- Details
- Optical Storage
Although several leading global brands have already launched or will soon offer 18x DVD burners, CMC Magnetics and Ritek, Taiwan's top two makers of optical discs, currently produce 18x DVD+R/-R discs only in limited volumes and the supply may fall significantly short of global demand, according to industry sources...The article also points out that due to high prices, 18x media is not expected to become popular until 2007. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
...However, the global supply of 18x DVD+R/-R discs appear to be lagging, the sources pointed out. CMC and Ritek are able to immediately start volume production of 18x DVD+R/-R discs as long as the market demand is large enough, the two companies said.
- Details
- Other
DVDs will soon be tracked with embedded radio transmitter chips to prevent copying and piracy, according to the company which makes movie discs for Warner, Disney, Fox and other major studios.While this is a great way to track DVD's, I don't see it as a good way to prevent piracy. RFID chips can be disabled or "zapped" using devices like a modified camera. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
The technology, which can also be used for Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs, will allow movie studios to remotely track individual discs as they travel from factories to retail shelves to consumers' homes.
Home DVD players will eventually be able to check on the chip embedded in a disc, and refuse to play discs which are copied or played in the 'wrong' geographical region, the companies behind the technology expect.
- Details
- Optical Storage
Lite-On IT, Taiwan's No.1 manufacturer of optical disk drives (ODD), today announced the company would support the HD DVD format, the next-generation DVD standard for the high-definition era, and that it has started development of a half-height HD DVD drive, aiming for commercialization in March 2007. The participation of Lite-On IT, in the fast growing ranks of HD DVD supporters adds to the momentum propelling the market growth and success of HD DVD by expanding the number of ODD suppliers working to sustain the HD DVD industry. HD DVD products are expected to see a rapid boost in demand during the Christmas and year-end shopping season, and Toshiba Corporation of Japan has already launched an Notebook PC with HD DVD-ROM in selected markets, HD DVD players in the U.S. and Japanese markets, and a hard disk recorder with HD DVD for the Japanese market.Keep in mind Lite-On is supporting Blu-ray as well with their own line of BD players and PC based drives. If you'd like to read more, Lite-On's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Lite-On IT has undertaken an extensive evaluation of HD DVD technologies, and concluded that HD DVD will be a major driving force in connection with the coming generation of ODD with blue laser pick-up heads, because of its cost advantage and its proven technical reliability, including superior backward compatibility with DVD. By joining the HD DVD market ahead of many other suppliers of ODD drives, Lite-On IT intends to take full advantage of the excellent market opportunities provided by HD DVD and contribute to the sound growth of the next generation DVD industry.
- Details
- Software
InterVideo, Inc. (NASDAQ: IVII), an industry leader in bringing next-generation H.264/MPEG-4 AVC technology to consumers, announced today InterVideo iVideoToGo Platinum, the easiest way to copy* personal videos for playback on a video-enabled iPod and Sony PSP devices. Priced at only $29.95, the software is a 3-step solution that lets users quickly convert their existing DVDs and video files into iPod- and PSP-compatible files that provide smooth, flawless playback.iVideoToGo Platinum is available now through InterVideo's website and will hit retail stores in October. More information can be found here. Add a comment
Easily one of the fastest conversion tools on the market, iVideoToGo Platinum is equipped with a simple, friendly interface and it utilizes a single window for all tasks. iVideoToGo Platinum is able to support both iPod and PSP formats. And with just three steps to complete the copy process, there's no learning curve-even a beginner can have immediate success.
- Details
- Home Entertainment
Samsung Corp's (000830.KS) Samsung America Inc on Thursday said it would make some improvements to its Blu-ray high-definition DVD players ahead of the holiday season.While these improvements will be built into future players, existing BD-P1000 owners will be able to add them via a free firmware update. Expect to see this update in late October. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment
"As we approach the 2006 holiday season, Samsung will make a running line production improvement to BD-P1000 Blu-ray disc players destined for the U.S. market," the company said in a statement.
The production line improvement will include a modified setting for the noise filter reduction circuit that will provide a slightly sharper picture, it said.
