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Buffalo Japan recently sent out a press release, announcing its new portable, BDXL compatible Blu-ray Disc writer, the BRXL-PCW6U2-BK. Along with the ability to play back BDXL discs, this USB-powered drive can write to triple- (100GB) and quad-layer (128GB) BD-R media at 4x and triple-layer (100GB) BD-RE media at 2x. On top of that, the drive is capable of 6x BD-R, 6x BD-R DL, 6x BD-R LTH, 2x BD-RE and 2x BD-RE DL writing speeds and a maximum BD-ROM read speed of 6x. The BRXL-PCW6U2-BK also features an LED indicator that shows whether or not it is getting enough power as well as a second USB cable to "boost" the power to the required levels.
The BRXL-PCW6U2-BK is scheduled to ship in mid November and is expected to cost about 15,700 Yen ($273US).
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Lite-On, a global leader of optical storage solutions, is releasing three new optical disc drives to its product line-up: the external 12X Blu-ray Writer (eHBU212), the external slim 6X Blu-ray Combo (eSEU206), and the internal 12X Blu-ray Combo (iHES212).
The external 12X Blu-ray Writer, eHBU212, reads and writes blu-ray disc at a blazing speed of up to 12X. It also supports the latest plug-and-play USB 3.0 Superspeed. The eHBU212 is the true companion for BD fanatic and a must have for PC-based home theatre.
Also released are the external slim and internal blu-ray combo: eSEU206 and iHES212. These drives are capable of blu-ray playback, and burns DVD and CD disc. The eSEU206 is portable and lightweight due to its slim design; making it a perfect for notebook and netbook users or people constant on-the-go. The iHES212 is a half-height design for PCs; making it a great companion for home PCs.
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Hitachi-LG Data Storage Inc. has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $21.1 million criminal fine for its participation in a series of conspiracies to rig bids and fix prices for the sale of optical disk drives, the Department of Justice announced today. This is the department’s first charge resulting from its ongoing investigation into the optical disk drive industry.
A 15-count felony charge was filed today in U.S. District Court in San Francisco against Hitachi-LG Data Storage, a joint venture between Hitachi Ltd., a Japanese corporation, and LG Electronics Inc., a Republic of Korea corporation. Of the 14 counts, seven charge Hitachi-LG Data Storage with conspiring with others to suppress and eliminate competition by rigging bids on optical disk drives sold to Dell Inc.; six counts charge Hitachi-LG Data Storage with rigging bids on optical disk drives sold to Hewlett-Packard Company (HP); and one count charges Hitachi-LG Data Storage with conspiring with others to fix the prices of optical disk drives sold to Microsoft Corporation. The final count charges Hitachi-LG Data Storage for its participation in a scheme to defraud HP in an April 2009 optical disk drive procurement event.
“The bid-rigging and price-fixing conspiracies involving optical disk drives undermined competition and innovation in the high tech industry,” said Sharis A. Pozen, Acting Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division is committed to prosecuting those who harm competition in the optical disk drive industry.”
Under the plea agreement, which is subject to court approval, Hitachi-LG Data Storage has agreed to assist the department in its ongoing investigation into the optical disk drive industry.
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I-O DATA Japan sent out a press release earlier this week, announcing its new portable, BDXL compatible Blu-ray Disc writer, the BRP-U6XE. This USB-powered drive can write to triple- (100GB) and quad-layer (128GB) BD-R media at 4x and triple-layer (100GB) BD-RE media at 2x. The BRP-U6XE is also capable of 6x BD-R, 6x BD-R DL, 6x BD-R LTH, 2x BD-RE and 2x BD-RE DL writing speeds and a maximum BD-ROM read speed of 6x.
The BRP-U6XE comes bundled with WinDVD BD3D as well as Nero Express Essentials and is expected to cost 17,800 Yen ($234US) when it hits stores at the beginning of October.
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Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, announced today its new slim portable Blu-ray Writer, the SE-506AB optical disk drive (ODD).
SE-506AB features a slim and sleek design with a hi-glossy anti-scratch surface. It is 12 percent smaller than Samsung’s conventional Blu-ray drive to accommodate today’s hectic mobile lifestyle. The slim form factor is also supported with a USB power interface that eliminates the need for a separate electrical outlet.
The SE-506AB drive is compatible with all major operating systems, including Win7 and Mac OS. In addition, the drive features Buffer Under Run technology to prevent errors that may result from writing speeds that exceed data transfer speeds, while also enabling PC multitasking.
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Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, announced today its new smart media hub, the SE-208BW optical disk drive (ODD).
