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Software

14 July 2008

Nero released a new version of Nero 8 this morning. As usual, there is no change log. However, this new update brings the version count up to 8.3.6.0. If you'd like to check it out, the 188MB update can be downloaded here. As usual, feel free to share your experiences in our forum. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

14 July 2008

While Blu-ray won the format war, consumers have been slow to go high-def. One of the biggest reasons is the the high costs associated with the format. Players are still very expensive and Blu-ray titles usually cost $10 or more than the standard DVD release.

Warner is trying to rectify this somewhat through its new Blu-ray Disc promotion. According to Video Business, Warner will be launching a point-of-sale rebate program where retailers will be able to get catalog titles for around $11. With this rebate, consumer pricing is expected to fall somewhere between $17 and $20.

In this program, retailers will buy the titles at their present pricing but obtain rebate money back upon the sale of each unit. That should ultimately amount to a relatively inexpensive $11 cost for retailers.

Additionally, Warner will offer rebates, although less extensive, for newer Blu-ray releases, including 300, The Departed, I Am Legend, Ocean’s 13 and We Are Marshall. This layer of the Blu-ray program also will run from early September to the first quarter, according to store sources.

The consumer price for these titles is likely to fall somewhere between $17 and $20. That would still represent a deal for shoppers, as titles such as 300 are now falling between $24 and $30 at outlets such as Amazon and Best Buy.

This is great news for consumers who are looking to pick up older Blu-ray titles for their library. Hopefully, other studios will follow Warner's lead and offer their own discounts. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Other

11 July 2008

Antec Twelve Hundred ATX Gaming Case @Futurelooks
ASUS Eee PC 900 @InsideHW
ASUS P5E3 Premium WiFi-AP Motherboard @Phoronix
ATEN CS1782 Dual DVI KVM(P) Switch @Virtual-Hideout
Diamond Viper Radeon HD 3870 and HD 3870 1GB @HotHardware.com
Kingston 2GB DDR3-1600 HyperX DDR3 Memory @Virtual-Hideout
NZXT Rogue Case @HardwareLogic
Super Talent MasterDrive MX 60 GB SATA-II SSD @Benchmark Reviews
Visiontek Radeon HD 4850 Videocard @Rbmods
XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard @TweakTown

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Network Storage

11 July 2008

Sans Digital sent out a press release today, announcing its new 2-bay NAS enclosure. The AccuNAS AN2L offers support for RAID 0, RAID 1, JBOD and spanning. Along with the usual data sharing, the enclosure includes built-in backup, web, FTP and BitTorrent servers. To top it off, the AN2L allows direct playback of multimedia files via the PS3, PSP and Xbox.

The Sans Digital AccuNAS AN2L is a high performance network attached storage with unlimitedpossibilities. It not only supports digital file sharing over the network in Windows, Linux and Macenvironment, it also allows playback of digital multimedia directly via PS3/PSP, XBOX and otherdigital media player using UPnP and DLNA. Images and photographs could be easily shared viathe web using the Photo Station feature, with automatically creates thumbnails and web pages forthese files. The AN2L supports iTunes Server by allowing automatic MP3 detection and display inPC or MAC’s iTunes software. Its Web Hard Drive feature allows off site file access, where datacould be retrieved from various locations. Its Network Recycle Bin prevents accidental filedeletion by saving deleted file in a temporary location.

The AccuNAS AN2L is available now and can be purchased directly from Sans Digital's website. Prices start at $362 for a diskless unit and go up to $1252 for one with a pair of 1TB drives. If you'd like to read more, San Digital's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

11 July 2008

Futuresource Consulting recently released the results from its new home copying consumer research study. Sponsored by Macrovision, the study asked more than 5,000 people whether or not they made copies of pre-recorded DVDs. According to the results, one-third of the respondents made a copy of a DVD in the last six months. This is up from just over a quarter of respondents in 2007. Here are some of the highlights from the study:

• Around one third of all respondents in both countries admit to making copies of pre-recorded DVDs in the last 6 months, up from just over a quarter of respondents in 2007.
• As in 2007 it is 18-24 year old males who are most likely to be copiers.
• Copiers of DVDs are using both analogue and digital copying methods, with the two being of almost equal importance.
• In both territories, the most common way of copying is either from a DVD player to a DVD recorder, or using a single PC software application for burning DVD copies.
• In the last 6 months, the average number of movies copied in the UK was 13 new release and 9 catalogue; in the USA the figures were 7 and 6 respectively.
• Although the majority of people are copying from their own purchased DVD in both the UK and USA, a significant proportion of people are copying from rented and borrowed titles.
• The majority of UK and USA respondents would most likely buy these movie titles new at sale or promotional price.
• From a list of 40 recent blockbuster movie titles supplied to respondents, more than half of all DVD copiers in the USA and more than one third in the UK had successfully made copies of the titles on the list

Keep in mind that this study was sponsored by Macrovision and is being used to show that movie studios are losing revenue due to home copying. Personally, I'm not surprised by the number of people making copies. What does surprise me though is the the number of people making analog copies. It makes you wonder where they found the people in this study. Anyway, if you'd like to read more, the details from the study can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

11 July 2008

While best known for their digital cameras, Kodak has set its sites on the high-def market with a suite of new products. Along with its new Zi6 Pocket Video Camera, the company recently unveiled the KODAK Theatre HD Player. The player connects to a household’s private Wi-Fi Network, allowing them to view images and high-def (720p) video on their television. The KODAK Theatre HD Player can also internet radio, podcasts and online video and photo sharing sites such as Flickr and YouTube.

