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Optical Storage

21 February 2008

While Taiwan's media manufacturers have been reluctant to mass produce blue-laser discs, Toshiba's recent announcement has motivated companies like CMC and Ritek to invest in the production of BD-R and BD-RE discs.

CMC and Ritek are technologically poised to kick off production of BD discs, as they have each obtained level A laboratory certification for 4x BD-R SL and 2x BD-RE SL formats, the sources pointed out.

Among second-tier Taiwan-based makers, Prodisc Technology and Daxon Technology are willing to step into the production of BD discs while Lead Data and Gigastorage hold a conservative attitude, the sources indicated.

While Blu-ray has become the high-def standard, manufacturers do not expect the market for blank BD-R and BD-RE discs to take off for another year or two. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

21 February 2008

Paramount, the last Hollywood studio to support HD DVD, has announced that it too will be releasing titles on Blu-ray. In a statement sent to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount announced that it was pleased that the industry was moving toward a single format and that it would would begin releasing titles on Blu-ray in the near future.

Paramount Home Entertainment quietly came onboard via a statement sent exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday: "We are pleased that the industry is moving to a single high-definition format, as we believe it is in the best interest of the consumer," the statement reads. "As we look to (begin) releasing our titles on Blu-ray, we will monitor consumer adoption and determine our release plans accordingly."

While Paramount has provided any details in regards to a release schedule, a Blu-ray version of Transformers has already shown up in Circuit City's computers. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Other

20 February 2008

Buffalo LinkStation EZ 500GB Network-Attached Storage Device @ThinkComputers.org
Corsair Dominator TWIN3X2048-1800C7DFIN G Kit @HotHardware.com
Seagate 750GB Recertified Hard Drive @Madshrimps
SilverStone 400 Watt ST40EF Power Supply @HardwareLogic.com
Soyo Topaz S 24" LCD Monitor @ASE Labs
Super Talent Vidego28 MP4 Player @High Tech Reviews

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Home Entertainment

20 February 2008

While Toshiba plans to out of the HD DVD player market by the end of March, LG isnt dumping the format quite yet. According to Pocket-lint.co.uk, LG will will continue to develop and offer players that support both both Blu-ray and HD DVD.

"LG believes that at this present moment in time, it is necessary to provide a player which supports both formats and therefore create simplicity and convenience for the existing HD DVD consumer..."

"...With the recent announcement from Toshiba, Blu-Ray will now be the format that will pave the way for high definition movies, however this does not rule out HD DVD immediately as there are still a number of consumers who have chosen HD DVD and begun to build a HD DVD collection."

This is definitely good news, especially for those who already have a sizeable HD DVD collection. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

20 February 2008

With Toshiba dropping HD DVD, companies that remained neutral throughout the format war are now pledging support for Blu-ray. Amazon.com announced today that they are recommending Blu-ray as the preferred digital format for consumers.

In an effort to help demystify high-definition entertainment for consumers, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced its support for Blu-ray as the digital format of choice for customers. As part of this announcement, Amazon.com will more prominently promote Blu-ray hardware and software products on its website.

"The high-definition landscape is rapidly changing, and consumers are looking for guidance on how to make the best high-definition buying decisions," said Peter Faricy, vice president of movies and music at Amazon.com. "Our customers have clearly voiced their support for the Blu-ray format. Blu-ray titles have increased from just over half of our high-definition sales to over three-quarters of our high-definition sales since early January. In order to best serve our customers, Amazon is recommending Blu-ray as the preferred digital format and will continue to carry the 'Earth's Largest Selection' of Blu-ray products."

While its good to see that Amazon is looking out for its customers, this announcement would have meant more if it came a week or two sooner. If you'd like to read more, Amazon's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

20 February 2008

Verbatim's parent company, Mitsubishi Chemical, has announced that they will be releasing their new LTH Type BD-R media to the Japanese market on February 26th. These new discs are rated at 2x and use an organic recording layer which allows them to be manufactured on existing CD-R or DVD-R production lines with only minor adjustments. Here's part of their press release, translated from Japanese:

Mitsubishi chemical media Ltd. (The headquarters: the Tokyo Minato Ward and president: Otsuka heavy morality) will put write-once type Blu-ray Disc and five double-speed BD-R LTH TYPE 25GB for recording that uses the organic dye for the recording layer on the market by packing on February 26.

This corporation advanced the standardization propulsion activity of organic pigment system BD-R, but previous spring, the recording type Low to High which corresponds to organic pigment system BD-R (LTH) is adopted for Blu-ray Disc Recordable Format Ver.1.2. As for BD-R which used the organic pigment in the record membrane, reflectance ratio of the disk after the recording, from low reflectance ratio changes to high reflectance ratio, (Low to High: LTH) From thing, LTH TYPE it is inscribed.

Mitsubishi's LTH Type BD-R media is expected to cost about 4,800 Yen ($45US) for a pack of five. Full details can be found here. Add a comment

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Other

19 February 2008

DFI Lanparty LT X38-T2R S775 Motherboard @Madshrimps
LapWorks Attache Laptop Stand @BCCHardware
MSI Radeon HD 3870 512MB OC @TweakTown
OCZ 64GB SATA 2.5" Solid State Drive OCZSSD64GB @Benchmark Reviews
OtterBox 7030: Durable Notebook Case @Phoronix
ZEROtherm Hurricane HC92 Cu 8800 @Hardware Zone

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Home Entertainment

19 February 2008

With Toshiba dropping HD DVD, it was only a matter of time before its supporters in Hollywood followed suit. According to Home Media Magazine, Universal Studios has announced that it will be releasing its new and catalog titles on Blu-ray.

At least one of the two major studios currently exclusive to HD DVD is already gearing up to join the other team after Toshiba’s announcement it would stop making HD DVD players.

“While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray,” said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

With a Blu-ray version of Transformers showing up in Circuit City's computers, its only a matter of time before Paramount announces that they too are dropping support for HD DVD. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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19 February 2008

ASRock 4Core1600 P35 WiFi+ S775 Motherboard @Madshrimps
Coolink ChipChilla @BCCHardware
Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6 DES X48 DDR3 Motherboard @Benchmark Reviews
iStarUSA T-7MI HDD Rackmount Enclosure @HardwareLogic.com
Leadtek WinFast PX8800 GT ZL 512Mb Video Card @Madshrimps
Lenovo ThinkPad T61p 14.1-inch & 15.4-inch Laptops @ThinkComputers.org
LG GGC-H20L Super Multi Blu-ray & HD DVD-ROM @CD Freaks
Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus 1TB External Hard Drive @Bigbruin.com
Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 @I4U
Systemax Endeavor Workstation @HotHardware.com
Thermaltake SwordM VD5000 Chassis @Virtual-Hideout

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