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Optical Storage

31 March 2008

DigiTimes is reporting that the number of optical disc drives (ODDs) shipped by Taiwan-based manufacturers dropped by more than 7% in 2007. According to the article, the decrease was due to Hitachi-LG Data Storage (HLDS) and Toshiba-Samsung Storage Technology (TSST) being more competitive than manufacturers located in Taiwan.

Taiwan-based manufacturers in total shipped an estimated 80.591 million optical disc drives (ODDs) of all types in 2007, dropping by 7.1% from 2006, according to Digitimes Research.

The decrease was mainly because Taiwan-based makers were less competitive compared to Hitachi-LG Data Storage (HLDS) and Toshiba-Samsung Storage Technology (TSST), the world's top-two ODM/OEM makers of ODDs, in DVD burners which had become the mainstream ODD type adopted by international PC vendors, Digitimes Research pointed out.

Taiwan's ODD manufacturers are expected to bounce back in 2008 with a shipment volume of 91.217 million drives. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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Other

31 March 2008

Dell recently announced that consumers can get a Blu-ray equipped Inspiron 1525 laptop for less than $1000. The laptop features a 15.4" wide aspect display with 720p resolution and can easily be connected to other high resolution displays, such as HDTVs, using its HDMI port.

The high-definition format wars are over - and you won: Dell customers can now get a Blu-ray laptop for under a $1,000. Available today on dell.com, movie buffs can pick up the Inspiron 1525 with optional Blu-ray disc playback starting at $879.

As retailers and video rental companies expand their high-definition offerings, Blu-ray is the new “must-have” technology to help get the most out of your viewing experience.

The award-winning Inspiron 1525 laptop features a 15.4-inch high definition wide aspect display with 720p resolution. It also includes an HDMI port for easy connectivity to high resolution displays and HDTVs.

The Insprion 1525 is also available with a Blu-ray writer which allows consumers to burn up to 50GB worth of data onto a single disc. Full details can be found here. Add a comment

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Other

28 March 2008

Aeneon USB-Stick @TweakPC.de
ASUS P5E3 Premium WiFi X48 Motherboard @TweakTown
Cooljag Mini LED Flash Fans @ThinkComputers.org
NorhTec Gecko UMPC @VIA Arena
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 140M @Phoronix
Razer Destructor @DV Hardware
Tagan Icy Box 390 External HDD Enclosure @HardwareLogic
XFX 9600 GT Alpha Dog XXX Video Card @I4U

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Other

28 March 2008

InfoSmart Group, Inc. announced this week that it has purchased a Blu-Ray Disc replication system from Anwell Technologies. This new system will be installed in InfoSmart's Hong Kong plant and is expected to go live by the end of June 2008.

InfoSmart Group, Inc. ("InfoSmart" or the "Company") (OTCBB: IFSG), a leading recordable digital versatile disc ("DVDR") manufacturer in Hong Kong and Brazil, today announced its recent purchase from the world's only vertically integrated optical disc equipment maker. Anwell Technologies has sold their Blu-Ray Disc (BD) replication system -- "Smart BD" -- to InfoSmart. The BD system will be installed in InfoSmart's Hong Kong plant making it the first Blu-Ray Line in commercial use in China and Hong Kong.

InfoSmart and Anwell have also agreed to collaborate and leverage on each other's strengths. Specifically, the two companies will share the Blu-Ray disc manufacturing process know-how with each other. On February 19, 2008, Toshiba announced that it had bowed out from the format war. According to research firm Understanding & Solutions, it is estimated that global demand for Blu-Ray discs is expected to increase from 0.13 billion in 2007 to over 1.5 billion in 2011.

If you'd like to read more, InfoSmart's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

28 March 2008

With Toshiba pulling out of the HD DVD market, it should come as no surprise that the HD DVD Promotions Group is closing up shop. The group's managing members issued a statement today, announcing that the group is disolving itself and closing its website.

The HD DVD Promotion Group was dissolved as of March 28, 2008, and the website was closed accordingly.

Please access to DVD Forum for HD DVD formats, and DVD Format/Logo Licensing Corporation for format books and its license. Regarding the HD DVD products, please contact each selling agency directly.

If you'd like to read more, the entire statement can be foundhere. Add a comment

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Other

27 March 2008

AMD B3 Phenom X4 9850 @HotHardware.com
ASUS WL-520GU Wireless Router @ThinkComputers.org
BenQ 24-inch G2400W Widescreen LCD @Hardware Zone
Foxconn GeForce 9600GT OC Graphics Card @TweakTown
Gigabyte AirCruiser N300 802.11n @Phoronix
Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 "Mobile Penryn" @Phoronix
Ironkey Personal Secure Flash Drive @Everything USB
NVIDIA 9800 GX2 Quad SLI @I4U
Patriot Viper Series 2GB PC3-12800 DDR3 Memory Kit @Bigbruin.com

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Flash Memory

27 March 2008

Super Talent has announced that it has started shipping the world’s thinnest 256GB SSD. Measuring only 12.5mm thick, the FSD56GC25H is 40% thinner than any other 256GB SSD.

The FSD56GC25H uses an industry standard 2.5-inch hard drive form factor and uses an industry standard SATA-I interface, making it 100% interchangeable with conventional 2.5-inch SATA hard drives. This SSD implements Super Talent’s patented stacking technology to pack an enormous amount of solid state storage into an exceptionally small and slim case, measuring a mere 12.5mm thick - 40% thinner than any other 256GB SSD available. The signature black case is made from a durable lightweight aluminum alloy.

The FSD56GC25H drive supports 0.1ms access times, a maximum of 65MB/sec sequential read speed and 50MB/sec sequential write speed. This SSD supports up to 1600G of shock and 16G of vibration, which is about five times greater than typical hard drives. With ECC support, bad bit management firmware and patented wear leveling technology, this drive offers extreme reliability and endurance.

If you'd like to read more, Super Talent's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

27 March 2008

Strategy Analytics released a new report this week, predicting that 29.4 million homes will have Blu-ray devices by the end of 2008. The report also predicts that the PS3 will drive the Blu-ray market until 2009, after which stand-alone players will become dominant.

The Blu-ray Disc victory in its recent format war with HD-DVD will propel this technology into 29.4 million homes worldwide by the end of 2008, according to the latest research published by the Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices service. According to, “Blu-ray Devices: Forecasting Sales and Ownership,” Sony’s PS3 games console will continue to drive the Blu-ray market until 2009, after which stand-alone Blu-ray players will become the dominant segment. By 2012 more than 132 million homes worldwide will own at least one Blu-ray device...

...This Strategy Analytics report predicts that global sales of Blu-ray devices will reach 18.8 million units in 2008, including 4 million stand-alone players, 13 million consoles and nearly 2 million PCs. By 2012, annual sales of all BD devices will reach 57.4 million units. The largest market will be in Europe, with 26.4 million, followed by the US (22.6 million) and Japan (8.4 million).

More information on Strategy Analytics' report can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

27 March 2008

With the format war coming to an end, Blu-ray has seen a sharp spike in sales. While accounting for only 2-3% of a title's sales during the format war, The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Blu-ray has generated nearly 10% of the total sales for titles such as "No Country for Old Men".

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment's "No Country for Old Men" realized 9.8% of its total sales from Blu-ray Disc its first five days in stores, according to an analysis of Nielsen VideoScan First Alert numbers conducted by Home Media Magazine's market research department.

Fox's "Hitman," also released March 11, fared even better, generating 12.6% of its total unit sales from Blu-ray.

It's good to see that Blu-ray's market share is slowing growing. Nevertheless, they still have a long ways to go if they hope to take on internet downloads. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment