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HP High Definition DVD-ROM Drive -- which provides the superior picture quality of high-def movies(5) in a portable device for use with widescreen notebooks. The external drive offers advanced interactivity; for example, users can access the Internet(6) and chat while watching a movie, or play games that are seamlessly integrated into a movie. Backwards compatible, the drive not only supports new HD DVDs, but also regular CDs and DVDs.We have not heard when the HD100 will ship or how much it will be. However, you can expect to see it on store shelves in time for the holiday shopping season. If you'd like to read more, HP's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
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The fact that Quanta Storage is looking to obtain a license from another company suggests that it will not continue licensing ODD patents from Philips, industry sources indicated. This is may be due to Philips charging higher royalty fees than companies such as Sony, Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic) and Pioneer, the sources noted. For Quanta Storage, Sony would be the best partner among Japan-based candidates because Sony NEC Optiarc, an ODD joint venture between Sony and NEC, is very likely to release ODM/OEM orders to Quanta Storage if it becomes a licensee of Sony, the sources pointed out.The article also hints that Quanta's decision may also be due to Lite-On's use of Philips' patents. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
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DivX Codec now includes a 1080HD encoding mode allowing you to create full size 1920 x 1080 resolution video in high quality DivX format. Videos encoded using this new setting are suitable for playback on fast desktop computers and are more likely to play on future hardware devices than videos encoded using unconstrained mode, and unlike unconstrained mode, 1080HD encoding will be available for free in the DivX Community Codec. Both 1080i and 1080p encoding is supported.More information on the DivX 6.4 Codec can be found here. That page also has a download link if you want to try the beta out. Feel free to share your experiences in our forum. Add a comment
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Royal Philips Electronics' promotion of Veeza, its new licensing system for its essential CD-R disc patents, in Taiwan has scored initial points by successfully persuading Ritek to an agreement, but the effort has been frustrated in China because makers of CD-R discs there have consistently boycotted Veeza and none have signed up for it, according to industry sources in Taiwan.The article also points out that with most Chinese manufactured CD-R discs ending up on the domestic market, companies in that country do not feel pressured to compromise with Philips. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
While Philips' promotion of Veeza in Taiwan is through separate talks with each of the target CD-R disc makers, fellow makers in China have authorized the China Audio & Video Association (CAVA) to negotiate with Philips on behalf of them, the sources pointed out. CAVA thinks the Veeza royalty is too high to be acceptable, the sources indicated.
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The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player, arriving at retailers in North America, the U.K., France, and Germany in mid-November 2006, will retail for $199.99 in North America (ESRP) and €199.99/£129.99 (ESRP) in the U.K., France, and Germany. The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player comes with both the Universal Pictures blockbuster Peter Jackson's King Kong on HD DVD (for a limited time) and the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote.Between this and upcoming games like Halo Wars, its becoming harder and harder to resist picking up an Xbox 360. If you'd like to read more, Microsoft's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
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Lite-On IT, the largest maker of optical disc drives in Taiwan, recently began volume production of an 18x Super Multi LightScribe DVD burner, model LH-18A1H, for OEM clients and will launch the model for own-brand sale in the Taiwan market at a recommended retail price of about NT$2,100 (US$64) in the middle of next month, according to the company.If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Otherwise, more information on the LH-18A1H can be found here. Add a comment
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Advanced Media, Inc manufactures and markets the popular RIDATA brand of recordable CD and DVD media, electronic storage products, and digital media accessories to the U.S. market. For years, high quality RIDATA CDs and DVDs have been the global media of choice by leading duplicators, archivists and other professionals. To answer this demand RIDATA has created a line of consistently high quality archival and duplication media called the PRO Series of discs. The new line features RIDATA PRO DVD-R 8X inkjet white, DVD-R 8X shiny silver, PRO 52X CD-R inkjet white, and 52X CD-R shiny silver.No word yet on pricing or availability. As we find out more, we'll let you know. In the mean time, RIDATA's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
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Britain-based New Medium Enterprises (NME) (NMEN.OB: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it had solved a technical production problem that makes it possible to produce a cheap multiple-layer DVD disk containing one film in different, competing formats.While NME's new technology probably won't end the format war, it will hopefully lower the cost of multi-format discs. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
"Current technologies to create multiple layer disks mostly don't work. We've created a technology for mass production of multiple layers that does not suffer from the well known problem of low yields," said NME Chief Technology Officer Eugene Levich. A low yield means that many DVDs coming off the manufacturing lines are not working and have to be discarded.
The production costs of a multi-layer DVD using the new NME technology are estimated to be around 9 cents, compared with the 6 cents for a standard single-layer play-back DVD, according to Dutch company ODMS, one of the world's leading makers of production lines for optical disks.
