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For the last month or so, there have been reports that Sony's more recent DVD releases will not play on some DVD players, including one of their own models, the DVP-CX995V. According to Video Business, Sony has come clean about the problem, stating that it was caused by an update to their ARccOS copy protection scheme. While Sony claims that they've received a very small number of complaints, they are offering replacement discs to those that are affected.
Sony said the problem was due to an update of its ARccOS copy-protection system, an additional layer of protection meant to prevent ripping. The studio has included ArccOS on its DVDs for the past two years. The copy-protection is continually updated to keep ahead of hackers.

"Recently, an update that was installed on approximately 20 titles was found to cause an incompatibility issue with a very small number of DVD players (Sony has received complaints on less than one thousandth of one percent of affected discs shipped)," the company said in a statement. "Since then, the ARccOS system has once again been updated, and there are no longer any playability problems."
While I'm sure this will give Sony haters one more reason to go off, you have to give the company credit for making things right. It's too bad they didn't do the same with the whole rootkit debacle. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Netgear Wireless-N RangeMax Package @BCCHardware.com
In Win Alpha 360 mATX Case @ThinkComputers.org
Flexiglow Cyber Snipa Tracer Mousepad @Tweaknews.net
Cooler Master GeminII @Overclockers Online
Microsoft Wireless Notebook Presenter Mouse 8000 @BlueTomorrow.com
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Software
Until now, if you wanted a copy of Nero BackItUp, you had to buy the entire Nero suite. Starting in May though, you will be able to buy a stand alone version of the software through Nero's volume licensing program.
Nero, leaders in digital media technology, today announced it will release of the stand alone version of BackItUp 2, a complete data backup and disaster recovery solution. BackItUp 2 is Vista-ready and provides versatile capabilities such as highly configurable automatic backup scheduling, data encryption, virus protection, and extensive media and storage device compatibility. BackItUp 2 will be available early May in North and South America through Nero's volume licensing program.

"The BackItUp 2 application and our volume licensing program make it easy for businesses to ensure the preservation of their mission-critical data," said Udo Eberlein, Chief Operating Officer, Nero AG. "In addition to offering category-leading disaster recovery, backup scheduling and data security tools, BackItUp 2 delivers unprecedented support for media formats and devices, including a broad assortment of network storage solutions."
While Nero has not provided pricing information yet, you can bet it will be a fraction of what you'd pay for the entire Nero suite. If you'd like to read more, Nero's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment
The North American HD DVD Promotional Group announced on Tuesday that more than 100,000 standalone HD DVD players have been sold in the US since the format was introduced last year. This number is even more impressive considering it does not include HD DVD drives for the PC nor the one for the Xbox 360.
Marking the first anniversary of HD DVD hardware and movies sold to consumers, the North American HD DVD Promotional Group announced today that sales of dedicated HD DVD consumer electronics players reached more than 100K units sold in the United States, ahead of any other high definition format. This figure does not include sales of HD DVD PC drives or the Xbox 360 HD DVD player, which are also selling strongly.

As consumers see lower prices for high definition players, the manufacturing efficiencies of HD DVD are keeping the format one step ahead. As the first to bring CE player prices down below the $400 mark, Toshiba is hearing encouraging news from retailers.
With more than 70 new titles scheduled to be released by the end of July and player prices already hovering around $300, HD DVD is definitely ready to give Blu-ray a run for its money. If you'd like to read more, the entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage
Pioneer recently debuted their BDC-S02 Blu-ray Disc combo drive in Beijing. According to a report at DigiTimes, the drive will initially be sold in China before being made available in other markets later this year. The price of the BDC-S02 is expected to be about $299.
Pioneer on April 17 debuted its BDC-S02 Blu-ray Disc (BD) Combo drive model in Beijing, for immediate launch in China and later in other markets around the world at a recommended retail price of US$299, according to Pioneer's Taiwan subsidiary Pioneer High Fidelity Taiwan.

The BDC-S02 can playback high-definition movies on BD-ROM, BD-R (recordable), BD-R DL (single-sided double-layer), BD-RE (rewritable) and BD-RE DL discs as well as common DVD and CD discs, according to Pioneer's Optical Disc Drive Sales general manager Shannon Yu for the Asia-Pacific region.
While the BDC-S02 is still a bit pricey, its considerably cheaper than most of the Blu-ray drives currently on the market. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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Logitech X-540 5.1 Surround Computer Speaker System @Tweaknews.net
Lexmark P450 Compact Photo Printer With CD Burner @Bigbruin.com
Sapphire Pure Innovation HDMI PI-AM2RS690MHD (AMD 690G) @HardwareZone
NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS @HardwareZone
ECS NF650iSLIT-A vs. MSI P6N Platinum @ChileHardware
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Optical Storage
Faster write once Blu-ray is finally on the way. At the NAB 2007 show, Panasonic announced that they will introduce 4x BD-R media this summer. Released alongside their new 4x BD drive, these discs will be available in capacities of 25GB and 50GB.

Based on its 35-year experience in optical disc development, Panasonic succeeded in developing a new phase-change recording layer to achieve a 4x writing speed. The maximum data transfer speed for a 4x disc is 144Mbps, which means it can copy a 1GB folder in just one minute. This phase-change recording technology is used both for single and dual layer structures and ensures precise and stable recording at speeds ranging from 1x to 4x.
No word on price yet but like most Blu-ray media, Panasonic's new 4x discs probably won't be cheap. If you'd like to read more, Panasonic's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Hard Disks
While not optical storage related, its worth mentioning that Toshiba has introduced a 200GB USB 2.0 portable external hard drive. Based on the company's 2.5" hard disk platform, the drive is small enough to fit in a pocket and can be powered off a computer's USB bus.

Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD), the industry pioneer in mobile storage products, today introduced a 200GB 2.5-inch USB 2.0 portable external hard drive capable of storing up to 57,000 digital photos, 52,000 MP3 music files, 88 DVD videos or 23 high-definition videos. The 200GB portable external hard drive delivers the highest capacity of any backup solution in the compact 2.5-inch hard drive class.
Toshiba's USB 2.0 portable external hard drives are available in capacities ranging from 100GB to 200GB. Their new 200GB model will set you back a cool $229.99. More information is available on Toshiba's website. Add a comment

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Software
Roxio sent out a press release this morning, announcing the release of their CinePlayer DVD Decoder Pack. Designed specifically for Windows Vista, the pack includes the Microsoft audio and video decoders that come standard in the Home Premium and Ultimate versions of the OS.
Roxio, a division of Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, today released CinePlayer DVD Decoder Pack, an enhancement for Windows Vista that provides high-quality DVD viewing in Windows Media Player. The CinePlayer DVD Decoder provides full-screen, full-frame rate playback of DVD-Video and MPEG-2 files with amazingly sharp and detailed picture quality. The Windows Vista version of Sonic's extremely popular plug-in for Windows XP, CinePlayer DVD Decoder now also supports Dolby Digital 5.1-channel surround sound for enhanced audio enjoyment...

...Designed specifically for optimal performance on Windows Vista, CinePlayer DVD Decoder Pack includes the Microsoft audio and video decoders that are standard in Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate. With CinePlayer DVD Decoder Pack, users of other versions, including Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Business, and Windows Vista Enterprise, can enjoy high-quality DVD and MPEG-2 video playback in Windows Media Player.
Roxio's CinePlayer DVD Decoder is available now and can be purchased directly from their website for $14.99. Complete details can be found here. Add a comment

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Maxell has announced that they will be demonstrating their SVOD (Stacked Volumetric Optical Discs) system for the first time at this year's NAB show. By stacking 100 ultra thin optical discs, Maxell's SVOD system can store as much as 5 terabytes of data in a single cartridge.
The Maxell SVOD technology leverages the DVD format to create a cost- effective archive storage solution. It is targeting the broadcasting and content service market in addition to a wide range of applications for small to large businesses including examples such as regulatory compliance, medical records and imaging, and video surveillance. Not commercially available yet, the Maxell SVOD prototype is designed using 100 disc cartridges providing a storage capacity that ranges from 940 GB to 5 terabytes. The prototype is scalable to a rack type storage system for capacity of more than one patabyte.
While Maxell originally intended to introduce SVOD early this year, the technology is still in development. If you'd like to read more, Maxell's entire press release can be found here Add a comment

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