- Details
- Other
Canadians will soon be paying more for their blank CDs. The Copyright Board Of Canada recently issued a decision that will increase the private copying levy on all blank CDs from 21¢ to 29¢ for the years 2008 and 2009.
The Copyright Board of Canada issued today a decision on private copying levies for the years 2008 and 2009. The decision maintains the rate for audiocassettes at 24¢, and increases the rate for all CDs to 29¢. Since 2001, the certified rate for CDs had been 21¢.
“Two main factors led the Board to raise the CD levy rate to 29¢”, said Claude Majeau, Secretary General of the Board. “First, the mechanical royalties that record labels pay to record a song onto a prerecorded CD have increased. Second, because consumers now use compression technology when they record music, the average number of music tracks copied onto a CD went from 15 to more than 18.”
- Details
- Flash Memory
OCZ Technology today announced the launch of its new Gold Series Secure Digital High-Capacity (SDHC) flash memory cards. Designed and optimized for HD video enthusiasts and photography professionals, this Class 6 rated card is capable of a 150X write rate and is available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities.
OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today announced the launch of its new Gold Series Secure Digital™ High-Capacity (SDHC) flash memory cards, to offer professional phographers and videographers unbridled performance combined with ample storage capabilities for high-resolution pictures and video. These premium memory cards offer photography enthusiasts incredible speeds and capacities to deliver the tailored storage they demand.
“OCZ’s new Gold Series SDHC cards are designed for professional photography and high definition video applications where enthusiasts demand the highest level of performance to match the file sizes and speed capabilities of their specialized cameras and video equipment,” commented Alex Mei, Chief Marketing Officer of the OCZ Technology Group. “The new Gold Series cards make use of premium quality flash and are optimized for shooting large RAW files with the latest D-SLR cameras and exceed the performance requirements of the latest 1080 high definition camcorders.”
- Details
- Home Entertainment
A new survey conducted by the NPD Group has found that consumers who have purchased a video on DVD or Blu-ray Disc are enthusiastic about the Digital Copy feature available on many new releases. The survey found that one third of DVD or BD buyers in the U.S. were aware of the Digital Copy feature. Of those who had already purchased a Digital Copy version, more than 80% were interested in buying another with this feature. Consumers also made it clear that they prefer to receive a digital copy on a video they've purchased, rather than downloading it from the Internet.
According to NPD more than half of DVD or BD buyers have watched a full-length TV show or movie on a portable device. One-third of DVD or BD buyers in the U.S. are aware of the Digital Copy feature. Three out of four DVD or BD buyers who view movies or TV shows on a portable device expressed interest in buying a physical disc with Digital Copy. More than 80 percent of consumers who have already purchased a Digital Copy version claimed they were interested in purchasing other titles published with this feature.
“At this point every major studio is offering video buyers the option for a portable, digital copy of films and TV shows,” said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD. “For consumers who don’t have the time or know-how to download full-length movies or TV shows, Digital Copy provides a flexible and safe solution for transferring a legal version from a purchased disc to a portable device.”
- Details
- Other
ASUS EN9800GT Matrix GeForce 9800GT @ HotHardware.com
ASUS N10J Netbook @ InsideHW
GIGABYTE GM-M7700 Wireless Laser Laptop Mouse @ TweakTown
Intel i7-920 Nehalem Processor @ Tweaknews.net
Kingwin EZ-Dock Hard Drive Dock @ Virtual-Hideout
Lian Li PC-A7010 All Aluminum Full Tower ATX Case @ Futurelooks
NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse @ Bigbruin.com
Vizo Armada II RAM Cooler @ Rbmods
Xigmatek BattleAxe VGA Cooler VD964 @ Hardware Zone
- Details
- Software
As of January 1st, 2009, SlySoft will change its update policy from free lifetime updates to an annual subscription fee. All license purchases made before January 1st, 2009 will not be affected by this change; as promised, all licenses purchased before 2009 will still be honoured under Slysoft's free lifetime update policy.
SlySoft announces this step in advance in order to provide its customers with the choice between the old and new licensing model. Buyers who act quickly can get an additional discount with the current ongoing special promotion.
Until Wednesday, December 31 2008 Slysoft offers a 20% discount on all software products--except upgrades. If you are entertaining the thought of purchasing one of Slysoft's products, now is the right time to act!
Add a comment- Details
- Network Storage
Addonics Technologies (www.addonics.com) today announced the Addonics NAS (network attached storage) adapter, a low-cost way to add USB storage devices onto a local area network.
