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Lower than expected retail prices for entry-level HD-DVD players exhibited at the recent 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in the US may dash an expected early marketing advantage of Taiwan-developed FVD (forward versatile disc) players, according to Taiwanese makers of optical disc drives (ODDs).While priced lower than many expected, Blu-ray and HD-DVD players still aren't exactly cheap. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
The HD-DVD group, led by Toshiba, showcased an entry-level HD-DVD player model with a recommended retail price of US$499, about half the price originally expected by market experts, the Taiwanese ODD makers pointed out. Pioneer and Samsung, two members of the Blu-ray Disc (BD) group, exhibited BD players with recommended retail prices between US$1,000-1,800, 30-50% lower than the US$2,000-2,500 expected by market experts, the sources said.
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Microsoft plans to place OEM orders with leading makers of optical disc drives (ODDs) in Taiwan for external HD-DVD players for use with its Xbox 360, according to industry sources. Microsoft Taiwan, however, declined to indicate whether Microsoft will offer such external HD-DVD players and leading Taiwanese ODD makers, including BenQ, Lite-On IT and Quanta Storage, said they have not heard of such news.I would not be surprised if they placed an order with BenQ as they're already producing the DVD-ROM drive modules in the Xbox 360. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
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Bill Gates had previously stated that HD-DVD could be supported by Xbox 360 at some point, leading to speculation that an updated version of the console itself, with a built-in HD-DVD drive, could be on the cards.I really don't see Microsoft putting a HD-DVD into the Xbox 360 quite yet. HD-DVD drives are still quite expensive and would increase the Xbox 360's already sizable price tag. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
However, Microsoft said late last year that no such update was being planned - and now it seems that the firm has opted for an external drive instead, following to some degree in the footsteps of products like Sega's MegaCD and Nintendo's 64DD.
Little detail about the new drive has been revealed, but it remains likely that it will only be designed to play back HD-DVD movie content, and will not be used for videogames content, as Xbox Japan boss Yoshihiro Maruyama hinted last year. Releasing HD-DVD games would force users to buy the peripheral before they could play the titles.
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Sony's first Blu-ray Disc home player, model BDP-S1, will be available in early summer and features 1080p full HD video output for brilliant HD imagery and also DVD upscaling to 1080p. This initial BD player features a sophisticated design and exceptional build quality with rigid beam construction as well as finely tuned audio and video parts and circuits...While there isn't a lot of information on Sony's new Blu-ray drives, the Japanese website, AV Watch, does have a few pictures of them. As we find out more, we'll let you know. In the mean time, Sony's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
...Sony also announced that a Blu-ray Disc aftermarket drive for personal computers is also expected to be available this year, and will support 25GB/50GB BD-R/RE discs, as well as DVD+R/+RW, and CD-R/RW recordable media. This drive will be bundled with consumer-level BD recording software and accessories for creation of High-Definition home video and data Blu-ray Discs.
Beginning in the spring, Sony will begin selling a 25GB single layer BD-R and the BD-RE recording media. Dual layer 50GB capacity recordable media will follow in the subsequent months. Recordable Blu-ray Discs utilize Sony's AccuCORE technology offering superb archival and reliability, scratch guard protection and temperature durability.
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Panasonic, the leading brand of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., today announced plans for the 2006 introduction of blank Blu-ray (BD) discs in the United States. The new discs will be available in both 50GB and 25GB storage capacities which can be used on BD drives with 2X writing speed.Most interesting is Panasonic's pricing. With a suggested retail prices ranging from $17.99 to $59.99 per disc, Blu-ray media is not going to be cheap. If you'd like to read more, Panasonic's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
