Verbatim Americas, LLC, announced today that it is shipping the world’s first LightScribe® 8X DVD+R Double Layer (DL) discs.  The new media provides consumers and businesses with 8.5GB capacity on the DVD’s storage side and direct-to-disc burning of silkscreen-quality text and graphics on the label side.  At 8X speed, the industry’s fastest DVD DL burning speed, an entire 8.5GB single-sided disc can be filled to capacity in 15 minutes or less. 

The new media leverages many of the same technologies that set the standard for high-speed DVD+R Double Layer (DL) disc performance, reliability and compatibility.  Verbatim and its parent company, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM), have consistently been at the forefront in developing DVD+R DL technologies and LightScribe media coating.  Verbatim was also the first company to release DVD+R DL discs and LightScribe media worldwide.

SanDisk sent out a press release today, announcing its G3 Series of solid-state drives (SSDs). These MLC-based SSDs are available in 60, 120 and 240GB capacities and are capable of 200MB/s read and 140MB/s write speeds.

SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today unveiled its third-generation family of solid-state drives (SSDs). Using multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory technology, SanDisk’s G3 Series establishes new benchmarks in performance and price-performance leadership in the SSD industry.

Designed as drop-in replacements for hard-disk drives (HDDs) in notebook PCs, the initial members in the SanDisk G3 family are SSD C25-G3 and SSD C18-G3 in the standard 2.5” and 1.8” form factors respectively, each available with a SATA-II interface. Available in capacities of 60, 120 and 240GB*, the unit MSRPs are $149, $249 and $499, respectively.

Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today debuts the new Pioneer® DV-420V 1080p upconverting DVD player, which is the first to feature an exclusive MP3 encoding capability for supreme music portability. Combining HDMI™ connectivity with advanced multi-format playback, Pioneer’s new player is an ideal source device for secondary room settings. Extremely compact in size, the DV-420V features a length of only 16.5-inches providing maximum features in an extremely slim profile for a seamless fit in any room space.

Seagate (NASDAQ: STX), the world’s leading provider of storage solutions, today unveiled the new Seagate® FreeAgent® Theater™ HD media player, a complete home theater solution designed to enhance the experience of enjoying digital media by providing an easy way to play your favorite videos, movies and photos on your TV. The Seagate FreeAgent Theater media player is a new accessory designed to work with the company’s award-winning FreeAgent® Go™ portable hard drive, enabling people to easily enjoy stored digital media on their TV screens rather than their computer monitors. Just tuck the media player next to your TV, pop in your FreeAgent Go hard drive, point, click, and enjoy as your personal memories and favorite movies come to life before your eyes in HD quality video with surround sound. The announcement was made at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show, taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada.  

Available in March, the Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD media player can be purchased as a stand-alone unit for use with any USB storage device, or a complete solution with a FreeAgent Go portable drive included, starting at just $129.99.