Once on the network, USB storage can be shared by any network user just like any NAS device. In addition, the new solution allows users to custom build their own NAS appliance with unlimited expansion and RAID capability by using Addonics family of drive enclosures, port multipliers and IO converters. When used with Addonics storage towers or racks, users can instantly add to any LAN multi-tera bytes of storage with RAID capabilities.
The NAS adapter supports both SMB (Server Message Block) and the open source Samba network protocols. This allows for cross-platform access of all shared data for most versions of Windows, Mac OS X, and various Linux distributions. The adapter comes with a USB 2.0/1.1 connection and a fast Ethernet 10/100Mbps connection.
- Details
- Home Entertainment
GfK Retail and Technology announced this week that Blu-ray sales have reached record levels in Japan. Their latest sales figures revealed that unit sales of Blu-ray Disc recorders surpassed that of DVD recorders during the first week of November. GfK also reports that Blu-ray Disc recorders are replacing DVD Recorders 1.5 times faster than DVD recorders replaced VHS recorders.
Latest GfK Retail and Technology Japan figures have revealed that in the first week of November 2008, Blu-ray Disc Recorders have surpassed a 50% market share for DVD Recorders in unit terms.
Looking back to October 2007, Blu-ray Disc Recorders accounted for a market share of 10% and have since exhibited rapid growth.
The average sales price has begun to come down in 2008. In the first week of June 2008, the average sales price of Blu-ray Disc Recorders was between 110,000 – 120,000 JPY. By the third week of October, it dropped to between 100,000 – 110,000 JPY.
Add a comment- Details
- Flash Memory
OCZ Technology sent out a press release this morning, announcing its new Vertex Series of Solid State Drives (SSDs). Available in capacities up to 250GB, the Vertex Series features OCZ's newest architecture and controller design complete with 64MB of cache, which allows the drives to reach 200MB/sec read and 160MB/sec write speeds.
OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and computer components, today unveiled the OCZ Vertex SATA II 2.5” Solid State Drive (SSD) Series, a premium offering for enthusiasts demanding the latest technology in this fast-developing sector of the storage market. The latest high-performance and cost-efficient SSD, OCZ has gained momentum in pioneering flash storage technology while maintaining a price point that is truly within the reach of a wide range of consumers.
“The new Vertex Series of SSD drives are a premium MLC based SSD solution that are designed for consumers that require fast, rugged, and reliable solid state storage,” commented Eugene Chang, Director of Product Management for the OCZ Technology Group. “The Vertex makes use of our newest architecture and controller design complete with 64MB of cache to offer faster transfers and superior overall system response times in a broad range of applications and games.”
- Details
- Flash Memory
Advanced Media, Inc., manufacturer and marketer of the popular Ridata brand of recordable DVD, flash media, electronic storage products, solar power and digital accessories announces a new 300X speed CF flash Memory card for professional photographers and other critical mobile devices. The Ridata 16GB/300x SLC (Single Level Cell) Supreme CompactFlash card boasts a large capacity (16GB) and one of the fastest transfer rates available.
"Professional photographers are faced with shooting larger, high resolution - once in a lifetime photos. They cannot risk losing these photos or their clients. We developed the Ridata 300X SLC CF card for these people," remarked Harvey Liu, president of Advanced Media, Inc. "In today's world of sophisticated mobile digital products needing secure SLC data storage and faster read times it just makes sense."
The Ridata 16GB/300X CF card is ideal for users of higher megapixel digital cameras, MP3 players, and PDAs. Its large 16GB capacity allows more storage while virtually eliminating the nagging wait time for data to record. Designed to work with most devices and operating systems, it can withstand extreme operating temperatures, ranging from below freezing to excessive heat.
Its 300x high-speed reading capability equates to approximately 45MB/per sec, while the high-speed writing capability is about 31MB/per second. (Note: Speeds may vary depending on device used.)
- Details
- Flash Memory
Super Talent sent out a press release today, announcing its new line of UltraDrive solid state drives (SSDs). The MLC-based UltraDrive ME is available in capacities up to 256GB and is capable of 200 MB/sec read and 160 MB/sec write speeds. Designed for enterprise servers and data centers, the SLC-based UltraDrive ME boosts performance even further with 230MB/s read and 170MB/s write speeds.
Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced a new line of UltraDrive solid state drives (SSDs) that are twice as fast as the world’s speediest SATA hard drives and are offered in capacities up to 256GB.
UltraDrive LE SSDs are designed expressly for enterprise servers and data centers where exceptional performance, reliability and endurance are paramount. The UltraDrive LE supports very high transaction speeds (IOPS), and supports sequential read/write speeds of 230/170 MB per second. While outperforming 10,000 RPM hard drives, the UltraDrive LE uses substantially less power and generates less heat. Based on SLC NAND Flash, the UltraDrive LE is offered in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities.
