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Plextor LLC, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, today reaffirmed its commitment to the optical disc drive business in North and South America. On January 19, 2007, Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd., the parent company of Plextor, announced plans to perform a corporate reorganization to streamline Plextor's optical drive business to enhance operating efficiencies.Well, there you have it. The question still remains though as to whether or not Plextor will continue to develop their own drives or utilize designs from other companies. As we find out more, we'll let you know. In the mean time, Plextor's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
"This announcement by Shinano Kenshi will have no material affect on the operations of Plextor LLC, as we already completed a corporate reorganization in North and South America last year. Our business will continue as usual," said Toru Nakazawa, President of Plextor LLC, USA. "It is unfortunate that an incorrect translation of a Japanese article, which contained some errors, has led to the rumor that Plextor is somehow quitting the optical disc drive business. This is completely false. In fact, Plextor plans to continue to lead the market with innovative, exciting products that solve real world problems for our consumer and business customers. We deeply appreciate the loyalty of our customers and valued business partners. And we look forward to many years of future success."
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LightScribe announced today that its Direct Disc Labeling technology is ready for the upcoming launch of Windows Vista. Businesses and consumers purchasing the latest Microsoft operating system will not have to wait to experience the benefits of LightScribe, a no-hassle way to burn professional, silkscreen-quality labels on CDs and DVDs right in the drive.Vista compatible LightScribe system software has been released and can be downloaded here. More information can be found on the LightScribe website. Add a comment
The LightScribe development team worked closely with Microsoft to ensure that all the benefits of the LightScribe user experience are available with Windows Vista. The new LightScribe System Software also has enhanced AutoPlay functionality, providing customers with the option to easily burn LightScribe labels upon inserting a blank disc.
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When LG Electronics launched its Super Multi Blue Player at the recent CES exhibition, it signaled an exit strategy from the "war of the high-definition DVD formats." By creating a player that will accommodate both HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs, the Korean manufacturer may have created a precedent that the rest of the industry will have to follow. A new study from ABI Research forecasts that such universal players will become the norm, not the exception, benefiting confused consumers unwilling to commit to one DVD camp or the other.Personally, I don't see universal players as an end to the war. By supporting both formats, they will drag it out even further. If you'd like to read more, ABI Research's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
"We believe that universal players will come to dominate the high-definition DVD player market," says Steve Wilson, the firm's principal analyst of consumer electronics. Samsung is expected to release its own universal player soon, and others, including large CE vendors, may follow suit before long. ABI Research forecasts sales of 2.4 million players in 2007, rising to 55 million in 2011.
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Known limitations:CPS Unit Keys for a number of titles have already been posted and BackupBluRay reportedly works. If you'd like to check it out, BackupBluRay can be downloaded here. Otherwise more information can be found in the doom9 forums. Thanks to WesleyTech for pointing out this news. Add a comment
Don't support BD+
Don't support Volume unique key
Only support one CPS unit key per disc
I don't clear the HDMV_copy_control_descriptor in the stream
Don't have any FAQ or document so far...
You have to provide your own CPS unit key.
The playback seems to work with VideoLan
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TMPG, Inc. (www.tmpg-inc.com), the company that makes digital video easy, is set to add TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 with DivX Authoring software to its growing TMPGEnc line. Offering many new features and some terrific advancements over its predecessors, the new product is the perfect, all-in-one DVD authoring solution for any video enthusiast, whether a beginner or an experienced videographer. Release date is scheduled for late January 2007 (French and German version available Q2 2007).TMPG Inc. has not announced a price yet. However, TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 with DivX Authoring will be available for download beginning in late January 2007. More information can be found here. Add a comment
"Users will enjoy the many great enhancements our TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 with DivX Authoring offers," stated Kimi Matsuki, TMPG CEO. "These include HDV capture, DivX authoring, multiple subtitle streams, and the ability to import popular video formats for authoring to DVD or DivX. Of course, they can still cut-edit, create custom menus, and burn projects to a CD (DivX only) or DVD to show others."
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The LH-20A1S will be available on the European market mid-February for € 49 including VAT. The LH-20A1P should hit store shelves shortly after for € 69 including VAT. More information, including a full list of specs, can be found on Lite-On's website. Add a comment
The LH-20A1S is an internal drive made for advanced computer enthusiasts. It incorporates, in addition to fast writing speed, a Serial ATA (SATA) interface. The SATA connection eliminates potential information and performance "bottlenecking " by offering at least 150 MB/s data transfer rate which should improve performance significantly compared with the Parallel ATA (PATA) connections you find on most current DVD rewriters. SATA also uses thinner data cables allowing better airflow to the LH-20A1S drive.
The LH-20A1PU is an external drive which can be enjoyed by both advanced and beginning computer enthusiasts. The LH-20A1PU features the Lite-On patented EZ-DUB technology which makes copying and storing of data possible with a single press of a button. The LH-20A1PU can be easily connected to your PC through a USB 2.0 connection.
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It was announced that Shinanokenshi (Ueda city) assumed that the achievement got depressed due to the earnings deterioration of the disk drive business for the personal computer on the 19th, and reorganized the business including the voluntary retirement recruitment that became the first in this company. This business reduces greatly because the price fell sharply because of the competition of South Korea and a Taiwanese manufacturer. The closing of accounts at the period on February, 2007 is expected to fall to the final deficit at two terms, and strengthens the development of the high-value-added commodity such as motors for the car while the review of a domestic and foreign production base and the staff assignment is advanced.According to the article, the Plextor brand will continue but will focus on industrial equipment and audio equipment for the visually handicapped.
While this news doesn't surprise me, we have not heard anything from Plextor's American or European subsidiaries yet. It's possible that they may remain in the optical drive business by rebadging drives or focusing on Blu-ray but at this point, we'll have to wait and see. Thanks to WesleyTech.com for pointing out this news. Add a comment
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In view of Toshiba's recent launch of an inexpensive HD DVD player with a retail price of US$599, Taiwan optical disc drive makers think an entry-level HD DVD player priced at up to US$500 may be available in the second half of 2007.Apparently Taiwan's manufacturers haven't checked the price of Toshiba's second generation HD DVD player, the HD-A2, as you can already buy it for less than $400. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
The increasing upgrade in resolution of large-size LCD TVs and PDP (plasma display panel) TVs to full HD (high definition), 1,920x1,080, will boost demand for Blu-ray Disc (BD) and HD DVD players/recorders, the sources indicated. However, the currently available BD and HD DVD drives are very or quite expensive and the critical price level at which demand will begin to take off is estimated to be US$500 based on the development history for DVD drives, the sources pointed out.
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