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Yeeehaaww.. It's roundup time! Tom's Hardware has taken five "cheap" DVD writers from LG, Pioneer, Samsung and Optiarc and put them head to head to see which is the best. Here's a sample of what they had to say:
It has been over a year since we last took a look at DVD burners. One reason for the delay is that there were few developments on which to report ever since the write speeds hit 16X. Manufacturers then focused on value-added features such as built-in disc labeling called LightScribe. Another reason is the incredibly cheap price level: It is absolutely possible to purchase a DVD burner for as little as $25. But there still are differences in quality.
Sadly, like most big review websites, Tom's forgets to look at two very important things: writing quality and media compatibility. All the speed in the world doesn't mean much if a disc isn't readable. Anyway, if you'd like to check it out, the entire roundup can be found here. Add a comment

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PowerColor X1650 Pro Year of the Pig Edition @Overclockers Online
ViewSonic VX2235 22-inch HD Widescreen Monitor @ThinkComputers.org
Gigabyte N680SLI-DQ6 nForce 680i Motherboard @TweakTown
Mushkin XP2-8500 2GB Kit DDR2-1066 Memory @Redaktion ocinside.de
Motorola Moto Q Smartphone @Project PDA
Plantronics Explorer 350 Bluetooth Headset @BlueTomorrow.com
Ultra X-Pro 600 Watt ATX Power Supply @Tweaknews.net
SuperTalent 2GB DDR-1000 Kit @BCCHardware
Overclocking the Intel X6800 With Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) @Madshrimps
Jetart HCA06 HDD Guard at Overclockers Online @Overclockers Online
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In February, Lite-On announced that they would be taking the place of BenQ in a joint venture with Philips. This new joint venture, named Philips Lite-On Digital Solutions Corporation (PLDS), was recently given the green light by the European Commission and will go into operation on May 1st.
The earlier announced joint venture between Royal Philips Electronics (Philips) and Lite-On IT Corporation (Lite-On) is starting to take shape. The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the entry by Lite-On IT into Philips & BenQ Digital Storage Corporation (PBDS) of Taiwan. Lite-On IT has taken over BenQ's shares in PBDS and the name has now changed to Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions (PLDS).

PLDS will be effective in Europe from 1st of May 2007. Lite-On IT BV, the European head office of Lite-On IT Corporation, will continue to provide the same service to it's customers under the new flag of PLDS. The company will handle sales, marketing, service, finance and logistics of Optical Disc Drives (ODD). PLDS will continue to sell ODD under the brand names Lite-On and HP (under exclusive license from Hewlett-Packard).
If you'd like to read more, Lite-On Europe's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Earlier this year, Steve Jobs posted an open letter on Apple's website, urging record companies to abandon DRM technologies. Apparently, someone at EFI took this to heart as the company recently signed a deal with Apple, allowing them to sell DRM-free versions of their music through iTunes.
Apple today announced that EMI Music's entire digital catalog of music will be available for purchase DRM-free (without digital rights management) from the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com) worldwide in May. DRM-free tracks from EMI will be offered at higher quality 256 kbps AAC encoding, resulting in audio quality indistinguishable from the original recording, for just $1.29 per song. In addition, iTunes customers will be able to easily upgrade their entire library of all previously purchased EMI content to the higher quality DRM-free versions for just 30 cents a song. iTunes will continue to offer its entire catalog, currently over five million songs, in the same versions as today -- 128 kbps AAC encoding with DRM -- at the same price of 99 cents per song, alongside DRM-free higher quality versions when available.
While some may not paying a premium for DRM-free music ($1.29 vs. $0.99 per song), this is definitely a step in the right direction. Hopefully, other record companies will see the light and offer DRM-free music through iTunes as well. If you'd like to read more, Apple's entire announcement can be found here. Add a comment

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Back in 2004, the DVD Copy Control Association (DVD CCA) filed a lawsuit against Kaleidescape, claiming the company's media server violated the license for their Content Scramble System (CSS). Since then, the two sides have battled it out with the latest round going to Kaleidescape. According to report by EETimes, a superior court judge has ruled against the DVD CCA, stating that the licensing contract and specifications were poorly worded and that the CSS spec "is a product of a committee of lawyers."
The decision marks a rare, though small victory for a Silicon Valley startup facing the interests of a group of large movie studios and consumer and computer companies. The ruling also could open the door for other systems makers who want to design personal video libraries that store DVD movies on hard drives.

Judge Leslie C. Nichols ruled against the DVD Copy Control Association (DVD CCA) in a civil suit that asked the court to force startup Kaleidescape to change its design or stop selling its server that stores hundreds of DVD movies on a hard drive array. Nichols said the basis for his decision was his ruling that an entire section of the DVD CCA's spec for the Content Scramble System (CSS) was not technically included as part of the license agreement.
I wouldn't be surprised if the DVD CCA appealed the judge's decision. However, in the mean time, it may open other doors in regards to DVD ripping and fair use. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Logitech FreePulse Bluetooth Headphones @BlueTomorrow.com
Xclio A380 Super Tower ATX Computer Case @Tweaknews.net
HIS Radeon X1950 Pro IceQ3 512Mb AGP Video Card @Madshrimps
ThermalTake Tai-Chi M+ Notebook Cooler @DV Hardware
Cooler Master CoolViva Pro @Overclockers Online

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CDRLabs is looking to expand its staff by adding one or two software reviewers. These people must be able to work on their own, be motivated and work under deadlines. In return, you'll be able to check out the latest software while earning some extra spending money. If you're interested, send me an email. Add a comment

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Thermalright HR-07 @Overclockers Online
ASUS P5N-E SLI 650i Motherboard @ThinkComputers.org
Ultra X-Pro 800Watt ATX Power Supply @Tweaknews.net
Golden Mars GeeDom Flash Drive and SD Memory @The TechZone
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Velocity Micro Gamers' Edge DualX Custom Gaming Computer @ThinkComputers.org
Zalman ZM-600HP 600 Watt Modular Heatpipe Cooled Power Supply @Futurelooks
PowerColor X1650 XT 256MB AGP Video Card @Bigbruin.com
SilverStone Decathlon DA750 PSU @DV Hardware
Dell 2407WFP 24" LCD Display @DV Hardware
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OhMiBod iPod Vibrator @The TechZone
Coolermaster NotePal S Notebook Stand @ThinkComputers.org
Spire RocKeteer VI 600W @ Overclockers Online
Viewsonic VX2035wm 20inch Widescreen LCD @BCCHardware
Creative Live! Cam Optia Webcam @Everything USB
MSI G965MDH (Intel G965) Motherboard @HardwareZone
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  1. John Daly And Erick Hansen Found First Independent Blu-ray Film Distributor
  2. Hardware Reviews - 3/19/2007
  3. Samsung SH-S183L LightScribe DVD Writer Review @ ExtremeMhz.com
  4. Hardware Reviews - 3/14/2007
  5. Sharp To Begin Volume Production Of High-Power Blue-Violet Laser Diodes

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