Revolutionizing the way images and video can be enjoyed in HD, the KODAK Theatre HD Player is an interactive device that displays personal and web-based content on an HDTV, while wirelessly connecting to a household’s private Wi-Fi Network. Able to display HD still images (16:9 Aspect Ratio) and video (720p) on a HDTV, the remote operated KODAK Theatre HD Player lets consumers relive their favorite, and even forgotten, memories through a HD slideshow, as well as edit and upload images and videos to popular online content sharing sites.

Through unique partnerships with pioneers in photo sharing, such as KODAK Gallery and Flickr™ the KODAK Theatre HD Player provides consumers with easy and compelling ways to share pictures with friends and families. Additional partnerships with FrameChannel, a service of Frame Media, Inc., YouTube™ and RadioTime provide access to more than imaging content, offering an interactive and engaging multimedia experience. The KODAK Theatre HD Player is also compatible with USB drives and SD memory cards.

The KODAK Theatre HD Player is expected to ship in September for a suggested retail price of $299.99. Full details can be found here. Add a comment

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Hard Disks

11 July 2008

Seagate recently unveiled the world's first 1.5-terabyte desktop and half-terabyte notebook hard drives. The 3.5-inch Barracuda 7200.11 packs 1.5TB onto four platters and delivers a sustained data rate of up to 120MB/second. The 2.5-inch Momentus 5400.6 and Momentus 7200.4 are available in capacities up to 500GB and are tough enough to withstand up to 1,000 Gs of shock. The Momentus 7200.4 also offers a 7200-rpm spin speed and a 16MB cache.

The debut of the Barracuda® 7200.11 1.5TB hard drive, the eleventh generation of Seagate’s flagship drive for desktop PCs, marks the single largest capacity hard drive jump in the more than half-century history of hard drives - a half-terabyte increase from the previous highest capacity of 1TB, thanks to the capacity-boosting power of perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology.

The Barracuda 7200.11 hard drive combines proven PMR technology, components and expert manufacturing to provide 1.5TB of reliable storage for mainstream desktop computers, workstations, desktop RAID, gaming and high-end PCs, and USB/FireWire/eSATA external storage.

Seagate’s new 2.5-inch half-terabyte 5400- and 7200-rpm drives - Momentus® 5400.6 and Momentus 7200.4 - deliver the best combination of capacity, mobility and durability for mainstream and high-performance notebook computers, external storage solutions, PCs and industrial applications requiring small form factor.

The Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB will ship to retailers in August 2008. The Momentus 5400.6 and 7200.4 hard drives are scheduled to ship some time during the fourth quarter of 2008. If you'd like to read more, Seagate's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

11 July 2008

D-Link sent out a press release earlier today, announcing the availability of the first DivX Connected device in the U.S. The D-Link MediaLounge DSM-330 connects to a user's home network via 802.11g Wi-Fi or Ethernet and streams music, photos and high-definition video from PCs to the television.

DivX, Inc. (NASDAQ:DIVX), a digital media company, and D-Link, the end-to-end networking solutions provider for consumer and business, today announced the availability of the first DivX Connected™ device in the U.S., with distribution in Canadian markets soon to follow. The D-Link® MediaLounge® DSM-330 enables the seamless streaming of music, photos, Internet services, and high-definition video from PCs to the television.

“As more and more people embrace the DivX® platform, we recognize the growing demand for a media player that supports all the capabilities that the DivX interface has to offer,” said Chris Wong, Director of Product Management, D-Link Systems, Inc. “There is increasing market demand for solutions that bridge the gap between the PC and television and we are proud to be the first to work with DivX in bringing DivX Connected to North America.”

The D-Link DSM-330 is available now for a suggested retail price of $299.99. If you'd like to read more, D-Link's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Software

10 July 2008

Corel announced this week that WinDVD has been certified for BD-Live (BD Profile 2.0). With this new feature, WinDVD users will be able to enjoy Internet-connected activities such as social networking, multiplayer gaming and the downloading of movie trailers and subtitles.

Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL) (TSX:CRE), a leading developer of graphics, productivity and digital media software, today announced that Corel® WinDVD® Blu-ray Disc® playback software has received BD-Live™ certification, also known as BD Profile 2.0. By receiving certification for BD-Live, WinDVD has passed the stringent standards and guidelines set by the Blu-ray Disc Association to ensure the best possible user experience.

With BD-Live support, WinDVD users will be able to enjoy a full spectrum of Internet-connected activities including social networking, multiplayer gaming, online shopping as well as the ability to download movie trailers and subtitles - all while viewing Blu-ray Disc movies and videos.

WinDVD with BD-Live support is available to OEMs immediately and will be available to retail customers beginning in early 2009. If you'd like to read more, Corel's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment