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eVGA 7950GX2 1GB Graphics Card @ BCCHardware
ATI And NVIDIA Graphics Cards In Video Decoding Tasks @ Digit-Life
Hiyatek Contractible Laptop Cooling Pad @ ThinkComputers.org
Apack Zerotherm GX810 Videocard VGA Cooler @ Tweaknews.net
Antec Fusion Media Center Case @ HardwareZone
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The results are in and our readers have chosen the Pioneer DVR-111/A11 as the top DVD writer for the month of October. Here are the top drives:
  1. Pioneer DVR-111/A11
  2. BenQ DW1650/1655
  3. (tied) LG GSA-H10N/L/A and Plextor PX-760A/760SA
  4. LG GSA-H22N/L
Your favorite drive didn't make it onto the list? Then go and vote for October's top DVD writer. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment
The battble between Blu-ray and HD DVD could be coming to an early end. According to an article at EETimes, machines capable of playing both Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs are expected to emerge some time next year.
Leading chip vendors such as Broadcom, STMicroelectronics and NEC Electronics told EE Times they are developing ICs that allow high-definition optical drives and players to comply with the two competing specifications. These suppliers appear to have specific knowledge that their potential customers—whose names they declined to disclose—will roll out universal players as early as 2007.
While its great that these companies are developing chipsets compatible with both Blu-ray and HD DVD, the biggest hurdle will be the optical units as each format stores information at a different depth. Thankfully, companies like Ricoh are already working on this problem. If you'd like to read more, EETimes' entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Thermaltake Kandalf LCS Liquid Cooled Case Review @ Tweaknews.net
HIS IceQ3 Radeon X1950 Pro Review @ The TechZone
Sony A-100 @ Digit-Life
BlueAnt Supertooth II Bluetooth Speakphone @ BlueTomorrow.com
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 @ HardwareZone, Digit-Life, and TweakTown
Silverstone LC20 @ Overclockers Online
Thermaltake Mini-ITX Drive Bay PSU and 7" LCD Monitor @ VIA Arena
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Software
InterVideo has announced the launch of their new DVD playback software, WinDVD 8. Along with support for Windows Vista, WinDVD 8 offers a number of new and expanded features including support for high-def formats like MPEG2-HD, VC1, WMV-HD and H.264 HD.
InterVideo, Inc. (NASDAQ:IVII - News) today announced WinDVD 8, the latest release of the software DVD player favored by 175 million users worldwide. WinDVD 8 takes video and audio playback to the next generation with Windows Vista(TM) compatibility. Offering an unprecedented list of new and expanded features, the new version delivers the smooth, crystal-clear video and rich surround sound users have come to expect from WinDVD.

"With the advent of the Windows Vista era, being able to use a single software solution to play all DVD/video/audio in multiple formats simplifies our customers' digital lifestyle," said Steve Ro, CEO and President of InterVideo. "People are eager to adopt next-generation technologies like H.264, VC1 or the UPnP ability in the new Windows Vista OS, and WinDVD 8 provides this path. WinDVD users worldwide can always get the most out of their current systems. Now, WinDVD 8 users can also leverage the enhanced multimedia features and capabilities of Windows Vista."
WinDVD 8 is currently available at InterVideo's web site and will be at retail outlets within the next few weeks. The Gold and Platinum versions are priced at $39.95 and $59.95 respectively. More information on both can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage
Sunland International sent out a press release this morning, announcing the DIGISTOR DW-ISD081. This new slim-line drive features 8x DVD±R, 4x DVD±RW and 2.4x DVD+R DL writing speeds.
Sunland International (SLI), a leading distributor of optical and data storage products, today announced they will expand their product offering to include the new DIGISTOR Slim-line Internal DVD Writer. DIGISTOR's new drive, DW-ISD081, will offer an industry leading 24 month warranty.

Designed with the needs of notebook and server manufacturers in mind, the DW-ISD081 offers the ability to record DVD±R/RW+RDL with speeds of up to 8X as well as CD-R/RW at up to 24X. The new drive is also fully compliant with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directeive 2002/95/EC of the EU.
The DW-ISD081 will begin shipping on November 10th. More information can be found here. Add a comment

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NVIDIA released a new set of NVIDIA Forceware drivers today. One of the highlights of this release is the inclusion of NVIDIA's new PureVideo HD technology which provides hardware acceleration for decoding H.264, VC-1, WMV and MPEG-2 movies.
Movie lovers can now build a PC to enjoy a spectacular HD DVD or Blu-ray experience with the release of new NVIDIA Forceware drivers featuring NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology. PureVideo HD technology combines high-definition video decode acceleration and post-processing to deliver extraordinary picture clarity, smooth video, brilliant color, and precise image scaling for high definition movies. The drivers are available now from NVIDIA.com.

"This is a milestone in PC entertainment," said Scott Vouri, general manager of multimedia at NVIDIA. "NVIDIA is proud to be the first graphics processing company in the world to make it possible for consumers to build or upgrade a PC to play HD DVD and Blu-ray movies."
Keep in mind that you will need an HDCP compliant video card and monitor if you plan to play HD DVD and Blu-ray movies at high resolutions. More information on PureVideo HD can be found on NVIDIA's website. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment
Many people have expected the adult film industry to be the deciding factor in the battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD. With no clear winner, film makers in the US have decided to be release titles in both formats.
In view of the stalemate between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD), producers of adult films in the US will adopt both for the time being by offering HD DVD and BD movie titles, according to sources in Taiwan's optical disc drive (ODD) industry.

US-based Vivid Entertainment, one of the world's largest producers of pornographic movies, plans to release HD DVD and BD movie discs early next year, the sources pointed out. Since the estimated average production cost of US$50,000 for a BD adult movie is much higher than that of US$10,000 for a DVD version and with BD players costing between US$700-1,000, the market acceptance of BD or HD DVD titles is questionable, the sources indicated.
I can't imagine there is a huge demand for high-def porn, but you never know. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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Optical Storage
According to an article at DigiTimes, Lite-On is expected to begin shipping 18x LightScribe DVD burners to HP later this month. As we reported in the past, these new drives will support version 1.2 of HP's LightScribe technology.
While Lite-On IT is expected to start shipping 18x DVD burners to Hewlett-Packard (HP) this month, the growing tension in competition between Lite-On IT, Hitachi-LG Data Storage (HLDS) and Toshiba-Samsung Storage Technology (TSST) facilitated OEM prices to further drop, according to sources at Taiwan-based optical disk drive (ODD) makers.

The sources detailed that this month, Lite-On IT starts shipping internal (940i) and external (model 940e) models of 18x DVD burners to HP. Both burners support the latest 1.2 version of HP's LightScribe technology.
If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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Other

ECS 945G-M3 M-ATX Motherboard Review @ GruntvillE.com
USB Skype Phone With LCD Display @ ThinkComputers.org
Arctic Cooling Accelero X1 VGA Cooler @ Futurelooks
Zalman ZM-CS1 Clip Support @ OCModShop
Vizo "UFO" 4-port USB Hub @ OCModShop
Noctua NF-S12 120mm Fan @ Overclockers Online
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