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03 August 2007

The results are in and our readers have chosen the Pioneer DVR-111/DVR-111D/DVR-A11 as the top DVD writer for the month of July. Here are the top drives:

1. Pioneer DVR-111/DVR-111D/DVR-A11
2. LG GSA-H62N/GSA-H62L
3. (tied) Lite-On LH-20A1S/LH-20A1L and Pioneer DVR-112/DVR-112D/DVR-A12
4. Plextor PX-760A/PX-760SA

Your favorite drive didn't make it onto the list? Then go and vote for August's top DVD writer. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

03 August 2007

Sony Europe announced this morning that they've launched a new website, the "MMG Venue". Sitting alongside the Museum of Low Res, the MMG Venu offers previews of music, movies and games released on the Blu-ray Disc format.

Sony Europe today opens the MMG Venue (Music, Movies and Games), a new site providing access to the latest content released on the Blu-ray Disc format.

Set in a virtual city laneway, the MMG Venue is home to a jazz café which boasts live full-length music videos of Blu-ray Disc artists including Bruce Springsteen, Destiny's Child and Incubus.

A red, suped-up sports car links to the MMG Venue gaming section, highlighting the cream of exclusive Blu-ray Disc PS3 games hitting the market. Recent games currently on show include Motorstorm, Lairmaster and Uncharted, all in full HD.

A billboard poster lit-up in the virtual laneway takes you straight to a selection of high definition previews of the latest blockbuster movies released in Blu-ray Disc format. Spiderman III, Casino Royale, All the King's Men and Talladega Nights are currently playing, with new trailers set to be added close to film release dates.

More information about Sony's new website can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

02 August 2007

Imation hasn't wasted any time putting the TDK brand to use. The company announced today that they will be releasing TDK Life on Record brand 8cm Blu-ray Discs. Available in September, these new BD-R/RE discs offer a 7.5GB capacity and feature TDK's DURABIS 2 and spin coating technologies.

Imation Corp. (NYSE: IMN), exclusive licensee of the "TDK Life on Record" recording media brand, today announced the global release of 8cm recordable Blu-ray Discs. Available in both BD-R (recordable) and BD-RE (re-recordable), each TDK 8cm Blu-ray Disc offers 7.5 gigabytes of capacity, ample to store 60 minutes of full-quality high-definition video. TDK BD-R (BD-R75A) and BD-RE (BD-RE75A) 8cm Blu-ray Discs will begin shipping in the U.S. in September at manufacturer suggested retail prices (MSRPs) of $24.99 and $34.99, respectively. TDK Corporation manufactures these 8cm recordable Blu-ray Discs using TDK advanced technologies and supplies the product to Imation for sale under the TDK Life on Record brand.

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

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Optical Storage

02 August 2007

Hitachi's new Blu-ray Disc camcorders are already gaining support from media manufacturers. Verbatim sent out a press release this morning, announcing world’s first Mini Blu-ray Recordable/Rewriteable (BD-R/RE) media. These new 3-inch (8cm) discs can hold 7.5GB of data or an hours worth of full high-definition video.

Verbatim Corporation and its parent company, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM), announced today the world’s first Mini Blu-ray Recordable/Rewriteable (BD-R/RE) media. Measuring three inches (8cm) in diameter, the new 7.5GB discs provide approximately one hour of continuous video capture time on a single side when high definition (1920×1080i) is used, and approximately two hours1 of video capture time with images recorded at 1440×1080i. MKM Mini BD media will be available in August in Japan, where the new Hitachi BD-compatible camcorder will be launched. Verbatim will begin shipments to other parts of the world, including North America, when the new BD-compatible camcorders become available locally.

Verbatim Mini BD media combine with a BD-compatible camcorder to provide consumers with convenience features that hard disk camcorders cannot offer. With the ability to record priceless memories directly to a Mini BD disc, users can eliminate the time-consuming process of downloading captured video to their computer hard drive. They can also enjoy unlimited capacity by simply removing the disc from the camcorder and adding a new one.

No word on price or availability. As we find out more, we'll let you know. In the mean time, Verbatim's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

02 August 2007

Hitachi has officially unveiled their new Blu-ray Disc camcorders, the DZ-BD7H and DZ-BD70. Both models can record up to an hour of 1920x1080 full high-definition video onto an 8cm Blu-ray disc. The DZ-BD7H also features a 30GB hard drive which can hold another 4 hours of 1920x1080 full high-definition video.

Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT / TSE:6501) announced the world's first Blu-ray Disc (BD) Camcorder, -which records one hour of 1920x1080 Full High-Definition video onto a BD (single side, single layer.) The new camcorders will start selling in Japan on August 30, 2007, and overseas market sequentially starting from October.

The new DZ-BD7H is a Hybrid Cam with a BD drive and a 30 gigabyte (GB) built-in hard disc drive (HDD) which can record approximately four hours of 1920x1080 full high-definition video, or up to eight hours of 1440x1080 high-definition video. It can also copy the contents from HDD to 8cm BD within the camcorder so that users do not need to use any external devices.

The new DZ-BD70 is a BD single drive camcorder which can record approximately one hour of 1920x1080 full high-definition video (two hours of 1440x1080 high definition video) on a 8cm BD.

Hitachi has not announced a price. However, AV Watch expects the DZ-BD7H and DZ-BD70 to cost about 190,000 Yen ($1597US) and 160,000 Yen ($1345US) repectively. Full details can be found here.

Update - Hitachi America has followed up with their own press release, stating that the DZ-BD7H and DZ-BD70 will be priced at $1,499 and $1,299 respectively. Expect to see them on store shelves some time in October. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

02 August 2007

Pioneer announced this morning that they will be introducing a new Blu-ray Disc player in Japan. According to their press release, the BDP-LX80 includes new features like bitstream output of next-generation audio formats and the ability to be controlled by other A/V devices via HDMI.

The Pioneer BDP-LX80 supports bitstream output of the next-generation audio formats - Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, as well as linear PCM 7.1-channel output of the same formats. Users can enjoy a surround sound ambience never before possible as well as stunning piture quality.

The new BD player is designed for seamless home theater integration via HDMI Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) technology. This feature realizes syncronized operations with HDMI-control enabled home theater products including Pioneer plasma display PDP-5010HD and A/V amplifier VSA-LX70. Users can be freed from troublesome procedures such as switching remotes even when enjoying their favorite BD contents on the complicated home theaters.

The BDP-LX80 will ship in October for a suggested retail price of 210,000 Yen ($1768US). If you'd like to read more, Pioneer's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Other

01 August 2007

Eagle Tech T-Series and M-Series External HDD Enclosures @PC Apex
Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R (Intel P35) Motherboard @Hardware Zone
Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse @I4U
OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 Vista Performance Platinum Dual Channel RAM @I4U
OCZ Secure Digital Trifecta High Performance 1 GB Micro SD/SD/USB Flash Card @Futurelook s
SanDisk Cruzer Contour @DV Hardware
Thermaltake iXoft Cooling Pad @The TechZone
Ultra Products X-Blaster Mid-Tower Case @PC Apex
Viewsonic VX2255wmb 22" Widescreen LCD w/ Webcam @Tweaknews.net

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Optical Storage

01 August 2007

Pioneer Europe has officially announced their second generation Blu-ray Disc writer, the BDR-202. The new drive features 4x BD-R and 2x BD-RE writing speeds and, unlike the BDR-101A, is backwards compatible with both DVD's and CD's.

Developed for professional users, the BDR-202 internal drive for PCs supports the writing of both write-once (BD-R) and rewritable (BD-RE) single-layer Blu-ray discs.

The versatile writer, which is now available in Europe, is also compatible with a range of DVD and CD media; speeds include 12X writing to DVD-R/+R, 6X to DVD-RW/+RW and 24X to CD-R/RW.

The optical pickup unit is equipped with our newly developed BD/DVD/CD three-way compatible lens that realises high-speed recording at a maximum speed of 4X on BD-R media and 2X speed on BD-RE.

No word on price but you can bet that the BDR-202 will be expensive. More information, including a full list of specs, can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

01 August 2007

The Japanese company, Buffalo, has announced a new series of drives based on the Panasonic SW-9576. These internal and external "Super Multi" drives feature 16x DVD±R, 4x DVD±R DL and 5x DVD-RAM writing speeds and are backwards compatible with older, cartridge based DVD-RAM discs. Here are some of the specs:

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

Read Speeds: DVD-ROM (Single): 16x Max DVD-ROM (Dual): 8x Max DVD±R: 16x Max DVD±RW: 8x Max DVD±R DL: 8x Max DVD-Video (CSS): 6x Max DVD-RAM: 5X Max CD-R/ROM: 40x Max CD-RW: 24x Max

The DVSM-CX516FBV, DVSM-CX516U2/V and DVSM-CX516IU2/V will ship in August and are priced at 12,500 Yen ($105US), 15,700 Yen ($132US) and 17,900 Yen ($151US) respectively. More information can be found here. Add a comment