DVD Hardware - HD DVD Blu-Ray DVD Writers DVD News

If there wasn't a market for the device, though, we would like to think Lite-On wouldn't have created one. But since they have, I’m sure that they first did their research and discovered that there are people out there who want one. So today we're going to take the time to have a look at an external DVD Drive from Lite-On with the model number eSAU108.

Before we have a look at the actual performance of the device, we will have a quick look at what exactly Lite-On has done with the package before taking a closer look at the design of the external drive. Link

Asus has officially taken the wraps off its new Eee PC 1004DN, marking the first time one of its Atom-powered netbook computers has sported an optical drive—and a Super-Multi DVD writer at that. The drive not only enables users to read and play standard CDs and DVD, but also back up data to standards CD or DVD media.

Asus is also pitching the 1004DN as a portable entertainment machine, noting that the 1004DN's integrated 10-inch display can handle displaying 720p high-definition video. For the communications-and-accessory crowd, the 1004DN also features an Express Card expansion slot so users can hook up USB 2.0 and PCI Express devices.

Under the brushed aluminum hood, the 1004DN sports the same 1.66 GHz Intel Atom processor as its (many, many) brethren, up to 120 GB of hard drive storage, a 1.3 megapixel Webcam, support for up to 2 GB of RAM, 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth wireless networking, and a 10-inch 1024 by 600-pixel LED-backlit display. The 1004DN features Asus's 6-cell LiIon battery that the company says can power the unit for almost 6 hours on a single charge.

Asus hasn't announced ship dates or pricing for the Eee 1004DN, but given how rapidly Asus has been pushing out variations on the Eee design, we expect the 1004DN to hot online and brick-and-mortar retailers soon.

We are testing one of the fastest DVD burners available today, the Samsung SH-S223F, which is capable of buring your 4,7GB DVDs in less than 4:30 minutes at 22x while it is also the first drive to offer 16X recording for DVD+R DL (8.5GB) media.

The basic tests include reading speed and efficiency with various CD/DVD discs, ability to read defected CD/DVD media as well as the basic writing quality tests. This is the first time we are using our new testing platform for testing the writing quality, powered by the IQB Omni CD/DVD Analyser by Quantized Systems.






To be honest, our first thoughts when we started this test was that Samsung had pushed things a little bit with the release of a 22x DVD burner, which stresses the drive and the discs to their physical limits. However, it seems that Samsung's engineers did a good job this time.

The review is available HERE

LG Electronics has expanded the network entertainment options for its Network Blu-ray Disc players through new alliances with CinemaNow and YouTube.

Available on new LG Network Blu-ray Disc Players in the first half of 2009, these new services complement LG's instant streaming from Netflix and Blu-ray capabilities.

CinemaNow and YouTube will be available in LG's 2009 line of Network Blu-ray Disc players to be unveiled next week at the 2009 International CES.

"As millions of U.S. consumers view and download movies or TV shows through the Internet, they are demanding easier ways to access content and more home entertainment options," said Tim Alessi, director of product development, LG Electronics USA.

CinemaNow became the first Web site to offer Pay-Per-View movies from major studios and the first broadband distributor of high definition (HD) content. Collaborating with CinemaNow will enable LG to offer consumers access to more than 14,000 titles from the major movie studios, broadcast and cable television shows, more than 250 independent film titles and music videos from all major labels. Key benefits include the capability to browse the entire CinemaNow premium content catalog, including latest Hollywood hits, instantly stream content to enjoy on compatible devices, and access and watch movies purchased from other CinemaNow-powered stores.

LG's alliance with YouTube will allow consumers to stream millions of Web videos directly from the Internet to an LG Network Blu-ray Player for viewing on their television (without a personal computer).

LG's first Network Blu-ray Disc Player (BD300) delivers a growing number of Netflix titles in high-definition (HD). This new access to high-definition streaming content enhances the existing standard-definition streaming service that LG and Netflix first brought to consumers in 2008.

Netflix members owning LG's future Blu-ray network players pay one monthly subscription for unlimited DVD rental and unlimited streaming.

Link

"Blu-ray DVD technology has been taking off recently and prices on the Blu-ray players have dramatically come down over the past year. If you're in the market to buy a new DVD player for your home entertainment setup you might want to take a look at getting the Samsung BD-P2500 Blu-ray DVD player. It delivers very good image quality and sound features, such as Netflix streaming functionality, that help make it one of the best (and one of the cheaper) Blu-ray DVD players around."

