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Home Entertainment

23 August 2007

While HD DVD backers are looking to Paramount and Dreamworks to swing the balance in their favor, the research firm Understanding & Solutions has stated that Blu-ray will still be the winner. According to the firm, most of the industry's support is still behind Blu-ray and this recent decision will do nothing more than prolong the format war.

Research firm Understanding & Solutions reiterated its stance that Blu-ray Disc will prove victorious in the high-definition format war, despite Paramount Home Entertainment’s and DreamWorks Animation’s move to back rival HD DVD exclusively.

During a breakfast update on consumer downloading and high-definition issues here Wednesday, U&S director Jim Bottoms cited as reason the larger number of studio titles produced exclusively for Blu-ray. Also, the Paramount/DreamWorks move to HD DVD exclusivity did not add any new titles to that side, he noted, since the studios until this week supported both formats.

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

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Other

22 August 2007

Antec P182 Performance One Elite Computer Case @Tweaknews.net
ASRock Conroe1333 eSATA2 Motherboard @TweakTown
CoolIT Systems Freezone CPU Cooler @Futurelooks
Corsair Padlock USB Flash Drive @Metku.net
CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD 1500VA 900W LCD UPS @Benchmark Reviews
DFI Infinity P35 Blood-Iron Motheboard @Madshrimps
ECS G33T-M2 (V1.0) Intel G33 mATX Motherboard @Bigbruin.com
iOne Scorpius N2T Wireless Keyboard @ThinkComputers.org
Leadtek WinFast PX8600GT TDH 256MB (Lost Planet Edition) @Hardware Zone
Nyko Gameface 360 @OCModShop
Saitek Cyborg Rumble Pad @I4U
SteelPad QcK+ Monster Pad @BCCHardware
Steelsound 3H Gaming Headset @Futurelooks
UBiQUiO 503G Windows Mobile 6 Smartphone @TweakTown
Zerotherm ZT-100 High Performance Thermal Grease @Tweaknews.net

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Optical Storage

22 August 2007

I-O DATA Japan has announced a series of drives based on the LG's new "Super Multi Blue" drive, the GGW-H20N. The internal BRD-SH6B and external BRD-UXH6 feature 6x BD-R, 4x BD-R DL and 2x BD-RE writing speeds and a maximum BD-ROM read speed of 6x. The two drives can also read back HD DVD-ROM's at 3x. Here are some of the specs:

Writing Speeds: BD-R: 6x BD-R DL: 4x BD-RE: 2x DVD±R: 16x DVD±R DL: 4x DVD+RW: 8x DVD-RW: 6x DVD-RAM: 5x CD-R: 40x CD-RW: 24x

Read Speeds: BD-ROM (Single): 6x BD-ROM (Dual): 4.8x BD-R: 6x BD-R DL: 4.8x BD-RE: 2x HD DVD-ROM: 3x DVD-ROM (Single): 16x Max DVD-ROM (Dual): 8x Max DVD±R: 12x Max DVD±RW: 10x Max DVD±R DL: 8x Max DVD-RAM: 5x Max CD-R/RW/ROM: 40x Max

The BRD-SH6B and BRD-UXH6 will ship in the middle of September and are priced at 63,500 Yen ($552US) and 69,000 Yen ($600US) respectively. More information can be found here. Add a comment

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Flash Memory

22 August 2007

Toshiba Japan sent out a press release this morning, announcing three new SD High Capacity (SDHC) cards. Along with a 16GB SDHC card and an 8GB microSDHC card, the company plans to introduce the world's first 32GB SDHC card in January of 2008.

Toshiba Corp., a leading innovator in memory card solutions, today reinforced its line up of SD High Capacity (SDHC) cards with three new cards, including the worlds first 32-gigabyte (GB) memory card in this high density. Alongside the 32GB SDHC card, Toshiba also announced a 16GB SDHC card and an 8GB microSDHC card. All the new cards meet the Class 4 specification in the SD Speed Class, ensuring they deliver the high level performance and functionality essential for advanced mobile phones and other personal digital products.

The 16GB SDHC card will be available worldwide from October, and the 32GB SDHC card and 8GB microSDHC card will be launched worldwide in January next year.

All three cards feature a maximum read speed of 6MB/s and a sustained writing speed of 4MB/s. Full details can be found here. Add a comment

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Other

21 August 2007

The DVD6C Licensing Group recently terminated the patent license agreement of two Chinese manufacturers. According to DigiTimes, AKI Digital Electrical Appliance and Chaoyue (Jiangsu) Digital failed to fulfill their material obligations of royalty reporting and/or royalty payment under the agreement.

The DVD6C Licensing Group (DVD6C) has terminated its Patent License Agreement with AKI Digital Electrical Appliance, a maker of DVD players based in Shenzhen, because the company failed to fulfill the material obligation of royalty reporting and/or royalty payment under the agreement, with the termination having taken effect on August 12, according to a DVD6C press release.

The news follows the cancellation of another China-based licensee, Chaoyue (Jiangsu) Digital, on August 2, and Chinese makers, which comprise the majority of DVD6C licensees of DVD player technology, are now concerned about a possible crackdown by the licensing organization.

If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

21 August 2007

As we reported yesterday, Paramount and DreamWorks Animation have decided release their titles exclusively on HD DVD. While both studios claimed that the format's lower costs made it the better choice for consumers, the true motivator appears to be a "promotional considerations" paid by HD DVD backers. According to a blog post at Deadline Hollywood Daily, Paramount and DreamWorks Animation received a total of $150 million to drop support for Blu-ray.

I've learned there will be two new developments announced later this week today in the ongoing Blu-ray vs HD-DVD format war: separate HD-DVD deals with Paramount and DreamWorks Animation that involve major millions of dollars. I've got a confidential report from Pali Research managing director Richard S. Greenfield, a media analyst for entertainment and cable, that discussed the deals (see below), spinning them as "the format war is now set to intensify". But sources have given me updated details which show the HD-DVD side is paying through the nose -- I'm told $50 million to Paramount, and $100 million to DreamWorks Animation -- to try to show the strength of what we all know is a dying format.

If you'd like to read more, the entire blog post can be found here. Also, feel free to join the ongoing discussion in our forum. Add a comment

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Other

20 August 2007

Eagle Tech Consus W-Series 3.5" USB External HDD Enclosure @Madshrimps
ePower Technology EP-1200P10 xScale 1200W PSU @Benchmark Reviews
Foxconn GeForce 8600GTS @ChileHardware
Hitachi P50S601 1080p Plasma HDTV @I4U
iON EC-2 Aluminum ATX Media Center/HTPC Desktop Case @Madshrimps
Kingston DDR3-1066MHz @InsideHW.com
Logitech diNovo Edge Ultra Slim Bluetooth Keyboard @Futurelooks
Logitech X-240 2.1 Speaker System @ThinkComputers.org
Vantec USB External 5.1 Audio Adapter @Virtual-Hideout
Zalman Z-Machine GT1000 Case @BCCHardware

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Duplicators

20 August 2007

Aleratec recently announced they've started shipping the 1:8 DVD/CD Tower Publisher HLX. When connected to a PC via eSATA, this new publishing tower can copy or label up to 8 discs at once.

Aleratec, Inc., leading developer and manufacturer of Aleratec Award Winning "Prosumers' Choice" solutions for the Blu-ray, DVD/CD, USB duplicating, and DVD/CD publishing markets is now shipping its new 1:8 DVD/CD Tower Publisher HLX that can simultaneously produce up to 8 DVD/CD copies, recordings, or 8 clearly labeled LightScribe DVDs or CDs with high performance SATA data rates. The 1:8 DVD/CD Tower Publisher HLX, another disc publishing first only from Aleratec, incorporates the latest high speed DVD/CD recording technology and can make DVD copies at up to 20x or CD copies at up to 48x. The recorders also support DVD-RAM and 8.5GB Double Layer technologies. The 1:8 DVD/CD Tower Publisher has eSATA connections to your computer for the most stable duplicating process. For those that do not have eSATA ports on their computer, a dual channel eSATA host adapter is included FREE with purchase. The powerful Aleratec Disc Publishing software suite is the ideal all in one package for music, photos, video, data, and backup has Windows Vista support and is also included FREE with purchase.

The 1:8 DVD/CD Tower Publisher HLX is available now for an estimated retail price of $1269. More information can be found on Alera's website. Add a comment

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Other

20 August 2007

CDRLabs kicks off the week with an in depth look at Lite-On's new Serial ATA equipped "Super AllWrite" drive, the LH-20A1L. While affordably priced, the drive features some of the fastest reading and writing speeds available. The LH-20A1H is capable of 20x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD±R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds and has a maximum DVD read speed of 16x. Along with support for HP's LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling system, the LH-20A1L also features many of the technologies we've come to expect from Lite-On, including more advanced ones like SmartWrite and OverSpeed.

In this review we'll take a look at some of the features found on the LH-20A1L and see how it compares to some of the 18x and 20x DVD±RW drives from the competition. Does the LH-20A1L have what it takes? You'll have to read the review to find out.

Lite-On LH-20A1L 20x Super AllWrite DVD±RW/RAM

If you have any comments or questions about this review or the Lite-On LH-20A1L, please post them in the forum. Add a comment