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Optical Storage

30 October 2006

Plextor LLC has announced an external version of the PX-755A, the PX-755UF. Along with support for both FireWire and USB 2.0, the PX-755UF features 16x DVD±R and 10x DVD+R DL writing speeds.

Plextor LLC, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, today announced the PX-755UF DVD+/-R/RW CD-R/RW drive. The new Plextor burner is designed for businesses, consumers, and professionals who demand industry leading performance and reliability. Bundled with PlexTools Professional software premium features, the latest Plextor drive achieves high-quality recording at optimum speeds using any media.

The new PX-755UF DVD/CD drive is the first Plextor external drive to feature 10X DVD+R Double-Layer recording speed. Users can quickly burn up to four hours of high-quality MPEG-2/DVD video on a single 8.5 GB disc using 10X DVD+R Double-Layer media (or 6X DVD-R on Dual Layer media). This makes the Plextor PX-755UF ideal for home users who want to record onto DVD disc digital movies purchased and downloaded from Internet sites such as Amazon, iTunes, and YouTube.

The PX-755UF is expected to ship in mid-November for a suggested retail price of $159.00. More information can be found here. Add a comment

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Home Entertainment

30 October 2006

CNET and the Consumer Electronics Association have released the results from their Next-Generation DVD study. According to the results, 81% of the people surveyed were unsure of which of the available technologies will be the market standard.

The overwhelming majority (81 percent) of tech enthusiasts remain skeptical about which next-generation DVD technology will be the market standard, according to a recent survey by CNET (Nasdaq:CNET - News; www.cnet.com) and the Consumer Electronics Association. The study, CEA / CNET Tech First Panel: Next-Generation DVD, gained information about early technology adopters awareness of, and interest in, high-definition capable DVD players as manufacturers prepare to release several players that run on varying formats.

It shouldn't be too surprising that the other big concerns were price, compatibility and copyright protections. More information on CNET's survey can be found here. Add a comment

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Software

27 October 2006

Erik Deppe has released yet another version of CD-DVD Speed. Along with the usual bug fixes and improvements, this version features a number of new Disc Quality tests for BenQ and Lite-On drives.

CD-DVD Speed v4.70 - Download

• Added Advanced Disc Quality test for certain BenQ drives
  Following parameters are measured:
  CD: E11,E21,E31,E12,E22,E32,BLER,Jitter
  DVD: 1-5 PIE,PIE,PIF,POE,POF,Jitter  
• Disc Quality test:
  • Jitter can be reported with recent LiteOn drives
  • Added CLV and P-CAV settings for BenQ drives (CD scanning)
  • Added Advanced options button
• Replaced 'Write and Verify' option by 'Streaming' option
• Bitsetting: improved support for NEC drives
• Small improvements and bug fixes

More information can be found on the CD Speed website. Also, feel free to share your experiences in our forum. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

27 October 2006

Imation has announced that they've filed a Declaratory Judgment Action, asking the court to reaffirm a cross-licensing agreement between two companies. According to their press release, Philips has tried to interfere with Imation's suppliers, despite the existing agreement.

Imation Corp (NYSE: IMN) today announced that it has filed a Declaratory Judgment Action in the Federal District Court in St. Paul, Minn., requesting that the court resolve an ongoing dispute with Philips Electronics N.V., U.S. Philips Corporation, and North American Philips Corporation (collectively "Philips"). The action requests that the court reaffirm Imation's cross-licensing rights related to various optical products, including recordable and rewritable CD and DVD discs, based on a long-standing agreement between Imation and Philips.

Imation's cross-licensing agreement with Philips allows Imation to make, have made and sell various optical media products including CD and DVD discs. Based on Imation's cross-licensing rights under the existing agreement, Imation's action asks the court to stop Philips' recent attempts to interfere with Imation's ongoing business relationships with its customers and suppliers.

This is most likely due to Philips' Veeza licensing scheme. As we've reported in the past, Philips is trying to bar imports of non-Veeza discs in some of the world's major markets. More information can be found on Imation's website. Add a comment

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Optical Storage

27 October 2006

DigiTimes has reported that Sony plans to stop selling optical drives for the PC some time in 2007. The company will instead focus on optical devices, like their DVDirect series, that are not dependent upon PC's.

With the view that the market for PC optical disc drives (ODDs) in Taiwan is approaching saturation, as seen by the NT$1,500 (US$45) price for 16x DVD burners, Sony Taiwan indicated it will shift its marketing toward optical disc devices not dependent on PCs, according to Sony Taiwan.

Although half-height DVD burner technology has advanced to 18x writing speeds and will be upgraded further to 20x next year, demand for DVD burners is not expected to increase, local industry sources pointed out.

I can't say I'm too surprised. It's hard to justify buying one of Sony's drives when you can essentially get the same thing, sold under another brand for half the cost. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment

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Other

26 October 2006

Everglide g-1000 Mouse Review @ NGOHQ.com
SteelPad 5H Headset @ HWzone.co.il
Antec Truepower Trio 650 Watt Power Supply Review @ Tweaknews.net
2.5" HDD/Media Enclosure Showdown @ BCCHardware
Cooler Master Mystique 631 @ Tweak PC

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