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Samsung Electronics, at an IFA (Internationale Funhausstellung in German) conference held in Hamburg, Germany last week, announced it will launch the Duo HD (high-definition) BD-UP5000, the world's second dual-format disc player model supporting both HD DVD and BD (Blu-ray Disc) next to the LG Electronics BH100. The device will be initially introduced in the European market at a tentative price of 400 euro (US$545) in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to industry sources in Taiwan.It will be interesting to see if Samsung can deliver the BD-UP5000 at this price. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes.
Update - Apparently, DigiTime's "sources" got the price wrong. According to heise online, the BD-UP5000 will cost about 400 euro more than their single format Blu-ray player, putting it in the same ballpark as the LG BH100. Add a comment
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- Software
Serial numbers for DiscJuggler 4 do not work with this new version. You will need to purchase an update ($5.99) or upgrade ($14.99) license. If you'd like to give DiscJuggler 6 a try before purchasing, a demo can be downloaded here. Add a comment
Among the many features introduced in this new build (see version history) we are proud to announce complete support for MP3+G, WMA+G and WAV+G. The MP3+G and WMA+G consist of two files, the audio track compressed to the MP3 or WMA (Microsoft Windows Media Audio) format and a separate CDG file containing the graphic data. Depending on the compression ratio, these two files combined occupy about one eighth of the disc space of a standard CDG track. This offers a convenient and effective way to back up your karaoke discs to your hard drive and to create CD+G compilations by mixing and matching songs from different sources.
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- Optical Storage
Atmel(R) Corporation(Nasdaq: ATML) announced today the availability of the ATR0881 laser diodedriver IC for use in combined HD-DVD/Blu-ray, DVD, and CD drives. TheATR0881 is housed in a 4 mm x 4 mm QFN24 package. This is the industry'ssmallest laser diode driver solution and is especially suited for smallslim drives used in notebook computers as well as for half-height drives indesktop PCs and consumer DVD recorders.Samples of the ATR0881 are nowavailable and are priced at US $5.00 in quantities of 10k. If you'd like to read more, Atmel's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
The ATR0881's QFN housing is a lead-free paddle-up package with theexposed paddle on top to improve heat dissipation. A bottom-located exposedpaddle, as found in conventional QFN packages, causes difficulties due toits inaccessibility for circuit design, particularly in optical pick-upproducts. This design restriction is eliminated with Atmel's ATR0881.
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Advanced Media, Inc., manufacturer and marketer of the popular RIDATA brand of recordable CD and DVD media, electronic storage products, and digital media accessories, is adding a Double-Sided 8x DVD-R disc to its comprehensive DVD product line. With an amazing 9.4GB of storage capacity, the advanced, double-sided disc is a cost effective solution for virtually any business or household application.Advanced Media's Double-Sided 8x DVD-R media is available now for a suggested retail price of $0.59 per disc. If you'd like to read more, Advanced Media's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
"Our new double-sided discs now in both the +/-R formats solve the storage need for those who don't own a dual layer DVD recorder, but would appreciate a larger storage capacity per disc. They are the ideal solution for the ongoing recording of a TV series or DVD quality movies. Users of the RIDATA 8x DVD-R Double-Sided medium, and its dramatically increased storage capacity, will enjoy fast, reliable storage with a wide range of playback options." stated Harvey Liu, Advanced Media president. "We are pleased to expand our offering of this cost effective product."
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Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), Inc. today announced a new 80GB model of its PLAYSTATION3 (PS3(TM)) computer entertainment system. Beginning in August, the new PS3 model will be available in North America for a suggested retail price of $599/$659 CND and will be sold with the popular online-enabled racing game MotorStorm(TM). In conjunction with this news, the company also announced that effective immediately, the current 60GB PS3 model will be available in North America for $499/$549 CND, or $100 below the original launch price.If the $100 price cut isn't enough, remember that you can also get five free Blu-ray movies by mail. Full details on Sony's price cut and the 80GB PS3 can be found here. Add a comment
By featuring an expanded hard disk drive (HDD), the new 80GB PS3 is designed to appeal to the online gaming and entertainment enthusiast, providing ample storage space to download more games and other entertainment content from PLAYSTATIONNetwork. There are currently more than 60 playable games and game-related downloads available through PLAYSTATIONStore, with expanded entertainment content coming soon. The new model features the million-selling game MotorStorm in the box, allowing up to 12 players to play online at one time, hitting the dirt in this visually-arresting, fast-paced racing title.
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The PX-810UF is scheduled to ship later this month for a suggested retail price of $139.00. More information can be found here. Add a comment
Plextor LLC, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, today announced the immediate availability of the PX-810UF DVD Super Multi Drive. This external drive combines the 18X DVD+/-R and 12X DVD-RAM performance of Plextor's PX-810 Series drives with the convenience and portability of USB and FireWire interfaces.
The PX-810UF features a dual interface with Hi-Speed USB and IEEE 1394 (FireWire), enabling users in a small office or professional studio to share a single external high-performance DVD/CD burner among multiple Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows-based PCs. Burst data transfer rates of 480 Mbps (USB 2.0) or 400 Mbps (FireWire) allow a user to burn a 4.7 GB DVD+R disc in approximately six minutes.
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The CD/DVD and CD/DVD/BD versions of the Bravo XRn Network Disc Publisher are priced at $6995 and $8995 respectively. Full details can be found here. Add a comment
Primera Technology, Inc., the world's leading developer and manufacturer of CD, DVD and BD duplication and printing equipment, today announced its Bravo XRn Network Disc Publisher is now shipping.
Powered by an internal Windows XP Embedded computer, the Bravo XRn Network Disc Publisher gives everyone in the office the ability to produce their own professional-quality CDs, DVDs and BDs. Jobs can be sent from an unlimited number of networked users. The included Windows XP/2000 and Vista(TM) client software is based upon Primera's PTPublisher(TM) disc publishing software. PTPublisher utilizes a robust disc burning engine from industry-leader Sonic Solutions, Inc.
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AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350 @Hardware Zone
Cooler Master CoolViva Pro @InsideHW.com
Eagle Tech Consus D-Series 2xSATA External Raid Storage @Madshrimps
HighPoint RocketRAID 2314 eSATA @TweakTown
MSI P35 Neo Motherboard @ChileHardware
PowerColor HD 2900 XT Video Card @I4U
Saitek GM3200 3200dpi Laser Gaming Mouse @Tweaknews.net
Samsung LN-T4061F 40" 1080p High Definition LCD TV @Tweaknews.net
Sapphire Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB GDDR4 @Hardware Zone
Thermalright HR-03 Plus VGA Cooler @HardwareLogic
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Retailers are going mainstream with their marketing and merchandising efforts for high-definition discs as the number of titles released across the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats approaches 1,000.While most retailers are deciding to support both high-def formats, I wouldn't be surprised if some eventually decided to sell only Blu-ray titles, at least in their stores. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
Amazon.com, Best Buy, Trans World, Virgin Megastores and others are promoting both formats, unwilling to potentially snub a portion of their early adopter consumers.
“Our feeling is that we should continue to supply both until the customers tell us that we shouldn’t,” said Jim Litwak, president and chief operating officer at Trans World. “Blu-ray is outperforming HD DVD in stores, but the customer is still telling us they want HD DVD.”
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Verbatim Corporation and its parent company Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM), announced today the purchase of substantially all of the assets of SmartDisk Corporation’s external hard drive (HD) and digital imaging business. The acquisition, which includes physical assets, patents, trademarks, technology, engineering and marketing expertise, was effective on June 30, 2007. The purchase price has not been disclosed.If you'd like to read more, Verbatim's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
The Verbatim brand is recognized worldwide for delivering data storage solutions with the latest technologies, the highest quality, and features that add value for the consumer. The company’s role as an innovator is especially apparent in the magnetic and optical storage markets where it has been known as a pioneer for more than 30 years. Verbatim is also enjoying an increasing presence in the global portable storage market. As part of its corporate strategy to capitalize on this trend and complement its existing portable storage product line, the company purchased SmartDisk’s hard drive and imaging assets. NPD reported that SmartDisk had a 16 percent market share in the US retail portable drive market in 2006.
