As most of you know, Computex is going on this week. While most of the press seems to be drooling over the latest motherboards and notebook computers, you'll be happy to know that a number of new optical drives were unveiled at the show. Thanks to the folks at Engadget China, we've been given a peek at some of Lite-On's upcoming drives.


The eSAU108 is the latest addition to Lite-On's line of slim external DVD writers. This USB powered drive is capable of 8x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 5x DVD-RAM writing speeds and will be available in both black and white. According to unconfirmed sources, the eSAU108 is expected to ship some time in July.

Also on display was Lite-On's new series of 22x DVD writers, the iHAP622 (PATA) and iHAS622 (SATA). Along with 22x DVD±R, 12x DVD-RAM, 8x DVD+RW and 6x DVD-RW writing speeds, the drives will offer support for Nero's SecurDisc and Lite-On's SmartErase technologies. As we reported in the past, Lite-On's 22x DVD writers are scheduled to ship in the 3Q of 2008.

Last but not least, Lite-On unveiled its new 6x BD combo drive. The iHES106 reads single layer Blu-ray discs at 6x and is capable of 16x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R DL, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds. According to DigiTimes, the drive's chipset is supplied by Mediatek and the BD pickup-head is from Sanyo Electric. Add a comment
Traxdata announced this week that they have added 4x BD-R discs to its line of recordable Blu-ray media. According to their press release, these new discs have passed official Blu-ray certification and are available with or without an inkjet printable surface.

Traxdata, a leading brand of optical and flash media products, has today announced that it has extended its Blu-ray Recordable media range to incorporate BD-R 4x, making it one of the few brands to currently supply certified Blu-ray Recordable 4x Media.

The Traxdata Blu-ray range consists of Blu-ray Rewritable (BD-RE) 2X and Blu-ray Recordable (BD-R) 2x and 4x media, all of which have passed official Blu-ray certification and are also available as white inkjet printable media. With Traxdata's white inkjet printable media, users can personalise their Blu-ray disc by creating and printing their own design onto it.
If you'd like to read more, Traxdata's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Nero announced today that its SecurDisc technology will be included with Lite-On's upcoming 22x DVD writer, the iHAP622. With SecurDisc, users can protect their data against unauthorized access and increase the chances of it being recovered should the disc become damaged.
Nero, creators of liquid media technology, announced today that the company has entered into a new cooperation with PLDS (Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions) to introduce the first Lite-On SecurDisc drives to the market.

SecurDisc technology provides a full feature set of data security-related functions through a combined hardware/software solution. It offers encryption with password protection, digital signature, higher data reliability through data storage redundancy and defect management, as well as copy protection for PDF files and a data integrity checker. SecurDisc offers users strong access controls, and Nero continues to set the standard for what end-users will come to expect in ensuring the security of their files on CDs and DVDs.
The Lite-On iHAP622 is scheduled to ship during the second half of 2008. If you'd like to read more, Nero's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
ASUS unveiled two new LightScribe enabled 20x DVD writers this week. Along with 20x DVD±R, 12x DVD±R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds, the DRW-20B1L and DRW-20B1LT feature ASUS's new Optimal Tuning Strategy (OTS) technology.

Faced with increasing demands for data storage, users require a means to back up their data efficiently. ASUS, a leading provider of high-performance optical storage devices, has today unveiled the ASUS DRW-20B1L/B1LT internal DVD rewriter with LightScribe direct disc labeling technology. This industry leading DVD rewriter provides a high speed of 20X DVD±R write, 12X DVD±R (DL) and 12XDVD-RAM reading capabilities. In addition, users can expect to enjoy five times faster data transfer rates than the current DMA33 standards with the SATA interface. It also features Optimal Tuning Strategy - a technology that automatically adjusts burning for optimum disc backups; and the E-Green Engine for great energy savings.

The ASUS DRW-20B1L/B1LT comes equipped with the innovative Optimal Tuning Strategy (OTS) for improved disc burning and better overall write quality. With OTS, the drive will perform a test burning before actually burning the disc - intelligently calculating the best burning strategy based on operating temperatures and media and drive variations. This provides the users with optimal write speeds for the new disc. After the disc is burnt, OTS memorizes the particular type of disc, and utilizes the same burning strategy when the same type of disc is used. This not only reduces the possibility to burn unplayable discs, it also provides high quality backups and improves compatibility so that the disc can more easily be read by other drives; as well as extending the lifetime of the drive.
No word yet on pricing or availability. As we find out more, we'll let you know. In the mean time, ASUS's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Earlier this week, North Coast Interactive announced the world's first full color short run printable USB flash drive. Designed to be printed using a Rimage Everest printer, the Spectrum Flash Drive allows on site full color printing of flash media with very short turnaround times.
North Coast Interactive is excited to announce the world's first full color short run printable USB flash drive. “This is a very exciting new direction in printable media that we have developed”, explains Thomas Blaha, president of North Coast Interactive, Inc. “The Spectrum Drive is the first USB flash drive that allows on site full color printing of flash media with very short turnaround times. Additionally, the equipment and knowledge necessary to offer this service is already common in the duplication industry, making startup costs and set-up time very low.”

