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Lite-On IT, Taiwan's No.1 manufacturer of optical disk drives (ODD), today announced the company would support the HD DVD format, the next-generation DVD standard for the high-definition era, and that it has started development of a half-height HD DVD drive, aiming for commercialization in March 2007. The participation of Lite-On IT, in the fast growing ranks of HD DVD supporters adds to the momentum propelling the market growth and success of HD DVD by expanding the number of ODD suppliers working to sustain the HD DVD industry. HD DVD products are expected to see a rapid boost in demand during the Christmas and year-end shopping season, and Toshiba Corporation of Japan has already launched an Notebook PC with HD DVD-ROM in selected markets, HD DVD players in the U.S. and Japanese markets, and a hard disk recorder with HD DVD for the Japanese market.Keep in mind Lite-On is supporting Blu-ray as well with their own line of BD players and PC based drives. If you'd like to read more, Lite-On's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Lite-On IT has undertaken an extensive evaluation of HD DVD technologies, and concluded that HD DVD will be a major driving force in connection with the coming generation of ODD with blue laser pick-up heads, because of its cost advantage and its proven technical reliability, including superior backward compatibility with DVD. By joining the HD DVD market ahead of many other suppliers of ODD drives, Lite-On IT intends to take full advantage of the excellent market opportunities provided by HD DVD and contribute to the sound growth of the next generation DVD industry.
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We have not heard when these drives will ship or if they will be available in the US. Considering BenQ has already pulled out of the European market, I wouldn't hold my breath. If you'd like to talk about BenQ's new drives, feel free to join the discussion in our forum.
Update: For some reason BenQ has removed both drives from their website. Add a comment
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TDK, a world leader in digital recording solutions, today announced that it has begun shipping 50GB dual layer recordable Blu-ray Disc media. Retail pricing is set at $47.99 for a 50GB BD-R (recordable). TDK 50GB BD-RE (rewritable) media will be available in the first quarter of 2007 with retail pricing set at $59.99...If you'd like to read more, TDK's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
..."The launch of 50GB dual layer Blu-ray Disc media is a significant achievement for this revolutionary new format and for TDK," noted Bruce Youmans, TDK Vice President of Product Research & Development. "By doubling the format's capacity, the 50GB discs provide users with the opportunity to store an unprecedented amount of data on convenient and cost-effective removable media. From hard drive backups to HD video authoring, these discs offer new possibilities." He continued, "TDK innovations such as the company's CuSi inorganic dye formulation and our exclusive DURABIS 2 hard coating technology have played a key role in enabling the achievement of remarkable capacities, fast transfer rates and revolutionary durability for TDK Blu-ray Discs."
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Contrary to CNET's claims, the BWU-100A will be able to play back commercial Blu-ray movies. Of course, you'll still need HDCP compliant hardware if you plan to view your movies at higher resolutions. If you'd like to read more, Sony's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Sony Europe's IT Peripherals division today announced the launch of its first Blu-ray Disc (BD) drive retail kit for PCs. The Sony BWU-100A drive reads and records single and dual layer Blu-ray Disc Recordable (BD-R) and Rewritable (BD-RE) media, providing up to 50GB capacity per disc for recording personal High Definition media content as well as for general data storage, back-up and archiving. With a free software upgrade and a suitably-specified playback environment, the BWU-100A is also capable of playing back commercial Blu-ray movies. Backward read and write compatibility with all major DVD and CD formats make the BWU-100A a true multi-format burner and the ideal upgrade option for any computer - including single-bay barebone or media centre PCs. The stylish Sony BWU-100A drive comes bundled with the CyberLink BD Solution software suite making it a complete out-of-the-box solution.
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Verbatim Corporation, the market leader in premium-quality printable media, has announced the immediate availability of a new family of glossy white inkjet printable 52X CDR and 16X DVD+/-R media. The new discs combine a shiny white printable surface with ultra-reliable, high-speed recording technology and broad read compatibility. With Verbatim's unique glossy media, users can make their recordings look distinctive with vibrant, full-colour images and crystal-clear text.More information, including prices, is available on Verbatim's website. Add a comment
The new glossy discs feature an exceptional inkjet-printable surface that provides superior ink absorption and excellent drying properties. When combined with any colour inkjet printer, users can print photo-quality images directly to the disc surface to customise their CDs and DVDs. Both DVD-R and DVD+R discs feature full surface, edge to edge printing capabilities.
