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- Hard Disks
Toshiba announced this week that it has expanded its line of portable external hard drives to include a 400GB model. Like previous versions, this pocket sized hard drive is protected by an internal shock sensor and ramp-loading technology and can be powered off a computer's USB bus.
Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD), the industry pioneer in small form factor hard disk drives (HDDs), today added a 400GB(1) model to its line of personal storage devices for consumers seeking high-capacity storage and backup for music libraries, home videos, personal data and other digital memories.
The new 400GB Toshiba USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive can store up to either 114,000 digital photos, 105,000 MP3 music files, 177 hours of DVD videos or 47 hours of high-definition videos.(1)
Designed for all consumers, Toshiba's personal storage line makes it easy for even digital novices to easily back up their digital content libraries with a hassle-free solution featuring award-winning NTI Shadow(TM) software. The user-friendly solution enables consumers to set back-up parameters a single time and enjoy peace-of-mind in knowing critical and cherished digital files and personal memories are protected.
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- Optical Storage
Advanced Media, Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of the popular Ridata brand of recordable DVD and Blu-ray Disc media, electronic storage products, and digital media accessories, is pleased to announce the addition of Qflix™ DVD media to its product line. Used in conjunction with Qfflix services and hardware including recordable drives, the new media allows digitally distributed entertainment to be recorded to disc in a secure format. The media is manufactured by RITEK®, a Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ: SNIC) certified Qflix licensee.
"Advanced Media Inc. is pleased to announce it is an official distributor of RITEK manufactured Qflix DVDs. Home entertainment is a heavily targeted market for DVD and Blu-ray media. Now Sonic has taken DVD technology to the next level with Qflix," said Harvey Liu, president of Advanced Media Inc. "RITEK's strong global reputation for producing DVDs of uncompromising quality and compatibility ensures a great consumer entertainment experience regardless of whether content is manufactured on-demand to fulfill an online order, purchased through a retail kiosk, or produced in the home."
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As we reported last week, Plextor has partnered with Lite-On for one of their upcoming DVD writers. Plextor China has released some details on this new drive on their website. While it looks like they simply copied and pasted the specs from PX-810SA, the picture on the page gives us another clue to the PX-806SA's capabilities. If you look closely, you can see a logo for Qflix below the drive's tray. Developed by Sonic, Qflix gives consumers the ability to download and burn movies to DVD with Content Scramble System (CSS) encryption.
There has been a lot of speculation regarding the price of the PX-806SA. Plextor is known for charging a premium for their drives, including those based on otherwise affordable designs from other companies. With its support for Qflix, I wouldn't be surprised if the PX-806SA was priced at $70 or more.
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- Hard Disks
Along with its new 8x Blu-ray Disc writers, Buffalo Technology unveiled its latest portable hard drive, the MiniStation Shinobi. While measuring a mere 5mm thick, this super-slim drive offers up to 60GB of storage and features a self-contained cable management system. The MiniStation Shinobi also utilizes Buffalo's TurboUSB technology which promises to improve data transfer rates by up to 20%.
Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking, storage and memory solutions today unveiled the super-slim MiniStation Shinobi. At a mere 5mm (.2 inches) thick and weighing in at just 2oz, the robust MiniStation Shinobi is a lightweight in size but a heavyweight when it comes to features. Designed for the active professional, Buffalo’s new ultra-portable includes easy-to-use backup and sync software, mobile applications such as Firefox and Thunderbird for on-the-go email and web browsing as well as Buffalo’s SecureLockMobile software to prevent unauthorized access in the event the drive is lost or stolen.
Featuring a unique, self-contained cable management system, the sleek, new MiniStation Shinobi offers users the ability to backup and take their favorite music, videos, photos or mission critical files in an ultra-slim drive that can withstand the trials and tribulations of the road.
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- Flash Memory
SanDisk announced today that it has partnered with leaders in the retail and music industries to bring consumers a new physical music format. slotMusic microSD cards will come preloaded with high quality (320kbps), DRM-free MP3 music of artists from EMI Music, SONY BMG, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group. With 1GB of capacity, slotMusic cards can also hold liner notes, album art, videos, and other creative content that an artist may choose.
Leaders in music, retail and flash memory technology today announced they’re bringing consumers an innovative, new physical music format, dubbed “slotMusic™.” microSD™ cards will soon be made available with pre-loaded, high quality, DRM-free MP3 music of top artists from EMI Music, SONY BMG, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group. A selection of slotMusic cards will first be available at brick-and-mortar and online stores throughout the U.S., including Best Buy and Wal-Mart, with Europe to follow. A complete list of slotMusic albums, availability and pricing will be announced in time for the coming holiday season. SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), inventor of the ubiquitous microSD format, is leading the technology development behind slotMusic.
slotMusic cards enable consumers to instantly and easily enjoy music from their favorite artists without being dependent on a PC or internet connection. Users simply insert the slotMusic card into their microSD-enabled mobile phone or MP3 player to hear the music – without passwords, downloading or digital-rights-management interfering with their personal use.
