select drives like the LG GSA-H55L. At IFA, Nero announced that SecurDisc would be integrated into two more of LG's drives, the external GSA-E60N/L and slim portable GSA-E50N/L.
Nero, leaders in digital media technology, today announced the global availability of SecurDisc-enabled drives from LG Electronics, Inc. The addition of SecurDisc technology to the new LG GSA-E60N/L LG 20x External DVD Rewriter and the LG GSA-E50N/L Slim Portable provides secure data protection and content access control for data recorded on regular CD and DVD formats.

"With international headlines focused on the dangers of information loss, data security and document protection have become top of mind for consumers worldwide," said Charly Lippoth, Chief Technology Officer, Nero AG. "Information owners are increasingly aware of the need for strong access controls, and Nero continues to set the standard for what end-users will come to expect in ensuring the security of their files. The global availability of LG SecurDisc-enabled drives speaks to the market demand for this functionality."
If you'd like to read more, Nero's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Maxell Corporation of America recently announced that they will begin shipping their 8cm Blu-ray BD-R write-once and BD-RE rewritable discs. Developed for Blu-ray camcorders, this new media offers a 7.5GB capacity and a special protective coating to protect the recording surfaces from scratches, dust and fingerprints.

Maxell Corporation of America,the technology and marketing leader in advanced data storage media,announced today that it will begin shipping a new 8cm Blu-ray BD-Rwrite-once and BD-RE rewritable discs for the HD camcorder market.

The Maxell 8cm single layer Blu-ray BD-R and BD-RE are compatible withthe latest Blu-ray camcorders providing a recording capacity of 7.5 GBallowing the disc to store one hour of full high-definition picture qualityat 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Maxell's 8cm BD-R and BD-RE discs will be available in the U.S. later this month and will retail for $24.99 and $34.99, respectively. Full details can be found here. Add a comment
At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Toshiba announced that they were developing a triple layer HD DVD disc with a capacity of 51GB. This increased capacity gave a lot of hope to HD DVD fans as it would eliminate the primary advantage held by Blu-ray. Toshiba submitted their 51GB to the DVD Forum in April and according to a report by Screen Digiest, it was approved for production on August 31st.
The approval of Toshiba's 51 GB disc is good news for the HD DVD camp, allowing it to compete directly with rival Blu-ray Disc's (BD) dual-layer 50 GB disc. As with the BD50, it is likely to take some time for production yields to reach a commercially viable level. However, once this has been achieved it will arguably eliminate one of the principle reasons behind some studios' support of Blu-ray over HD DVD, thus potentially making it easier for Disney or Fox to adopt a format-agnostic position without losing face.
Surprising, the HD DVD Promotions Group has not issued any press releases regarding this. Until they or the DVD Forum confirm this report, I would consider it to be a rumor. If you'd like to read more, the entire report can be found here. Add a comment

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China has announced that they've developed their own high definition DVD standard. While based on HD DVD, the physical format of the CH-DVD (China High Definition DVD) includes Chinese-owned intellectual property.
The Optical Memory National Engineering Research Center (OMNERC), a laboratory dedicated to optical disc research in Tsinghua University, today announced CH-DVD (China High Definition DVD)(a), a new generation high definition DVD format developed in collaboration with research institutes and manufacturing enterprises at home and abroad. The physical format of CH-DVD includes Chinese-owned intellectual property, and is based on HD DVD, the next generation high definition DVD approved by the DVD Forum. The realization of CH-DVD was supported by the Chinese government, and will pave the way for the localization of blue-laser, high-definition DVD in China.

On Sept. 7, 2007, OMNERC established CHDA -- the China High Definition DVD Industry Association -- in cooperation with the DVD Forum and Chinese and international partners. CHDA will play a leadership role in the promotion of CH-DVD, and will make a big push to launch CH-DVD player into the Chinese market in 2008.
While the details are sketchy, CH-DVD uses some sort of "advanced copy protection technology" to prevent the spread of pirated copies. If you'd like to read more, the entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Pioneer recently announced their new Elite Blu-ray Disc player, the BDP-95FD. According to Pioneer's press release, this high-end player features 1080p/24 output, HDMI 1.3 connectivity and is the industry’s first to offer bitstream output of all advanced audio formats.
High resolution picture and sound performance come together in the new Pioneer Elite BDP-95FD Blu-ray Disc player introduced at the CEDIA Expo today. Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. is showcasing its highly anticipated player, the industry’s first to offer bitstream output of all advanced audio formats including: Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital+, DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio. The BDP-95FD ensures a near cinematic experience with its ability to handle 1080p 24 frames per second (fps) reproduction rate preserving a feature film’s original sequence. Taking advantage of HDMI 1.3 connectivity, the new player provides smooth, pristine imagery and dynamic 7.1 surround sound to deliver the full emotional impact of Blu-ray Disc feature films as the director intended.

The Pioneer Elite Blu-ray Disc player leads the industry with sophisticated home theater offerings including HDMI Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) to ensure seamless integration with other high definition theater components. In addition, movies, music and photos can be easily streamed from a home PC to connected 1080p television via the player’s enhanced home networking functionality for unrivaled entertainment.
The BDP-95FD be available at specialty retailers in October for a suggested price of $1000. Full details can be found here. Add a comment
Sonic has announced the launch of Scenarist Advanced Content Authoring Software Version 4.5. This new version of Sonic's HD DVD authoring system includes Scenarist Designer and Scenarist Formatter and offers support for features like Multiple Playlists, Secondary EVOBs, and Chapter Point File Import.
Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today introduced Scenarist Advanced Content Authoring Software Version 4.5, the latest version of Sonic’s industry-standard professional HD DVD authoring system. Used for the production of highly interactive blockbuster titles at top authoring facilities worldwide, Scenarist Advanced Content Authoring further streamlines the creation of complex titles with support for Multiple Playlists, Secondary EVOBs, Chapter Point File Import, Scheduled Events and much more. As well as new features, Scenarist Advanced Content Authoring now includes Sonic’s popular Scenarist Designer and new Scenarist Formatter. The new software applications are a strong complement to Scenarist Advanced Content Authoring, providing a highly optimized workflow from graphics and HDi preparation through HD DVD pre-mastering and burning.
Scenarist Advanced Content Version 4.5 will be available later this month and will be provided to existing customers as a free upgrade. More information is available on Sonic's website. Add a comment

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Toshiba has announced that they will continue to offer five free HD DVD's with the purchase of a HD DVD player until February 28th, 2008. On top of that, the company will be including copies of "300" and "The Bourne Identity" in the box of their third-generation HD DVD players.
In addition, in order to allow consumers to enjoy the HD DVD experienceright out of the box, Toshiba is offering consumers free movies with thepurchase of their third generation players. With Toshiba's new bundlepromotion, consumers will take home the highly acclaimed HD DVDs "300" fromWarner Home Video and "The Bourne Identity" from Universal Studios HomeEntertainment...

...In addition to its bundle promotion, Toshiba announced "The Perfect HDOffer," which will begin on October 1st 2007 and continue until February28th 2008. As a result, with the purchase of any Toshiba HD DVD player,consumers will be able to select five HD DVD titles for free, from aselection of 15, via a mail-in offer. Full offer details will be availableat http://www.toshibahddvd.com.
If you'd like to read more about Toshiba's upcoming promotions, their entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Acer has apparently decided to stay neutral in the battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD. While the company has been a member of the Blu-ray Disc Association for less than a week, they've decided to hedge their bets and join the North American HD DVD Promotional Group.
With HD DVD drives already owninga 70%(1) share of the notebook PC market worldwide, the North American HDDVD Promotional Group today announced that Acer, the world's No. 4 PCvendor, has officially joined the Group.

"We're pleased that Acer is now a member of the North American HD DVDPromotional Group," said Ken Graffeo, co-president of the North American HDDVD Promotional Group. "Acer is already producing a stellar line of HDDVD-enabled notebook PCs for consumers today and we expect continued strongdemand for their products. Acer's support is one reason HD DVD continues tobe the worldwide leader in the PC market."
Acer has been offering HD DVD drives in their laptops for some time so this move really isn't too surprising. If you'd like to read more, the entire press release can be found here. Add a comment