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Home Entertainment
While Blu-ray is the top dog in the US, DigiTimes has reported that HD DVD currently holds an 85% market share in Europe.
Toshiba, mainly through its US$499 HD-E1 HD DVD player, accounted for an 85% market share of next-generation blue-laser optical disc drives/players/recorders sold in Europe in January of this year, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

Sony and Samsung Electronics, proponents of the competing Blu-ray Disc (BD) format, together accounted for the remaining 15% of the European market, the sources said, citing statistics by GfK Marketing Services. Prior to the launch of the HD-E1, Toshiba's European market share for blue-laser products in 2006 was only 58%, the sources pointed out. Though HD DVD currently has a lead in Europe, the upcoming launch there of Sony's Blu-ray equipped PS3 game console is expected to heat up competition between the two formats.
As DigiTimes points out, this is likely to change when the PS3 launches in Europe later this month. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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Other
New Medium Enterprises (NME) has announced that it will be debuting its HD VMD PC products this week at MEDIA-TECH. The company will also demonstrate its true HD VMD 20 (GB) disc playback using an "off the shelf" DVD drive.
New Medium Enterprises (NME) (OTC BB:NMEN.OB - News) today announced that it is publicly debuting its HD VMD PC products this week at MEDIA-TECH, the renowned annual conference for the packaged media manufacturing industry taking place in Barcelona, Spain.

NME's HD VMD PC technology will enable consumers to make their current PC drives compatible with VMD playback format through a simple download, and will also offer PC manufacturers VMD drives for future VMD technology formats. NME will officially demonstrate its true HD VMD 20 (GB) disc playback with an ``off the shelf'' DVD drive equipped with HD VMD PC playback software, along with its new HD VMD media player. The proprietary PC drives will go on sale in Q3 07.
I must admit that I've really been looking forward to NME's HD VMD PC products. The ability to playback HD VMD titles using your existing hardware just sweetens the deal. If you'd like to read more, NME's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage
Ricoh Europe has announed the launch of the world's first 16x DVD+R DL media. The discs have already been certified by the DVD+R/+RW Verification Laboratories Group and will ship to hardware manufacturers on March 7th, 2007.

With its recently launched 16x DVD+R Double Layer, Ricoh has significantly raised the standards for fast DL blank discs. At the same time this milestone has once again revealed the company's high level of technical competency in the field of innovative high-speed media development. This is confirmed by the certificate issued by the Verification Laboratories Group which sets the official standards for the new Double Layer DVD+R media with write speeds of up to 16x. Delivery of the first samples for hardware manufacturers started on 7th March 2007.
No word on price. However, Ricoh plans to start sales in summer of 2007. If you'd like to read more, Ricoh's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Microsoft Zune @The TechZone
Antec TruePower Trio 650 Watt Power Supply @Futurelooks
XClio StablePower 850 Watt Power Supply @Tweaknews.net
Xclio A380 Super Tower Case @Bigbruin.com
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Imation has announced that they will be showcasing several products under its Imation and Memorex brands at the PMA 07 International Convention & Trade Show. Along with a selection of flash drives, the company will have its inkjet printable media and Odyssey disk storage system on display.
Imation Corp (NYSE: IMN - News), a worldwide leader in removable data storage media, will showcase several products under its Imation and Memorex brands on the eve of the PMA 07 International Convention & Trade Show. The Memorex and Imation brands of Imation Corp deliver a variety of innovative optical and flash solutions for professional photographers and photo enthusiasts, as well as consumers and business professionals. Many of these products will be on display at the DigitalFocus press event tonight from 7 to 10 p.m. at Treasure Island in Las Vegas.

