Sonic announced today that MediaTek and PLDS (Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions Corp.) will be integrating Qflix technology into their chipsets and optical disc drives. With support for Qflix, drives will be able to burn movies to DVD with Content Scramble System (CSS) encryption.
Sonic Solutions today announced that MediaTek, a market leader in fabless semiconductor technology for wireless communications and digital media solutions, is implementing CSS recording into the latest chipsets, which can ensure the Qflix compatibility of optical storage drives. Qflix technology enables the burning of Internet video content to DVD with Content Scramble System (CSS) encryption - the same copy protection found on commercially released DVDs. DVD writers using the new MediaTek chipsets, combined with online entertainment delivery services built on Sonic software, will create an ecosystem to provide consumers a safe, legitimate, and reliable way to purchase, download and record entertainment to DVD...

...Sonic Solutions today announced that PLDS (Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions Corp.) is adopting Qflix technology for integration into a range of optical disc drives. The new drives will facilitate the recording of movies and video programs to DVD with Content Scramble System (CSS) encryption. As the industry-approved content protection mechanism used on mass-produced discs and incorporated into all DVD players, CSS has been deemed essential by major content providers for the on-demand digital distribution of premium entertainment. The optical disc drives from PLDS form a critical piece of the electronic sell through ecosystem, and will include Qflix branding as a symbol to consumers looking for legitimate and reliable "purchase, download, and burn" home solutions.
With big names like MediaTek And PLDS supporting Qflix, it only be a matter of time before other drive and chipset manufacturers get on board. If you'd like to read more, Sonic's press releases can be found here and here. Add a comment
Advanced Media, Inc. announced today that their parent company, RITEK, is the only Taiwanese optical disc manufacturer to offer certified HD DVD-R and HD DVD-RW media. This media is currently being sold in North America under the RIDATA brand.
Advanced Media, Inc. is the manufacturer and marketer of the popular RIDATA brand of recordable DVD media, electronic storage products, and digital media accessories. Today, the company announced that parent company RITEK is the only Taiwan-based optical disc manufacturer to offer certified HD-DVD-R (recordable, write once) and HD DVD-RW (rewritable) media. Advanced Media will provide marketing, sales and distribution of the discs to the United States.

"What the certification means to consumers is that they can be assured that certified RIDATA HDDVD's are a compatible, high quality HDDVD to purchase. Taiwan is a large supplier of DVD media to the U.S. Through our parent company RITEK and its enormous production capacity, Advanced Media can quickly respond to market demands in the shortest time possible. We will continue to leverage our competitive manufacturing advantages to provide U.S. consumers both Blu Ray and HDDVD discs at affordable prices," stated Harvey Liu, president of Advanced Media Inc.
Volume production of HD DVD-R and HD DVD-RW media will begin in the second half of this year. If you'd like to read more, the entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD) has announced the world’s first slim HD DVD-RW drive for mobile PC's. The SD-L912A is compatible with most existing CD and DVD formats and can write to both HD DVD-R and HD DVD-RW media.


Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD) today announced the world’s first slim HD DVD-RW drive for mobile PCs, further extending high-definition recording capabilities to the IT arena. The new drive can read, write and rewrite to HD DVD-RW discs, as well as read and write to HD DVD-R discs and standard DVD and CD discs.

Toshiba’s SD-L912A enables mobile PCs to replace larger desktop systems in the home with this additional high-definition functionality. The drive allows backup of large-capacity PC hard disk drives to the reusable format of HD DVD-RW discs and provides capabilities to store data-rich, high-definition digital content. HD DVD-RW functionality also opens the door to a wide range of applications involving storage and rewriting of large volumes of data.
No word on price yet. However, Toshiba plans to ship samples in July. More information, including a full list of specs, can be found here. Add a comment
Plextor LLC sent out a press release this morning, announcing their new Serial ATA equipped "Super Multi" drive, the TurboPlex PX-810SA. Along with support for Serial ATA, the PX-810SA features 18x DVD±R, 10x DVD±R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds.

Plextor LLC, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, today announced the immediate availability of the TurboPlex PX-810SA DVD Super Multi Drive. The new model addresses growing customer demands for DVD burners that support Serial ATA, the evolutionary replacement for the Parallel ATA physical storage interface. The PX-810SA also includes a new bundle of value-added software applications for tasks such as data backup, video editing, and DVD authoring.

OEMs, VARs, integrators, and consumers all gain benefits from Serial ATA technology. End users enjoy fast 150 MB/sec data transfer rates. The interface supports one device per controller connection, eliminating master/slave configuration jumper issues for installers. SATA also provides a substantial pin count reduction from Parallel ATA, while thinner cables help air-flow and improve cable routing—big pluses for OEMs and integrators.
The PX-810SA is scheduled to ship at the end of this month for a suggested retail price of $89.00. More information can be found here. Add a comment
Pioneer Electronics has announced two new "Super-Multi" drives, the DVR-X122 and DVR-R200. The faster of the two, the DVR-X122 features 18x DVD±R, 10x DVD±R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds. The DVR-R200 lacks the DVR-X122's top end speed. However, it makes up for this with support for HP's LightScribe technology.

Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today announces two new high performance, multi-format DVD/CD writers for rapid and reliable preservation of digital movies, music, photos and data files. The Pioneer DVR-X122 external DVD/CD writer uses a high speed USB 2.0 port for quick connectivity to a PC lacking a built-in high-capacity writer, and also offers the portability needed to back up user files on multiple computers. For those who prefer a permanently installed drive, Pioneer offers the DVR-R200 internal DVD/CD writer. Both models are bundled with sophisticated software to create personalized videos, and the DVR-R200 features the LightScribe direct-to-disc labeling technology.
The DVR-X122 and DVR-R200 are available now for a suggested price of $99.99 and $69.99, respectively. More information can be found on Pioneer's website. Add a comment