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Optical Storage
Earlier this week, Samsung announced their latest DVD writer, the SH-S203. With its ability to write to DVD+R DL media at 16x, the SH-S203 is expected to push the demand for drives and discs capable of this speed.
Samsung Electronics, at a press conference in New York on June 19, introduced its Super WriteMaster SH-S203 DVD burner featuring a write speed of 16x for DVD+R DL (single-sided double-layer) and that of 20x for DVD+R/-R. The device is expected to push up demand for DVD burners capable of 16x DVD+R DL recording as well as 16x DVD+D DL discs, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

While the DVD+RW Alliance released specifications for 12x and 16x DVD+R DL formats in early April of this year, Samsung took the initiative among global leading DVD burner brands/makers to bring the 16x DVD+R DL into commercial use, the sources indicated. While 8-12x, currently the mainstream writing speeds for DVD+R DL, takes 15-20 minutes to burn a disc, 16x requires less than 10 minutes, the sources pointed out.
The article also mentions that Pioneer, Sony and Lite-On plan to release drives capable of writing to DVD+R DL media at 16x later this year. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment
With Blockbuster deciding to back Blu-ray, many people are declaring it the winner of the format war. This hasn't phased the HD DVD Promotional Group. According to a report by bit-tech.net, the group's vice president, Ken Graffeo, is confident that HD DVD will still be able to pull of a win in the end.
Ken cited the fact that HD DVD is still being offered in the original 250 stores and through Blockbuster’s online rental service. He claims that those 250 stores are stores where there are large numbers of early adopters and the latter, he believes, is Blockbuster’s major growth market.

Thus, he is not fazed by Blockbuster’s decision. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that this is potentially a bigger win for Blu-ray than it is a loss for HD DVD, based on the figures he’s given to us.

He remained adamant that HD DVD was on top at the moment and claimed that dedicated HD DVD set top boxes are outselling Blu-ray set top boxes at a rate of three to one in the US. In the last six weeks, the Promotional Group has sold over 50,000 HD DVD set top boxes on promotion in the US, proving that once the price is right, consumers will buy into the technology.
If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Duplicators
Plextor Europe has announced its first CD/DVD duplicator, the PlexCopier PX-DM300. This stand alone unit contains one source drive and three PX-608AL multi-format DVD writers.

Plextor today announces its first CD/DVD duplicator ideal for offices of all sizes - particularly marketing departments, schools, Government, agencies etc. It is the only one available on the market with such a compact design as it features Plextor slimline slot-loading CD/DVD ReWriter drives.

Enabling fast copying of up to three CDs/DVDs at once, the Plextor PlexCopier PX-DM300 does not require a PC as it is a stand alone unit - therefore it does not tie up any of the office computers, and helps to increase office productivity.

The PlexCopier PX-DM300 features an intuitive interface and as such is extremely easy to use - simply follow the steps on the LCD display. It is perfect for copying all types of office data such as electronic brochures, presentations, video footage, multimedia files and databases.
No word on price yet. However, the PlexCopier PX-DM300 is scheduled to ship in July 2007. More information is available on Plextor's website. Add a comment

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Earlier this year, we reported that the DVD CCA had lost their court case against Kaleidescape. According to PC World, the group has responded by proposing a new amendment to the CSS licensing agreement. If approved, the amendment would make all DVD backups illegal.
The amendment is currently being considered by the Content Protection Advisory Council (CPAC) of the DVD CCA. If enacted, it would become binding in 18 months from the date on which the CCA notified its licensees, which include DVD hardware and software manufacturers.

The terms of the amendment, formally referred to as the "Unknown Specification Amendment," are just a paragraph long, and would basically eliminate DVD copying of any form, whether for the purposes of fair use or not.

