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Home Entertainment

20 March 2008

Good news for those that watch Blu-ray movies on the PS3. Sony announced today that the console will be getting support for BD-Live (Profile 2.0) in the next system software update. With this new feature, PS3 owners will be able to take advantage of downloadable content such as videos, games and ringtones.

Sony ComputerEntertainment America (SCEA) today announced that the next system softwareupdate for PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) computer entertainment system, slatedfor release in late March, will add Blu-ray Disc(TM) (BD) Profile 2.0 orBD-LIVE, enabling PS3 owners to experience interactive features, such asdownloadable video content, ringtones, games, and more. In addition toBD-LIVE, the system software update (v. 2.20) will enable photo and musicplaylists on PS3 to be copied to PSP(R)(PlayStation(R)Portable) handheldentertainment system, among other new features. These updates demonstratehow PS3 continues to evolve as a home entertainment hub with theflexibility to deliver the newest technology innovations that benefit PS3owners.

"With Blu-ray established as the high-definition optical disc standard,more consumers are ready to jump in and take advantage of everything theformat offers," said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president, product marketing,SCEA. "Whether you want to download movie extras, send ringtones to yourphone, or play interactive games, BD-LIVE will offer exciting new ways toenjoy a Blu-ray movie. With these regular firmware updates andfuture-proofed technology, SCEA is making the 10-year lifecycle of PS3possible."

This update is coming just in time for Sony's first BD-Live enabled titles, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and The 6th Day, which will be released on April 6th. If you'd like to read more, Sony's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Other

19 March 2008

DFI LanParty UT ICFX3200-T2R/G Intel LGA775 Motherboard @ThinkComputers.org
Kingston HyperX 2GB PC3-14400 DDR3-1800 @ASE Labs
Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks (Carl Zeiss AF 2007 Model) @Everything USB
OCZ Technology PC2-8000 Platinum Edition 4GB DDR2 Kit @Bigbruin.com
Samsung SyncMaster 2243BW 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor @Tweaknews.net
Sunbeamtech UFO Acrylic Cube Case (ACUF-T) @HardwareLogic
VIZO Ares Internal SATA II Mobile HDD Rack @BCCHardware

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Software

19 March 2008

SlySoft announced this morning that it has released a new version of AnyDVD HD that can remove BD+ protection from Blu-ray discs, including those released by Twentieth Century Fox.

Film studios that have switched to Blu-ray may have crowed a little too early because the much-praised BD+ copy protection is an ad absurdum affair now, too. With today's release of version 6.4.0.0 of AnyDVD HD it is now also possible to make backup security copies of Blu-ray discs protected with BD+.

Richard Doherty of the Envisioneering Group will have to revise his statement from July, 2007 regarding BD+: "BD+, unlike AACS which suffered a partial hack last year, won't likely be breached for 10 years". It is worth mentioning that since he made that statement only eight months have gone by.

If you want to check out the latest version of AnyDVD, it can be downloaded from SlySoft's website. Otherwise, SlySoft's entire announcement can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

19 March 2008

AOpen sent out a press release this morning, announcing its first Blu-ray Disc drive. The BDR0412SA is capable of reading BD media at 4x and is backwards compatible with most existing CD and DVD formats.

For your best video and storage experience, AOpen announces the first Blu-ray Disc drive BDR0412SA. It can read Blu-ray Disc at 4X (17,844KB per sec.), DVD-ROM at 12X, DVD+/-R at 12X, DVD-RAM at 5X and CD at 32X; and gives you an all in one optical reading option for multimedia entertainment.

Blu-ray Disc (BD) is an optical disc storage media format using blue-violet laser with shorter wavelength. Blu-ray Disc was developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association, a group of leading electronic companies: Sony, Matsushita, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp, and Samsung. It has the same dimensions as a standard DVD or CD but can hold 25GB (single layer) and 50GB (dual layer).

No word yet on pricing or availability. As we find out more, we'll let you know. In the mean time, AOpen's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

19 March 2008

Good news for those that bought an HD DVD player from Best Buy. The company announced today that it will be sending $50 gift cards to customers who purchased a Toshiba HD-DVD player or Xbox HD DVD addon from its U.S. stores.

With Blu-ray declaring victory over HD-DVD in the high definition movie format war, Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics retailer, is giving $50 gift cards to customers who purchased an HD-DVD player or HD-DVD attachment from its U.S. stores before February 23, 2008. Customers will get a gift card for each player or HD-DVD attachment that they purchased. Through this program, Best Buy will distribute more than $10 million in gift cards to customers across the country.

“The DVD format war has divided our customers in a way we haven’t seen since Betamax took on VHS more than 20 years ago,” said Brian J. Dunn, president and chief operating officer for Best Buy. “At Best Buy, we understood and shared our customers’ frustrations as they were being asked to choose one format or the other. Now that the format war is over, we hope these gift cards will reassure our customers that we will help them make a smooth transition into the right technology for their needs.”

Best Buy will be proactively sending out cards to members of the their Reward Zone program and to customers who purchased Performance Service Plans (PSPs) or who made their purchase online. Other customers will need to call (888) BEST BUY and provide a proof of purchase through a credit card or their Best Buy receipt.

If you'd like to get rid of your HD DVD player altogether, you're in luck. Best Buy is also launching a new program on March 21st where you can trade in used electronics for gift cards. Full details on this program can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

19 March 2008

LG has officially announced its new 22x "Super-Multi" drive, the GH22. Along with support for SecurDisc and LightScribe, the drive features 22x DVD±R, 16x DVD+R DL, 12x DVD-R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds. Here are some of the GH22's specs:

Writing Speeds: DVD+R: 22x DVD+RW: 8x DVD+R DL: 16x DVD-R: 22x DVD-RW: 6x DVD-R DL: 12x DVD-RAM: 12x CD-R: 48x CD-RW: 32x

Read Speeds: DVD-ROM: 16x Max CD-ROM: 48x Max Buffer Size: 2MB

According to LG's press release, the GH22 can burn an entire DVD±R disc in about 4 minutes and 30 seconds. This is pretty impressive.. if the drive can deliver on these claims. The GH22 is expected to ship in the second half of 2008 and will be priced at about 30,000 won (~$30US). Full details can be found here. Add a comment

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Other

18 March 2008

Antec P190 + 1200 Case @HardwareLogic.com
ASUS 8800 GT 512MB TOP Edition @Virtual-Hideout
AutumnWave OnAir GT USB HDTV Tuner @Madshrimps
Cooler Master Cosmos S Case @ThinkComputers.org
Dell XPS M1730 Notebook @Hardware Zone
Rocketfish Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit @I4U
Sapphire HD3850 & HD3850 In Crossfire @High Tech Reviews.com
Western Digital Caviar RE2 750GB Hard Drive @HotHardware.com

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Other

18 March 2008

Antec P180 Enclosure @High Tech Reviews.com
Kingston SD/2GB-U @ASE Labs
NVIDIA nForce 790i SLI and GeForce 9800 GX2 @HotHardware.com
NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI Performance @Hardware Zone
Rosewill RX81-MP-SC eSATA HDD Enclosure @TweakTown
Steelseries Ikari Laser Gaming Mouse @Tweaknews.net
Tagan BZ 900W Power Supply @Phoronix
XFX 9800 GX2 Video Card @I4U

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Software

18 March 2008

TMPGEnc announced today that it has added MovieStyle to its software lineup. Using this new software, users can easily convert their video clips for use on popular digital devices such as the iPod/iPhone, Zune and PSP.

TMPG, Inc. (www.tmpg-inc.com), the company that makes digital video easy, has added TMPGEnc MovieStyle to its software lineup. It allows users to easily convert video clips for use on 11 popular digital devices from portables such as the iPod and PSP to full HD devices such as Sony's Playstation 3. The free trial will be available for download on March 27th at www.tmpg-inc.com. The full retail version will be available shortly thereafter at $39.95 per license.

"More and more, people are using digital devices to watch their favorite video clips, whether it's portable devices or video game consoles," remarked Kimi Matsuki, TMPG CEO. "With MovieStyle, users can easily convert video clips for these devices without any video encoding knowledge. That means users of any age, experienced or inexperienced, can use this software to convert video for portable or HD devices. We like to say, MovieStyle: your movies, your digital lifestyle."

As their press release points out, a free trial will be available on March 27th and the retail version will be available shortly thereafter for $39.95. Full details can be found here. Add a comment