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Plextor LLC has finally revealed some details on its new Blu-ray combo drives. The internal PX-B310SA and external PX-B310U read single layer Blu-ray discs at 6x and are capable of 16x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds. The two drives also support Plextor's new PlexUTILITIES software as well as its PlexERASE and PlexREAD technologies.
No word yet on availability. However, if preorders are any indication, you can expect to pay about $240 for the PX-B310SA and $290 for the PX-B310U.
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Hitachi Maxell, Ltd. (TSE/OSE: 6810) today announced that it would launch Professional Disc with rewritable 50GB recording capacity worldwide in December 2008, offering compatibility with dual layer Professional Disc system for “XDCAM” of Sony Corporation. The new product makes its debut at Maxell booth of the 2008 InterBEE show (November 19 to 21, 2008) at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.
Today, as demand for optical discs in professional broadcasting applications is expected to increase further in recording, retrieving, transferring, editing and saving HD contents in a file base. Professional Disc system, which satisfies all these needs, is highly reliable in rewritability, long-term storage capability, random access and is ideal for IT system, and its market demand is expected to increase in a future.
Maxell’s new Professional Disc “PD-50DL” is a recording media which is specially designed for Professional Broadcasting optical disc system “XDCAM”, offering high capacity storage and fast transfer rate by introducing a blue-violet laser. Incorporated dual-layer structure on one side and optimized recording layer which is ideal for high density recording, Maxell achieved enormous 50GB recording capacity in addition to high dependability which was enabled by precise spin-coating and durable hard-coating technology.
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Aleratec announced this week that it has begun to ship its second generation DVD/CD Shredder. This light weight desktop unit is equipped with a powerful motor and enclosed steel cutters that can shred a DVD or CD in seconds.
Aleratec Inc., leading developer and manufacturer of "Prosumers' Choice" solutions for the USB, Flash, HDD, Blu-ray, DVD CD Duplicating, and publishing markets, is now shipping the 2nd generation of its award winning compact Aleratec DVD/CD Shredder™. The Aleratec DVD/CD Shredder is the quick and easy way to prevent unauthorized use of secret, classified, business, and personal confidential information recorded on discarded discs. The unit has an attractive compact design to fit on any desktop, yet it is equipped with a powerful motor and enclosed steel cutters that safely cut DVDs and CDs into 4 strips, successfully rendering them useless. A demo of the DVD/CD Shredder can be seen here.
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With Plextor's new 20x and 22x DVD writers being manufactured by Lite-On, it shouldn't be too surprising that their upcoming Blu-ray drives are also based on Lite-On designs. According to our sources, Plextor will soon be introducing two 6x Blu-ray combo drives based on the DH-6E2S (iHES106). The internal PX-B310SA and external PX-B310U read single layer Blu-ray discs at 6x and are capable of 16x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds. At this point, it is unknown whether or not these drives will be supported by Plextor's PlexUTILITIES software.
Plextor also has a number of Blu-ray drives on tap for 2009. In the fall, the company plans to introduce a 10x Blu-ray combo drive based on the DH-10E3S/L as well as an 8x Blu-ray Disc writer based on the DH-8B2S/L. Unfortunately, not much is known about these drives at this time.
As I hinted at the other day, Plextor will also be basing their external slim drives on Lite-On designs. Our sources indicated that the company will soon be releasing the PX-610U. This battery powered drive is based on the DB-8A2SB and is capable of 8x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL and 5x DVD-RAM writing speeds. Plextor will also be releasing another slim 8x DVD writer based on the DB-8A3U in the spring of 2009 with a DB-6B1U based slim Blu-ray Disc writer coming later in the year.
And yes, you can expect to see a series of Plextor drives based on the DH-24AAU some time next year. Aside from the fact that it will burn DVD's at 24x, not much is known about the drive at this time.
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Plextor LLC has officially announced its new Qflix-enabled DVD writers. With the internal PX-806SA and external PX-Q840U, users can download movies and TV shows and then burn a permanent copy that can be played back on a standard DVD player. The two drives also offer 20x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds and support for Plextor's new PlexUTILITIES software.
Plextor LLC, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, reenters the market with the availability of two new drives, the PX-Q840U external and the PX-806SA internal. Both drives feature Qflix recording technology from Sonic Solutions, enabling consumers to download and burn movie and TV titles at home.
The Qflix-enabled Plextor drives make it easy for consumers to download and burn their favorite movies and TV titles directly to a DVD for immediate viewing. Developed by Sonic Solutions and Pioneer in 2007, the unique Qflix software uses Roxio® Venue, a rich, user-friendly application that allows consumers to search for and download their favorite Hollywood hits from digital entertainment innovator, CinemaNow (www.cinemanow.com). Once downloaded, users are able to create a permanent and portable DVD-format copy onto Qflix- enabled optical media.
“The Qflix technology makes it easy for all consumers, not just the tech-savvy, to access and manage digital entertainment at home,” said Bob Gronski, vice president of sales and marketing for Plextor. “In an economic time when people are going out less and taking advantage of home entertainment more, it’s exciting for us to offer a solution with such limitless entertainment capabilities.”
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With the world economy sliding into a depression, companies everywhere are facing difficult times. According to DigiTimes, Taiwan's optical disc manufacturers are being hit especially hard. Despite recent price hikes, CMC Magnetics and Ritek suffered net losses of NT$1.733 billion and NT$970.1 million, respectively, in the third quarter of 2008.