"When working with digital images -- either for business or fun -- you need to be confident that you have reliable solutions to transfer, store and protect your creations," said Steven Swenson, product line manager, Imation Corp. "Through both the Memorex and Imation brands, photographers of all levels have access to the tools they need to safeguard their work and share their digital lives no matter where they go."
More information, including a full list of products on display, can be found on Imation's website. Add a comment

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Software
Erik Deppe has released yet another version of CD-DVD Speed. Along with the usual bug fixes and improvements, this version adds TA jitter testing for some of Lite-On's more recent drives as well as support for DVD-RW DL and DVD+RW DL media.
CD-DVD Speed v4.7.5.0 - Download
  • Added TA jitter test for recent LiteOn drives
  • Added support for DVD-RW DL and DVD+RW DL
  • Disc Quality Test
    • Improved jitter reporting for LiteOn drives
    • Added recorder information in statistics window
    • PI/PIF averages calculated differently
  • Added support for hybrid discs
  • File dialogs are resizable
  • Small improvements and bug fixes
More information can be found on the CD Speed website. Also, feel free to share your experiences in our forum. Add a comment

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Other

In Win Alpha 360 Computer Case @Tweaknews.net
In Win F430 Case @Overclockers Online
Nyko Gameface 360 @Futurelooks
Logitech Z-10 Interactive Speaker System @ThinkComputers.org
abit IN9 32X-MAX Wi-Fi Motherboard @TweakTown
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The Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO) has announced the availability of the Serial ATA Revision 2.6 specification. The updated spec adds a number of new features and enhancments, including the internal slimline cable and connector which allows for SATA optical drives in small form factor computers.
Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO), the consortium dedicated to sustaining the quality, integrity and dissemination of SATA technology, today announced the availability of the Serial ATA Revision 2.6 specification. This updated specification combines the previously published SATA Revision 2.5 material with new feature definitions and enhancements that will enable developers to integrate the technology into new applications.

Benefits include:
  • Internal Slimline cable and connector - enables SATA optical drives to be included in smaller form factors
  • Internal Micro SATA connector for 1.8" HDD - facilitates SATA hard drives in Ultra Mobile PC applications
  • Mini SATA Internal/ External Multilane cable and connector - provides access for internal use in high bandwidth backplane designs, and also external uses in eSATA or xSATA protocols for high bandwidth external storage enclosures
  • Native Command Queuing (NCQ) Priority enhancement - adds priority to data in complex workload environments
  • NCQ Unload enhancement - permits robust use in laptop environments where the drive may be dropped
The 2.6 spec is available as a free download for SATA-IO members. Non-members can also purchase the document for $25. More information can be found on the SATA-IO website. Add a comment

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Software
CyberLink sent out a press release this morning, annoucing the launch of Media Deluxe. Adding greater functionality to Windows Vista Media Center, Media Deluxe lets users do things like capture videos, author and burn discs and share media files across a network.
CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), a world leader in digital home solutions, today announced the launch of CyberLink Media Deluxe, its plug-ins for Microsoft Vista Media Center, entertainment and personal creativity products.

Designed to seamlessly integrate with and augment Windows Vista Media Center, CyberLink Media Deluxe provides a consistent look and feel while adding greater functionality and expanded entertainment options. Media Deluxe lets users capture videos, edit videos and photos automatically, create slideshows, create sports highlight clips, author and burn discs, and share files throughout their personal network.
CyberLink Media Deluxe is available in both Standard and Pro versions and is priced at $49.95 and $69.95 respectively. More information can be found here. Add a comment

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Imation has announced their new DataGuard rf Tape Tracking System. According to their press release, this RFID-based system gives you the ability to monitor and track the location data center tape cartridges.
Imation Corp (NYSE: IMN), a worldwide leader in removable data storage media, today announced the DataGuard rf(TM) Tape Tracking System, a first-of-its-kind data storage tracking system allowing data center managers to reliably and efficiently track the location of data cartridges within their inventory.

At a time when sensitivities around misplaced data are at all-time highs, this ground-breaking solution increases the reliability of a company's tracking and inventory, and more efficiently manages overall storage processes in the face of increasing and challenging compliance requirements. Imation's comprehensive DataGuard rf tracking system utilizes specially designed RFID- enabled labels affixed to each tape cartridge allowing administrators to "check in" and "check out" each cartridge via entry and exit workstations. The cartridges -- or case of cartridges -- are then tracked via B&L Associates' VaultLedger or Vertices software. The DataGuard rf system provides extensive list and audit reporting capabilities, decreasing the amount of time data center personnel spend on managing tape libraries.
Imation's DataGuard rf system will be available in April 2007. More information is available on their website. Add a comment

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