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Home Entertainment
For the last month or so, owners of Universal titles like 'Children of Men' and 'The Good Shepherd' have been complaining about playback issues. While the company quietly cancelled other combo HD DVD/DVD releases, they did not publicly acknowledge the problem until now. In a statement made to High-Def Digest, Universal has announced that they are looking into the problem and will be offering replacement discs to those affected by it.
While the studio had been mum on the topic for over a month, today they issued a statement to High-Def Digest acknowledging the problems, and initiated a disc replacement program for affected consumers. The studio's full statement follows below:

"Universal is currently investigating reports that Children of Men, The Good Shepherd, and select other discs not playing properly in some HD DVD players. While we believe this is limited to a small number of HD DVD discs, Universal is offering a replacement service for any customers who are experiencing this problem. We are still investigating the cause and will provide further updates as we get them. Any customer problems should be directed to USHE.ConsumerRelations@worldmarkinc.com."
While I must commend Universal for offering replacement discs, they should have responded to the problem much sooner. If you'd like to read more, head on over to High-Def Digest. Add a comment

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Optical Storage
DigiTimes has reported that CMC Magnetics recently received level A certification for its single layer BD-R media. According to the article, they are the first Taiwanese manufacturer to do so.
CMC Magnetics, the largest producer of optical discs in Taiwan, on April 30 announced it has obtained level A certification for its Blu-ray Disc (BD)-R (recordable, write once) SL (single-sided single-layer) disc from an international vendor. The company stated that it is the first among makers of optical discs in Taiwan to receive this certification.
If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment
A few weeks ago, we reported that people were experiencing playback problems with Universal's HD DVD/DVD combo discs. Unfortunately, these problems also seem to apply to the HD DVD version of 'Digital Video Essentials'. According to High-Def Digest, people on the AVS Forum have experienced a number of playback issues with the Xbox 360's HD DVD add on drive.
While Joe Kane's highly-anticipated calibration disc finally hit stores last Tuesday, many owners of the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on had a rude awakening when they attempted to boot up the disc, experiencing a series of hiccups and outright stalls that rendered key portions of the disc unplayable.

Needlesstosay, the complaints quickly found their way online, and onto the boards at AVS Forum. But as readers there were relieved to find out, the disc's distributor is aware of the problem, and promises that the next Xbox 360 dashboard update will solve it.
Xbox 360 owners shouldn't have to wait long for a fix as the next dashbord update will be released on May 7th. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Plextor LLC has announced a completely redesigned and updated version of the ConvertX Digital Video Converter. The PX-AV200U is not only considerably smaller than previous models, it can be used to convert videos for playback on portable devices like the iPod and PlayStation Portable.

The PX-AV200U is rebuilt from the ground up to deliver a host of new benefits to users. The plastic enclosure case has been replaced by a dongle with connectors for USB 2.0, S-Video In, Video In, and Audio In. It takes up no desk space at all and fits in a shirt pocket for easy portability. In addition to MPEG-1/2/4 video formats, the new ConvertX model supports iPod and PlayStation Portable file formats, enabling videos to be viewed anywhere on portable players. The PX-AV200U runs on the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system, as well as Windows XP.
The PX-AV200U will be available in May 2007 for a suggested retail price of $69. More information is available on Plextor's website. Add a comment

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Optical Storage
With media manufacturers continually raising prices, you'd think that they'd be able to turn a profit. In Ritek's case, they've been in the red the last 10 quarters. It wasn't until the first quarter of 2007 that the company was able to rebound and return a net profit.
Ritek's board of directors, at a meeting on April 27, approved the company's 2006 financial report, with net losses of NT$12.275 billion (US$368.6 million) and net losses per share of NT$5.76 both the highest annual levels ever on record, according to the company. Ritek also published its financial figures for the first quarter of this year on April 27, posting net profits of NT$101.5 million after suffering net losses consecutively for 10 quarters since the third quarter of 2004.
The return to profitability was primarily due Ritek modifying its production equipment to increase yield rates and by forming strategic alliances with OEM clients. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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Software
Corel has announced two new versions of their Ulead VideoStudio software. According to their press release, VideoStudio 11 And VideoStudio 11 Plus offer a number of new features including support for Windows Vista, AVCHD editing capabilities and, in the case of the Plus version, the ability to create HD DVD videos.
Corel Corporation, a leading developer of graphics, productivity and digital media software, today announced the availability of Ulead VideoStudio 11 and Ulead VideoStudio 11 Plus, the newest versions of its award-winning consumer video editing and DVD authoring software. Widely regarded for its powerful features and unmatched ease of use, VideoStudio now includes the industry's first AVCHD editing solution, enhanced DV-to-DVD Wizard and Movie Wizard features, more title/subtitle and overlay tools and a host of quick-fix solutions for common video problems, including automatic color/tone correction. With the new Plus version, consumers also have a complete, end-to-end solution for capturing, editing, authoring and burning HD DVD videos.

Ulead VideoStudio 11 is an all-in-one solution for producing professional-looking videos, slideshows and DVDs with Dolby Digital sound. More than just an upgrade of the previous version, the Works with Windows Vista(TM) certified software makes a quantum leap forward in delivering today's most-wanted features while maintaining the performance and ease-of-use that have made Ulead VideoStudio so popular.
While boxed versions of VideoStudio 11 won't hit store shelves until some time in May, the software can be purchased now from www.corel.com and www.ulead.com. Suggested retail pricing is $89.99 for the standard version and $129.99 for the Plus version. More information can be found here. Add a comment

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It's been awhile, but Goldenhawk has released a new version of CDRWIN. According to their website, version 4.0E now supports Windows Vista. If you'd like to check it out, CDRWIN 4.0E can be downloaded here. A Unicode version is also available for those using multi-language versions of Windows XP and Vista. Add a comment

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While 20th Century Fox won't be releasing another title on Blu-ray until June, that hasn't stopped the company from launching PerfectHiDef.com, a website dedicated to the Blu-ray Disc format. Taken from Blu-ray.com:
For the past few months, Amazon has been linking to a Blu-ray informational website hosted by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in their Blu-ray Disc Store. The webpage offers basic information on Blu-ray and its capabilities; it contains enough information to answer the questions of anyone looking to enter into the high definition movie arena. Fox has now moved this page to its own dedicated website: PerfectHiDef.com.
As many of you know, Fox has pushed back the release of many of their Blu-ray titles. While it is rumored that Mr. & Mrs. Smith will ship in June, its unknown when other postponed titles will show up. Add a comment

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