- Details
- Home Entertainment
The new high end Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD player is designed to output 1920 x 1080p, the highest HD signal currently available, via High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) 1.3. HDMI version 1.3 is the most current, major enhancement of the HDMI specification, which adds support for Deep Color technology. The HD-XA2 also incorporates a 297MHz / 12 bit Video DAC with high-quality, 4x oversampling for increased bandwidth for true playback of an HD picture to a video source. The HD-XA2 comes with a picture setting function allowing customers to optimize picture quality with user adjustable settings for color, contrast, brightness, edge enhancement and block noise, among others. The new HD-XA2 HD DVD player's 1080p output capability complements Toshiba's new Cinema Series Pro LCD TVs which provide true HD 1080p input capability via HDMI.The HD-A2 will ship in October for $499.99. The HD-XA2 will follow up in December for a whopping $999.99. More information on both players is available on Toshiba's website. Add a comment
The HD-XA2 will be one of the first next generation players to support the video portion of HDMI version 1.3. HDMI 1.3 supports the demands of future high definition display devices, such as Deep Color enabling 36-bit (RGB or YCbCr) color depths, up from the 24-bit depths in previous versions of the HDMI specification. This allows Deep Color compatible display devices to deliver outstanding video quality.
- Details
- Other
Our opinion about this device is that we strongly believe that this product is not in the first line aimed for the private and normal everyday user, but rather for Companies, Organizations, Financial institutions, Hospitals/Medical institutions, Government departments, Military and Research establishments, which wants to destroys sensitive data stored on CD/DVD in an environmentally and friendly way.If you'd like to read more, CD Freaks' entire review can be found here. Add a comment
- Details
- Other
Some of the proposals are interesting. In particular the ability to record HD DVD video content onto standard DVD media. If you'd like to read more, the Steering Committee's entire list of resolutions can be found here. Add a comment
- Approval of "DVD Specifications for Recordable Disc for Dual Layer (DVD-R for DL) File System Specifications, Version 3.0"
- Approval of "Inclusion of 44.1kHz audio family into HD DVD-Video as mandatory"
- Approval of "DVD Specifications for Re-recordable Disc for Dual Layer (DVD-RW for DL) Physical Specifications, Version 2.0"
- Approval of "Version-up Information for the following Specifications:
-DVD Specifications for High Density Rewritable Disc (HD DVD-RAM) Physical Specifications (Version 1.0 to 1.1)
-DVD Specifications for High Density Recordable Disc (HD DVD-R) Physical Specifications (Version 1.0 to 1.1)
-DVD Specifications for High Density Recordable Disc for Dual Layer (HD DVD-R for DL) Physical Specifications (Version 2.0 to 2.1)
-DVD Specifications for High Density Re-recordable Disc (HD DVD-RW) Physical Specifications (Version 1.0 to 1.1)
-DVD Specifications for High Density Re-recordable Disc for Dual Layer (HD DVD-RW for DL) Physical Specifications (Version 2.0 to 2.1) "- Approval of "The following conceptual proposals:
-HD DVD application format (HD DVD-Video/Video Recording) recording on red laser DVD recordable media
-Red laser recording function: Type 1 & 2 (provisional approval and details including physical specifications will be decided for Type 2 later)
-Creation of format specifications by related WGs (WG-1, 3, 5, 6 and 9)"
- Details
- Home Entertainment
Microsoft has started designing a new-generation of Xbox 360's equipped with an internal HD-DVD drive and is selecting manufacturers in Taiwan to build the drive, according to sources in Taiwan's optical disc drive (ODD) industry.The article also mentions that if things go smoothly, we could see the new version of the Xbox 360 in the first half of 2007. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
Microsoft will offer an external HD-DVD drive for its Xbox 360 at around the end of this year, in an attempt to compete with the Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3), which will have a built-in Blu-ray Disc (BD) drive, the sources indicated. The external HD-DVD drive, however, can only play back movies, the sources noted.
- Details
- Optical Storage
We have not heard when these drives will ship or if they will be available in the US. Considering BenQ has already pulled out of the European market, I wouldn't hold my breath. If you'd like to talk about BenQ's new drives, feel free to join the discussion in our forum.
Update: For some reason BenQ has removed both drives from their website. Add a comment