CMC Magnetics and Ritek, the top two Taiwan-based makers of blank optical discs, suffered net losses of NT$1.733 billion and NT$970.1 million, respectively, in the third quarter, according to their financial reports for the third quarter of 2008. However, CMC's third-quarter 2008 net loss shrank by 24.6% and Ritek's by 15.8% from the second quarter of 2008 mainly because the two companies increased their OEM prices for DVD+R/-R discs by about 10% in August, according to industry sources.
CMC and Ritek aren't the only disc makers losing money. Second-tier manufacturers Prodisc, Gigastorage and Princo also saw net losses per share for the first three quarters of this year.
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DreamStream announced this week that it has been chosen by Royal Digital Media (RDM) to encrypt its new optical media format. While not much is known about this format, DreamStream's press release states that it will offer 100GB of storage capacity, allowing it to hold four hours of video at 1920p resolution. Best of all, players and discs are expected to be priced "equal those of the traditional DVD format."
DreamStream has signed on to encrypt Royal Digital Media's new optical media format. The agreement will allow RDM to employ DreamStream's military-strength encryption in the copyright protection of their high-definition discs.
The deal marks the first time a military-grade encryption has been implemented in the copyright protection of commercial motion picture discs.
"DreamStream and RDM's technologies align perfectly, as they both rest exponentially beyond the standards currently being employed," said DreamStream's Chief Development Officer Ulf Diebel, in a statement issued at the signing in Paris.
DreamStream is the first company to implement a 2,048-bit encryption in consumer media. AES encryption, used in Sony's Blu-ray discs, relies on only a 128-bit system.
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Plextor LLC updated its website this morning to include information on a number of new DVD writers. Along with the Qflix enabled PX-806SA and PX-Q840U, the company unveiled two new 22x DVD writers, the PX-850A and PX-850SA. The two drives support Plextor's new PlexUTILITIES software and are capable of 22x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds. The only real difference is that the PX-850SA sports an SATA interface. No word yet on pricing or availability but I'd expect to see an official announcement from Plextor very soon.
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Our spies have returned from Taiwan and have delivered Lite-On's latest product roadmap. While we cannot post the files our spies acquired, we can give you an idea of what to expect for the rest of 2008 and most of 2009.
Blu-ray fans will be happy to know that Lite-On has a number of new Blu-ray Disc drives in the works. Hot on the heels of the iHES206 is an 8x BD Combo drive, the DH-8E2S/L (iHES208). The company is also looking at releasing a new BD-ROM drive (DH-403S) during the first half of 2009 as well as a 10x BD Combo drive (DH-10E3S/L) later in the year. Lite-On is also looking to tackle the notebook market by offering their own line of slim BD Combo drives which includes both tray (DS-4E1S) and slot loading (DL-4ETS) models.
Lite-On's Blu-ray Disc writers will also be getting a much needed speed boost. The company currently plans to introduce an 8x Blu-ray Disc writer (DH-8B2S/L) some time in 2009 with a 12x writer (DH-12B2S/L) scheduled for the end of the year. Lite-On will also be introducing its first slim Blu-ray Disc writer (DS-6B1S/L) during the second half of 2009.
While Blu-ray has definitely become the focus at Lite-On, they haven't abandoned the DVD quite yet. The company plans to release a new 22x DVD writer (DH-22A9P) at the end of this year and is currently looking to introduce its first 24x DVD writer during the first half of 2009. According to our sources, the DH-24AAS will be based on the Mediatek MT1879 chipset and have features similar to Lite-On's current 22x DVD writers. If the DH-24AAS is a success, Lite-On could release a second 24x DVD writer (DH-24AMS) during the second half of 2009. Also keep an eye out for Lite-On's first 18x DVD-ROM drive (DH-18D5S) during the first half of 2009.
Lite-On's line of slim DVD writers will be getting an update as well. The company will be releasing new tray (DS-8A3S/L) and slot loading (DL-8ATS/L) models at the end of this year, with its first 9.5mm drive (DU-8A3S) coming in mid-2009. The entire line will get revamped again during the second half of 2009 with new tray (DS-8A4S/L) and slot loading (DC-8A2S/L) 12.7mm models as well as a slot loading 9.5mm drive (DO-8A1S). A number of these drives have already been tagged by Plextor for released under their brand.
Please keep in mind that these plans could change at any time. As we've seen in the past, development days and market changes can push back a drive for months or cause it to be dropped from a company's product lineup altogether.
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Plextor Europe sent out a press release this morning, announcing its first external Blu-ray drive. Along with support for both FireWire and USB 2.0, the PX-B920UF features 4x BD-R, 4x BD-R DL and 2x BD-RE writing speeds and is capable of playing back both Blu-ray and HD DVD movies. The drive will be available through European retailers at the end of this month.
Leading optical drive manufacturer and storage expert Plextor announces its first external ReWriter drive for burning high capacity Blu-ray discs – the PX-B920UF. Offering up to 50GB storage capacity (double layer), the dual-format drive is capable of writing Blu-ray discs at 4x (BD-R) and also plays HD-DVD ROM discs.
This fast drive is ideal for users serious about their storage and movies - and with both USB2.0 and FireWire connectivity, it’s compatible with Mac and PC systems. In addition, Plextor has added extra convenience by including LightScribe technology to enable custom text and designs to be printed/burned onto discs.
Developed from the company’s existing internal range of Blu-ray drives, the technology is experiencing serious demand from high-end users. Rudy de Meirsman, Sales & Marketing Manager of Plextor Europe, explains: “Blu-ray drives are really taking off as HD movies become popular, availability increases and prices come down. Consumers still want high end, high reliability premium drives as part of their PC/audiovisual setup, despite the economic slowdown.”
