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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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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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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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Enermax Uber Chakra Case @HardwareLogic
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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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Samsung held a "Storage Power Lunch" in New York today. At the event, the company unveiled a number of new storage products, including their first 20x DVD writer, the SH-S203. Along with support for Serial ATA, the SH-S203 features 20x DVD±R, 16x DVD+R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds.
Samsung Electronics Ltd., the worldwide digital consumer electronics and information technology leader, announces the world’s fastest DVD burner, the Super-WriteMaster SH-S203. The SH-S203 is a 20X Serial ATA (SATA) DVD burner that offers the fastest DVD+R/-R and DVD+R DL write speeds of any drive on the market today and supports all CD/DVD discs including DVD-RAM. The SH-S203 is shipping nation wide in with a street price of $70 ands is being introduced today at the company’s storage press conference in New York City.

The SH-S203 features the fastest recording times of any drive on the market with industry leading: 20X DVD±R recording, 12X DVD-RAM recording, 16X DVD+R Dual Layer recording, 12X DVD-R Dual Layer recording, 8X DVD+RW recording and 6X DVD-RW recording. Samsung’s first 20X DVD drive supports the SATA interface, with SATA PCs now dominating the PC market. With its SATA interface, the SH-S203 eliminates the need for Master/Slave jumper settings and provides thinner data cables, improving airflow and cable routing.
According to Samsung's press release, the SH-S203 can burn an entire DVD±R disc in about 4 minutes and 38 seconds. This is pretty impressive.. if the drive can deliver on these claims. If you'd like to read more about the SH-S203, the entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Plextor Europe sent out a press release earlier today, announcing a new external 18x multi-format DVD writer. Along with support for both FireWire and USB 2.0, the PX-810UF features 18x DVD±R, 10x DVD±R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds.

Following the success of the recently launched internal PX-800A & PX-810SA DVD ReWriters, Plextor announces its new high end external drive - the PX-810UF. This fast 18x drive is ideal for all users as it is compatible with both Mac and PC systems. From professionals and enthusiasts, through to anyone looking for a stylish addition or upgrade to their home/office set-up, the PX-810UF offers the ideal solution. It features Plextor’s legendary quality and reliability in a robust matt black external unit. Fully compatible with Microsoft Vista and the latest Mac OS, it is perfect for the Mac community - including designers, agencies, marketing teams and any small office or home/SOHO users.
No word on price yet. However, the PX-810UF is scheduled to ship in July 2007. More information is available on Plextor's website. Add a comment

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As we reported a few weeks ago, Toshiba currently plans to put HD DVD drives in all of their notebook computers. The company is apparently starting with their mainstream models, incorporating HD DVD drives into the Satellite P205, Satellite X205 and Qosmio F45. Toshiba also plans to release the first U.S. notebook with a writable HD DVD drive later this year.
Toshiba's Digital Product Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced that the Satellite P205, Satellite X205 and Qosmio F45 will be the company's first mainstream mobile solutions to incorporate HD DVD drives, while the Qosmio G45 will be the first U.S. notebook computer with a writeable HD DVD optical drive, and will be available to consumers in time for the back-to-school season.

"In the realm of high definition nothing compares to the capability and quality that is available through HD DVD," said Mark Simons, vice president and general manager, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. "Due to manufacturing efficiencies being achieved for HD DVD, we're able to add this revolutionary technology into our mainstream consumer notebook lineup at affordable prices."
Toshiba's HD DVD enabled notebooks range in price from $1,449 to $3,199, depending on the model and configuration. More information can be found here. Add a comment

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Lite-On has finally unveiled their new series of "Super AllWrite" drives. The DH-20A3L, DH-20A3H, DH-20A3S and DH-20A3P all features 20x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds. The big difference between the four is their support for LightScribe (DH-20A3L and DH-20A3H) and Serial ATA (DH-20A3L and DH-20A3S). Here are some of the drives' specs:


Writing Speeds:

DVD±R: 20x Max
DVD±R DL: 8x Max
DVD+RW: 8x Max
DVD-RW: 6x Max
DVD-RAM 12x Max
CD-R: 48x Max
CD-RW: 32x Max

 Read Speeds:

DVD-ROM: 16x Max
CD-ROM: 48x Max

Access Times:

DVD-ROM: 160ms
CD-ROM: 160ms

According to April's product roadmap, these drives were supposed to support the DVD-RW DL format. However, looking at the specs on Lite-On's website, that doesn't seem to be the case. More information on all four drives can be found here. Add a comment

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