The Spectrum Flash Drive is designed to be printed using a Rimage Everest printer in conjunction with NCI's Spectrum Everest adapter kit. The kit includes everything necessary to quickly convert an Everest II or Everest III printer from CD/DVD printing to Spectrum Flash Drive printing.
The standard Spectrum Flash Drives will be available in white with a 1 GB capacity. Drives with 512 MB, 2 GB, 4 GB, and 8 GB capacities are also available as special order options. If you'd like to read more, NCI's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Wal-Mart announced today that it has completed a redesign of its consumer electronics department. Along with a greater assortment of 1080p televisions, the retailer has increased the number of Blu-ray players it sells, adding models from Magnavox, Samsung and Panasonic. From June 8-14, Wal-Mart is also offering $100 gift cards with every player purchased and will have a select number of titles on sale for only $15.
With these changes, Wal-Mart is making a commitment to help bring Blu-ray and the hi-def TV experience to families everywhere at unbeatable prices. To start, this weekend Wal-Mart is offering a $100 Wal-Mart gift card with the purchase of any Blu-ray player in its stores, June 8 through June 14.

In addition, the retailer will have select Blu-ray movie titles for only $15 starting June 8, including movie favorites such as 3:10 to Yuma, WAR, Shooter, 300, and The Fifth Element.

“We are excited to be a destination for families looking to create a high quality, affordable home entertainment experience with our new, wider selection of hi-def TVs, Blu-ray players and movies,” said Gary Severson, senior vice president, Home Entertainment, Wal-Mart.”
If you can't wait until June 8th, Wal-Mart is already offering the $100 gift card with the Sony Playstation 3. Otherwise Wal-Mart's entire announcement can be found here. Add a comment
LG Electronics has announced the launch of three new Blu-ray Disc drives. Along with the external BE06, the company has introduced two new internal models, the GBC-H20L and GBW-H20L. These drives offer some of the fastest Blu-ray read and write speeds available as well as technologies such as SecurDisc and LightScribe.
The next generation in optical storage products, models BE06, GBC-H20Land GBW-H20L provide back-up for a wide variety of files, photos, businessdocuments, or video. Consumers will appreciate the 6x speed at which thedrives write and read information, their compatibility with DVD and CDRCDRW, as well as their quick and easy data storage option.

Perfect for laptop users or those that have a multitude of PCs, LG'sBE06 can be easily connected through the USB 2.0 connection and a DC poweradapter. The BE06 has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $379.95.

The GBC-H20L and the GBW-H20L are designed to satisfy consumer needsfor safe and fast data backup. Boasting one of the industry's fastest readand write speed at 16x, the GBW-H20L can also handle up to 50GB of data,equivalent to around 4-1/2 hours of high-definition video or 22 hours ofstandard definition video (on a dual layer 50GB BD-R/BD-RE recordablemedia). The GBC-H20L and the GBW-H20L carry manufacturer's suggested retailprices of $199.95 and $279.95 respectively.
If you'd like to read more, LG's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
While sales of Blu-ray players have been down since January, consumer awareness is on the rise. According to a new report by the NPD Group, 45% of HDTV owners in the U.S. claim to be familiar with the format. More importantly, 9% of HDTV owners plan to buy a BD player in the next six months.
According to The NPD Group, a leading market research company, 45 percent of HDTV owners in the U.S. now claim to be familiar with Blu-ray Disc (BD), up from 35 percent in June 2007. And, while only 6 percent of all consumers surveyed said they plan to purchase a BD device, NPD found purchase intent to be higher among the growing population of HDTV owners, boding well for the future of the format.

NPD's “2008 Blu-ray Disc Report” reveals that 9 percent of HDTV owners plan to buy a BD-capable player in the next six months. “With HDTVs now in approximately 40 million US households, that percentage translates to a pool of almost 4 million potential BD player buyers,” according to Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD.
The NPD Group also found that Blu-ray still faces a number of challenges. Along with the high cost of BD players, many consumers believe that the DVD is “good enough.” If you'd like to read more, the NPD Group's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment