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Home Entertainment

18 June 2007

Since late last year, Blockbuster has been testing the waters, renting both Blu-ray and HD DVD titles in 250 of their stores. The company recently announced plans to increase this number to 1700. However, with 70% of the high-def rentals going to Blu-ray, Blockbuster has decided not to offer HD DVD titles at these new locations.

Blockbuster Inc. will rent high-definition DVDs only in the Blu-ray format in 1,450 stores when it expands its high-def offerings next month, dealing a major blow to the rival HD DVD format.

The move, being announced Monday, could be the first step in resolving a format war that has kept confused consumers from rushing to buy new DVD players until they can determine which format will dominate the market.

Blockbuster has been renting both Blu-ray and HD DVD titles in 250 stores since late last year and found that consumers were choosing Blu-ray titles more than 70 percent of the time.

This isn't good news for HD DVD fans. With Blockbuster going Blu-ray, it probably won't be long before smaller video rental services do the same. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

15 June 2007

DigiTimes has reported that CMC Magnetics recently received level A certification for its 2x BD-RE media. According to the article, they are the first Taiwanese manufacturer to do so.

CMC Magnetics, a maker of optical discs in Taiwan, on June 12 announced it has acquired level A certification for its 2x Blu-ray Disc (BD)-RE (rewritable) SL (single-sided single-layer) discs, the first recipient among Taiwan makers of optical discs.

If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

15 June 2007

AOpen has released some details on their new 20x "Super-Multi" drive, the DSW2012P . This new drive features 20x DVD±R, 8x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds. Here are some of the drive's specs:

Writing Speeds: DVD+R: 20x DVD+RW: 8x DVD+R DL: 8x DVD-R: 20x DVD-RW: 6x DVD-R DL: 8x DVD-RAM: 12x CD-R: 48X CD-RW: 32x

Read Speeds: DVD-ROM: 16x Max DVD±R: 16x Max DVD±R DL: 8x Max DVD-RAM: 12X Max CD-ROM: 48x Max CD-ROM: 32x Max Access Times: DVD-ROM: 160ms CD-ROM: 160ms

Like the DSW1812P, the DSW2012P appears to be based on a Lite-On design. The DSW2012P is shipping now, and can be purchased through various resellers for less than $40. Full details can be found on AOpen's website. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

13 June 2007

Fujifilm announced today that they will be bringing Labelflash DVD media to the U.S. market. Similar in concept to HP's LightScribe technology, Labelflash lets you burn graphics and text onto the tops of special DVD discs.

FUJIFILM today announced the availability of recordable media for the Labelflash enabled laser-labeling DVD drives. This technology is being introduced in the U.S. market with select models of the new Toshiba Satellite A205/P205 Notebook computer series.

Labelflash technology was created as a joint project between engineers at Yamaha Corporation and Fujifilm Corporation. DVD drives enabled with Labelflash allow users to create customized, professional-looking DVDs with clear, finely detailed labeling by inscribing high-quality images and text directly into a specialized dye within the disc. The process eliminates the need for specialized printers, inks or sticky labels.

Fujifilm recordable media for Labelflash is initially available in DVD-R (16x) format and are capable of burning images in as little as five (5) minutes in ‘Fast’ mode and 15-20 minutes for the highest contrast.

Let's hope that Pioneer and Optiarc decide to bring their Labelflash compliant drives to the U.S. as well. If you'd like to read more, Fujifilm's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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Hard Disks

12 June 2007

Toshiba sent out a press release this morning, announcing the launch of two new digital video recorders (DVR). The RD-A600 and RD-A300 support Toshiba's new "VARDIA engine" and can record two digital HD television programs at once. The two DVR's also feature an integrated HD DVD writer, giving users the ability to record programs directly to disc or transfer HD video from the hard drive.

Toshiba Corporation today announced two high-end additions to its VARDIA digital video recorders (DVR) that add the capabilities of HD DVD recordable drives to a wide range of advanced functions. The new DVR introduce the ability to record two digital HD television programs simultaneously, and also integrate Toshiba's new "VARDIA engine", which supports significant enhancements to ease of use and performance, including faster drawing of the graphic user interface (GUI) and improved HD DVD disc operation. The HD DVD VARDIA RD-A600 and HD DVD VARDIA RD-A300 will be rolled out in the Japanese market from the end of June.

The new models offer consumers a choice of hard disk drive capacities. The 600-gigabyte (GB) RD-A600 can record about 78 hours*1 of digital HD broadcasts to its hard drive in HD picture quality, while 300GB RD-A300 can record about 39 hours*1. Both integrate an HD DVD recordable drive that can directly record HD television programs to an HD DVD-R disc or transfer HD images stored in HDD to an HD DVD-R disc. Like standard DVR, the new recorders allow users to build libraries of their favorite content, whether dramas, movies or sport, but add the ability to do so in vibrant, high definition detail, by storing HD content to HD DVD-R discs.

While Toshiba has not announced a price, AV Watch expects the RD-A600 and RD-A300 to cost about 200,000 Yen ($1644US) and 150,000 Yen ($1233US) respectively. More information, including a full list of specs, can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

12 June 2007

While Toshiba's promotions has helped HD DVD capture 60% of the HD set-top market, sales are still coming up short of expectations. According to Reuters, Toshiba has had to lower its U.S. sales forecast. Instead of 1.8 million units, the company now expects to sell 1 million players by the end of 2007.

Japan's Toshiba Corp. has slashed its sales target for high definition DVD players and recorders after disappointing sales in the U.S., putting a damper on prospects for one of its growth businesses.

"Sales in the U.S. have been slower than expected, and we are going to have to lower our U.S. sales forecast," said Yoshihide Fujii, head of Toshiba's digital consumer business.

The electronics group now expects to sell 1 million next-generation optical disc players in North America by the end of calendar 2007, down 44 percent from its previous estimate of 1.8 million unit sales, a Toshiba executive said on Tuesday.

While the price of HD DVD players have come down considerably, most consumers are still holding off, waiting to see which format wins. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Other

11 June 2007

Thermaltake Toughpower 1000W Modular Power Supply @ThinkComputers.org
GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H Motherboard @TweakTown
OCZ Technology PC2-6400 System Elite 2GB Dual Channel DDR2 @Bigbruin.com
Scythe Kama Meter @DV Hardware
Thermaltake MaxOrb CPU Cooler @HardwareLogic

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Flash Memory

11 June 2007

Transcend has announced the launch of its new Ultra-Speed JetFlash Drives. These new USB 2.0 flash drives come equipped with dual Hi-Speed SLC NAND Flash chips, giving them 30MB/s read and 25MB/s write speeds.

Transcend Information Inc. (Transcend) released today its Ultra-Speed USB2.0 Flash Drives, the JetFlash 160, the JetFlash 168, the JetFlash 110 and the JetFlash 2A. These JetFlash models are equipped with dual Hi-Speed SLC NAND Flash chips (Max. Read 30MB/s, Max. Write 25MB/s), and are engineered using top quality components to ensure better performance and a longer lifespan. This device is a combination of style and superior performance that will be appreciated by those who need high-speed data transfer rates. The Ultra-Speed JetFlash Drives conveniently plug into the USB port on any desktop, or notebook computer, so you can fast transfer, store, and share files.

Transcend's Ultra-Speed JetFlash Drives are available now in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB (JetFlash 2A only) capacities. More information can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

11 June 2007

As most of you know, Blu-ray has been dominating the next-gen DVD market since the beginning of the year. To help give HD DVD a boost, Toshiba has been offering various promotions, including a $100 price drop on many of their players. These promotions have apparently paid off. According to the HD DVD Promotional Group, consumers have purchased more than 150,000 players, giving HD DVD 60% of the HD set-top market.

Three weeks into its aggressivespring retail and marketing campaigns, the North American HD DVDPromotional Group today announced HD DVD is significantly ahead in thededicated consumer electronics player market with 60% of all highdefinition set-top players sold. At the same time, high definition moviesales for HD DVD reached an all time high for the month of May, exceeding75,000 movies the last week of May alone.

Overall high definition sales hit a record last week as well, hitting$5.2 million in actual consumer spending, which was 31% higher than theprevious record for the two formats. This highlights the growing consumerappetite for HD content across the board.

Sales of dedicated consumer electronics players are a criticalindicator in the adoption of the high definition formats, given the highattach rates to these players. With the successive price drops by Toshiba,weekly player sales doubled in April when the price dropped from $499 to$399, doubled again during the first week of the latest promotion in lateMay, and increased again last week.

While these numbers are impressive, its going to be interesting to see what happens when Blu-ray backers respond with their own price cuts. If you'd like to read more, Toshiba's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment