Plextor Europe 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 and Plextor's AUTOSTRATEGY technology.

Plextor today announces a new addition to their Premium range of DVD-ReWriter drives - the external PX-755UF, capable of 16x DVD+/-R and 10x DVD+R DL burning speeds. The PX-755UF comes with a comprehensive package of high-end features to give the professional user full recording control. Building on the success of the internal PX-755A-range of drives, the external PX-755UF is housed within a stylish matt black chassis - and offers the extra flexibility and convenience of dual connectivity: USB2.0 and IEEE 1394 FireWire.
No word on price yet. However, the PX-755UF is expected to be available in November 2006. More information can be found here. Add a comment
Toshiba has announced the world's first slim HD DVD writer for notebook PC's. According to their press release, the SD-L902A can read and write to HD DVD media at 1x.

SD-L902A integrates a blue-violet laser diode that can read and write to HD DVD-R discs and that offers support for high-density HD DVD-ROM discs, including high definition movie and video images. The drive also offers the functionality of a super multi-drive, with high performance, high-speed read and write to all flavors of standard DVD and CD discs.

At only 12.7 millimeters in height, SD-L902A meets the stringent space specifications for slim drives integrated into highly portable notebook PCs. This is due in part to HD DVD discs having the physical structure as standard DVD, allowing use of an optical pick-up head with only a single objective lens. The result is a space-saving solution, and a drive able to read and write to HD DVD-R discs, to read HD DVD-ROM discs, and to read and write to standard DVD and CD discs.
Toshiba will demonstrate the new drive at CEATEC JAPAN 2006 and plans to send sample shipments by the end of the year. More information, including a full list of specs, can be found here. Add a comment
Sony has announced that they will be launching a pair of Blu-ray Disc recorders in Japan this December. Along with support for 1080p output, the BDZ-V9 and BDZ-V7 both include features like hard disk drives and digital tuners.

The machines both feature hard-disk drives for day-to-day recording and a Blu-ray Disc drive for longer term storage. The BDZ-V9 has a 500GB drive and the BDZ-V7 has a 250GB drive. There are two digital tuners in each recorder so that two high-definition programs can be recorded simultaneously.

Both were unveiled during a news conference at the Ceatec show, which opened today and runs until Saturday at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, east of Tokyo.

The recorders are designed to appeal to videophiles with demands for high specifications, including Linear PCM audio and 1080p (1,080 lines progressive scanning) output, which is the highest of several image levels judged to be high-definition. The recorders can also be connected to Sony's recently launched high-definition camcorders by a Firewire connection and can playback the AVCHD-format discs used in the cameras.
The BDZ-V9 will be launched on December 8th for ¥300,000 ($2,545). The BDZ-V7 will follow on December 16th and will cost ¥250,000 ($2,121). If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
While SATA has become the standard for hard drives, most optical drives still use the old ATAPI interface. This has slowly been changing though. According to an article at DigiTimes, SATA could replace ATAPI as early as the second half of 2007.
Although advanced technology attachment packet interface (ATAPI) is the mainstream interface standard for optical disc drives (ODDs) currently, serial ATA (SATA) stands a chance of replacing the former in the second half of 2007, according to sources in Taiwan's ODD manufacturing industry.

SATA has been adopted for several DVD-burner models, such as the Sony AW-Q160S, Asustek DRW-1814BLT and DVD-E616A3T, the sources indicated. Samsung, Pioneer and the Taiwan-based Lite-On IT and BenQ will launch SATA DVD burners this quarter, the sources noted.
We've had an early sample of the Sony AW-Q160S in the 'Labs for a couple weeks now and while it works fairly well with newer motherboards, there are still issues with older chipsets. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
InterVideo has announced that WinDVD BD has been certified by Sun Microsystems for standard BD-J content playback. Here's part of their press release:
InterVideo, Inc. (NASDAQ:IVII - News), a leading provider of integrated digital and high-definition multimedia and audio/video content solutions in the PC, CE and wireless industries and a member of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), announced today that the company's next-generation playback software, WinDVD BD(TM), has passed Sun Microsystem's TCK (Technology Compatibility Kit) logo program test.

"By obtaining Sun's TCK logo for Java(TM) technology, WinDVD BD once again proves itself to be the most advanced Blu-ray Disc software player available on the market," said Steve Ro, CEO of InterVideo. "Java is a key enabling technology for users' interactive Blu-ray experience. InterVideo has cooperated closely with Sun and is proud to announce that WinDVD BD is one of the first software players able to deliver full compatibility with all Blu-ray Discs featuring BD-J interactivity."
If you'd like to read more, InterVideo's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
The results are in and our readers have chosen the Pioneer DVR-111/A11 as the top DVD writer for the month of September. Here are the top drives:
  1. Pioneer DVR-111/A11
  2. BenQ DW1650/1655
  3. LG GSA-H10N/H10L/H10A
  4. (tied) Lite-On SHM-165H6S/165P6S and Plextor PX-760A/760SA
Your favorite drive didn't make it onto the list? Then go and vote for October's top DVD writer. Add a comment
Microboard has announced that they've started shipping their new Blu-ray duplicator, the CopyWriter Blu-Ray. Here's part of their press release:
The first Multi-Drive Blu-Ray system with both duplication and recording functionality began shipping today from Microboards Technology, LLC. Called CopyWriter Blu-Ray, the system will be used for recording and duplicating stored multimedia and data content.

CopyWriter Blu-Ray systems can be used in a standalone mode for duplication, or can be connected to a PC or Mac via a USB 2.0 connection for accessing one of the Blu-Ray drives.

Besides traditional large data storage applications and video footage archival, Microboards Blu-Ray towers have garnered the interest of a wide range of industries, from video game developers to medical imaging and patient records.
As you can imagine, Microboards' new duplicator is not cheap. If you want to go all out and get the ten-recorder system, expect to pay nearly $20,000 for it. More information can be found here. Add a comment
HP recently announced three new products based on the HD DVD digital media format. Along with HD DVD equipped notebook and media center PC's, the company unveiled the world's first external USB 2.0 HD-DVD drive, the HD100.
HP High Definition DVD-ROM Drive -- which provides the superior picture quality of high-def movies(5) in a portable device for use with widescreen notebooks. The external drive offers advanced interactivity; for example, users can access the Internet(6) and chat while watching a movie, or play games that are seamlessly integrated into a movie. Backwards compatible, the drive not only supports new HD DVDs, but also regular CDs and DVDs.
We have not heard when the HD100 will ship or how much it will be. However, you can expect to see it on store shelves in time for the holiday shopping season. If you'd like to read more, HP's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
DigiTimes has reported that the licensing agreement between Quanta Storage and Philips will expire in October. According to their article, Quanta is currently in negotiations with a number of companies, and will most likely partner with Sony for their ODD patents.
The fact that Quanta Storage is looking to obtain a license from another company suggests that it will not continue licensing ODD patents from Philips, industry sources indicated. This is may be due to Philips charging higher royalty fees than companies such as Sony, Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic) and Pioneer, the sources noted. For Quanta Storage, Sony would be the best partner among Japan-based candidates because Sony NEC Optiarc, an ODD joint venture between Sony and NEC, is very likely to release ODM/OEM orders to Quanta Storage if it becomes a licensee of Sony, the sources pointed out.
The article also hints that Quanta's decision may also be due to Lite-On's use of Philips' patents. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
We've completed the move to the new server. While DNS updates, going to www.cdrlabs.com should redirect you to www2.cdrlabs.com (and similarly, www2.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/). Keep an eye out for weird problems, and let us know in this forum thread.
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