The SE-208BW is a new product that combines an external ODD with wireless connectivity to provide wider end-user benefits. Offering traditional CD/DVD playback and writing capabilities, the SE-208BW features Samsung’s own APP to enable smartphone, tablet and PC users to wirelessly stream and play CDs and DVDs on their smart devices to listen to music or watch their favorite movies.
The SE-208BW breaks new ground for ODD’s by adding wireless access point (AP) and repeater functionality to connect the drive to an Ethernet LAN cable. For users with an existing AP that suffers from weak signal strength, the SE-208BW also serves as a repeater to amplify Wi-Fi signals and widen the connectivity range across the home.
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Mobile home cinema, video archiving and a music library – the BDX-S600U from Sony Optiarc is setting new standards for film fans on the go, providing top quality images and sound. The BDXL-compatible external Blu-ray burner for all occasion’s stores up to 100 gigabytes of data on one disc and burns Blu-ray discs with 6x speed. This means that data-intensive content such as high resolution videos and large photo collections can be processed and saved quickly and easily, either at home or on the go. At the same time, the BDX-S600U guarantees the highest possible image quality, including 3D. The Y cable with dual USB ports provides the writer with adequate power. After use, the USB cables slide into the integrated cable duct for easy stowage, eliminating the cable chaos that you often get when you travel.
The BDX-S600U is ideal for flexible media users who like to use several devices at the same time, such as a PC, notebook and netbook. Frequent travellers will appreciate this compact and elegant all-in-one burner which weighs just 330 grams, offering access to the user’s film, photo and music collection as well as the ability to store treasured personal memories immediately and for long-term access. The drive also supports the new 3- and 4-layer BDXL media with a capacity of up to 120 gigabytes. With the BDXL media, users can save more than double the data quantity on a Blu-ray disc than with a 1- or 2-layer media which hold 25 or 50 gigabytes. This makes it very easy to store extensive film collections on just a few discs. BDX-S600U also provides spectacular HD and 3D images with impressive sound quality. Another optimal feature for easy use: the burner can be powered directly from a notebook or netbook using the integrated Y cable with dual USB ports. Organisation is also easy because the USB cable can be securely stored within the integrated cable duct, thereby saving space.
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Millenniata, a new optical disc company, ushered in a new era of information storage with the release of its M-DISC and M-READY disc storage technology—technology that permanently etches data onto the write layer of the disc for use anytime and for generations to come without any data loss. The company also announced a manufacturing and marketing partnership with Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc. to manufacture Millenniata compatible (M-DISC compatible) DVD drives and market them through its sales channels.
Whether for music, photos, videos, genealogical records, business records, data loss prevention, permanent file backup, medical imaging, government or archive, M-DISC provides long-lasting storage by literally etching data into a rock-like material. The M-DISC will not degrade over time and is usable on a daily basis.
Under the partnership, Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc. will manufacture M-READY DVD drives and market and sell them to its U.S. and international retail channels under its DVD brands. All M-DISC compatible aftermarket drives will include the M-DISC logo indicating compatibility to write to M-DISCs. Any DVD drive will read the M-DISC.
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Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, announced today its new slim portable DVD Writer, the SE-208AB optical disk drive (ODD).
SE-208AB features an aero-dynamic sleek design with a hi-glossy surface and aesthetics that match Samsung’s new laptop series.
“With a compact footprint for easy portability, the new portable ODD is USB powered to eliminate electrical outlet requirements,” said Jim Elliott, vice president of memory marketing and product planning, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc . “As an eco-friendly product, the drive offers low-power consumption and is manufactured with lead-free soldering technology, which is compliant with international environmental regulations that limit the use of hazardous materials.”
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GE Global Research, the technology development arm of the General Electric Company, today announced another major breakthrough in the development of next generation optical storage technology. GE’s research team has successfully demonstrated a micro-holographic material that can support data recording at the same speed as Blu-ray discs. This result builds upon the April 2009 demonstration of a threshold micro-holographic storage material that can support 500 gigabytes of storage capacity in a standard DVD-size disc.
Peter Lorraine, Manager of the Applied Optics Lab at GE Global Research, will discuss the breakthrough during a presentation today at the IEEE’s Joint International Symposium on Optical Memory & Optical Data Storage Topical Meeting (ISOM/ODS) being held in Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii. The ISOM/ODS brings together the world’s foremost experts in optical memory and data storage technologies. GE’s breakthrough in recording speed, along with other technical improvements that have been made over the past two years has micro-holographic technology more poised than ever for commercialization.
“During the past two years, our research team has been focused on material improvements to increase the recording speed and making other key advances needed to ready GE’s micro-holographic technology for market,” said Lorraine. "With a speed to match Blu-ray's, discs made from GE's advanced micro-holographic materials are an attractive solution for both archival and consumer entertainment systems."