The amendment reads:

"6.4. Certain Requirements for DVD Products. DVD Products, alone or in combination with other DVD Products, shall not be designed to descramble scrambled CSS Data when the DVD Disc containing such CSS Data and associated CSS Keys is not physically present in the DVD Player or DVD Drive (as applicable), and a DVD Product shall not be designed to make or direct the making of a persistent copy of CSS Data that has been descrambled from such DVD Disc by such DVD Product."
The DVD CCA needs to realize that CSS is worthless as a form of DRM. Amendments like this will do little to prevent consumers from making backups and will only put companies like Kaleidescape out of business. Then again, that might be the whole point of this amendment. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage
IDC has released a new study, analyizing the optical storage market for 2004-2006 and providing a forcast for 2007-2011. According to their findings, HD DVD and Blu-ray will gain significant momentum. However, DVD burners will continue to dominate the market.
While DVD burners will continue to be the dominant volume product of the optical/removable storage market until 2011, due to commodity prices and almost universal compatibility, next-generation drives are ramping up, according to IDC. Significant momentum is building behind the blue laser formats: HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD). Marketing activities of both camps are accelerating, and more and more companies are joining one of the two or both format groups.

"Similar to DVD and DVD burners, blue laser DVD will need a three- to five-year ramp to reach mass-market volumes," said Wolfgang Schlichting, research director for Removable Storage at IDC. "HD DVD needs to aggressively push volumes to neutralize BD's advantage in support from consumer electronics (CE) and content companies."
While Hollywood would like us all to run out and buy a Blu-ray or HD DVD player, the standard DVD isn't going away anytime soon. More information on IDC's new study can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage
For the last few years, we've seen a slow, but steady decline in DVD burner prices. According to DigiTimes, the retail price of 18x and 20x DVD burners is actually on the rise due to tight supplies and increased demands by the US and European markets.
The supply of half-height 18x and 20x DVD burners in Taiwan has been tight since the beginning of May due to increasing demand for such burners in the US and European markets, according to sources in the retail channel in Taiwan, who noted that retail prices rose by NT$30-50 (US$0.91-1.52), or 3%, in May and by NT$20-30, or 2%, in June.

Because of the tight supply, the time from order placement to delivery took 7-10 more working days in May while the additional time decreased to seven working days in June as the tight supply has somewhat eased, the sources indicated. Since the beginning of May, the general inventory level for H/H 18x and 20x DVD burners in Taiwan has fallen from 2-3 weeks to about one week, the sources pointed out.
While 2-3% isn't much, it can add up over time. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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Optical Storage
CyberLink has announced that their Hi-Def Suite is being bundled with HLDS's new Super Multi Blue Drive, the GGW-H10N. Here's part of their press release:
CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), a world leader in digital home solutions, today announced the release of CyberLink Hi-Def Suite with HLDS GGW-H10N, a universal drive supporting Blu-ray Discs and HD DVDs.

The combined solution lets users play high-definition movies stored on Blu-ray Discs and HD DVDs, record high-definition video content to Blu-ray Discs, as well as burn and backup data to Blu-ray Discs and DVDs.

"The Super Multi Blue drive provides a neat solution that offers a lot of value to customers, with support for both Blu-ray Discs and HD DVDs," said D.Y Roh, senior specialist of HLDS.
If you'd like to read more, CyberLink's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Today, CDRLabs brings you an in depth look at LG's latest "Super-Multi" drive, the GSA-H55L. This highly anticipated drive features some of the fastest reading and writing speeds available. The GSA-H55L is capable of 20x DVD±R, 10x DVD±R DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds and has a maximum DVD read speed of 16x. LG's new drive also offers a number of features, including support for technologies like LightScribe and SecurDisc.

In this review we'll take a look at some of the features found on the GSA-H55L and see how it compares to some of the 18x and 20x DVD±RW drives from the competition. Does LG's new "Super-Multi" drive have what it takes? Is it the fastest DVD writer around? You'll have to read the review to find out.


LG GSA-H55L 20x Super-Multi DVD±RW/RAM
If you have any comments or questions about this review or the LG GSA-H55L, please post them in the forum. Add a comment

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