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- Optical Storage
Buffalo Technology sent out a press release today, announcing its new MediaStation 8x Blu-ray Drives. The external BR-816SU2 and internal BR-816FBS feature 8x BD-R and 2x BD-RE writing speeds as well as a maximum BD-ROM read speed of 8x.
Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking, storage and memory solutions today announced its new Blu-ray DVD Combo drives, the MediaStation 8x External Blu-ray Drive and MediaStation 8x Internal Blu-ray Drive. Offering unsurpassed 8x Read/Write speeds, these new MediaStation drives are the fastest on the market. They are ideal for "power PC" users who want optimal playback performance of Blu-ray discs, DVDs, or CDs on their PCs or notebooks or for those who want to archive content to optical discs.
The external MediaStation connects conveniently via USB 2.0 or eSATA, and the internal drive can be easily installed into your PC via SATA. Both devices also include CyberLink software suite for Windows with DVD Up-Sampling, which allows you to view DVDs in near HD quality. The MediaStation is a great solution to periodically backup and archive your data, preventing content from being altered or erased in the event your system is attacked by a virus or other malware.
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The DVD Forum held their 43rd Steering Committee meeting earlier this week. Among other things, the group approved the physical and file system specifications for single and dual layer DVD-Download discs. Interestingly enough, the group also took the time to approve the file system specifcations for the 51GB HD DVD-ROM. Here are some of the highlights from the meeting:
Approval of
• DVD Specifications for Download Disc (DVD-Download) Part 2 File System Specifications Version 1.0
• DVD Specifications for Download Disc for Dual Layer (DVD-Download for DL) Part 2 File System Specifications Version 1.9 Approved
Approval of
DVD Specifications for High Density Read-Only Disc (HD DVD-ROM 51G) Part 2 File System Specifications Version 2.0 Approved
Approval of
• DVD Specifications for Download Disc (DVD-Download) Part 1 Physical Specifications Version 1.0
• DVD Specifications for Download Disc for Dual Layer (DVD-Download for DL) Part 1 Physical Specifications Version 2.0 Approved
Approval of
Class-A Verification Lab of ALMEDIO for DVD-Video Disc Approved
Approval of
VPC membership of ALMEDIO
If you'd like to read more, the Steering Committee's entire list of resolutions can be found here.
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- Home Entertainment
Memorex announced today that it will be shipping its first Blu-ray Disc player this fall. The MVBD-2510 supports BonusView, 1080/60p and 24p video output the decoding of advanced audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD. Best of all, Memorex's new player has a suggested retail price of only $269.00.
Memorex, a portfolio brand of Imation Corp (NYSE: IMN), announced today the availability of the Memorex MVBD-2510 Blu-ray Disc Player featuring advanced Blu-ray Disc (BD) entertainment technology at an outstanding value of less than $270. Memorex also announced that it has expanded its specialty Blu-ray Disc offerings to include a full-line of BD cleaning and storage accessories.
"Our customers want products that bring entertainment into their homes, but at a family-friendly price," said Carla Pihowich, Memorex brand director, Imation Corp. "With this in mind, we have introduced a Blu-ray Disc player that offers consumers the full high-definition viewing experience, but at a price that almost anyone can afford. The high-definition movie experience, with its sharp details and amazing sound quality, is one that brings families and friends together."
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- Software
Primera Technology, Inc., the world's leading developer and manufacturer of CD, DVD, and Blu-ray Disc(TM) duplication and printing equipment, today announced its new PTProtect(TM) Software. PTProtect is seamlessly integrated into Primera's PTPublisher(TM) v1.3.0 (or greater) duplication software. It provides a reliable yet effective anti-rip solution for protecting DVD video without adding extra steps to existing workflow processes.
PTProtect software is applied to the DVD image just before burning. When content is burned to a disc it is encapsulated to prevent common ripping programs from having access to it. The content on the DVD is not modified in any way. Copy control encapsulation resides in areas of the discs not read by DVD players, so the play-back quality remains unaffected.
PTProtect copy controlled discs have full playability designed to match the same playability levels in DVD players as unprotected DVDs. In essence, PTProtected discs are designed to provide effective "speed-bump” protection to combat unauthorized casual copying.