Review Title- Samsung BD-P2500
Review URL- http://www.techreviewsource.com/content/view/217/1/
Review Image- http://www.techreviewsource.com/images/product_guides/home_enterainment/samsung_bd_p2500/thumbnail.jpg

It's no secret that for a long time I considered HD DVD to be the better high definition format. The reason for that belief was that two years ago, when HD DVD and Blu-ray both launched, the former actually provided all the features that the next generation formats had promised, while the latter did not. Even the earliest HD DVD players offered features like an Ethernet port, dual decoders for picture-in-picture, downloadable firmware updates, persistent storage for downloadable content and the ability to access online features, none of which were available on early Blu-ray players. But as Bob Dylan said, the times they are a changin'.




It may have taken a little while, but Blu-ray players have now caught up to where HD DVD was two years ago. The so called "final profile" for Blu-ray players brought with it mandatory dual decoders and Ethernet connectivity, but recently there has been an update to the Final Profile - am I the only one the sees that as something of a misnomer? Anyway, semantics aside, the latest Blu-ray profile takes the format to where it always promised to be, by finally adding BD Live!

The DMP-BD50 is the latest Blu-ray player from Panasonic, and the first to feature the full complement of features that the format always promised it would have. So, for the first time you can buy a stand alone Blu-ray player, safe in the knowledge that it won't be out of date in a few months. And that will instantly make it pretty damn attractive to consumers, especially consumers who have been too scared to invest in a new high definition optical format, for fear of making the wrong decision or buying something that lacks the full feature set.

Link

So Sony's got a $399 Blu-ray player on the market now, huh? Really blasting away at that price point, huh Sony? Really keeping on your toes now that HD DVD is dead and gone, giving you zero competition in the physical format space, yeah? Oh, we forgot, you're using a blue laser, and those require bloody war with dastardly intelligent man-eating monkeys to boot up. We got to handle Sony's new BDP-S350 Profile 2.0 Blu-ray player tonight, and while we aren't mad that the new player draws less power, takes up less space, and supports more technical HD hotness, it literally feels like a $20 DVD player in the hand -- no way Sony has $400 of electronic components in this thing. Even the front LCD is teensy: we've bought $200 home theater in a box systems from Sony with more extravagant displays. We understand Sony trying to make back a few dollars from a pricey format war, but at this point this ridiculous price point is looking way artificial. In other, less insulting news, Sony was showing off the new HT-SS2300 Home Theater System, which is designed to complement the S350, along with the HT-IS100 "Micro System," which we found intriguing. Sony also showed off its HDR-CX12, which is nothing special in person, though we certainly like what's under the hood. Link

Toshiba’s HD DVD format may be dead and forgotten, but the Japanese company just isn’t ready to surrender against Blu-ray and start manufacturing players for the format. Not only are they working on DVD up-scaling technology that will supposedly deliver quality video comparable to that of Blu-ray, but apparently the company is also looking into adding other HD DVD-derived features to DVD players.

The DVD Forum, an organization headed by Toshiba, recently approved the DVD Download DL logo – which suggests the company could add interactivity and perhaps bonus material via internet connectivity to DVDs. No official details have been announced by Toshiba, but the combination of online functionality with a significant boost in quality could (to some extent) dampen Blu-ray adoption.

One has to wonder, though, why would anyone want to spend cash on buying another DVD player with all these new features instead of just going for Blu-ray? I know cost is a big concern, but I’d rather wait for lower prices or just go the digital download route.Link

Now that HD DVD's out of picture, consumer electronics companies can steer Blu-ray into the mainstream. The latest to do so, Pioneer, has unwrapped a quartet of players it plans to launch.
Pioneer BDP-LX08

Pioneer's BDP-LX08: slimline

The BDP-LX91, BDP-LX71, BDP-LX08 and BDP-51FD all support version 1.1 of the Blu-ray spec, aka Profile 1.1, so they can handle BonusView picture-in-picture content. The top-of-the-range LX91 will also come with BD Live - the ability to grab and display online content, internet connection permitting.
Pioneer BDP-51FD

BDP-51FD: chunky

They all have HDMI 1.3 ports and support CD playback over the HDMI link, if you want to hear your tunes through your telly. They do HD audio and 7.1-channel analogue. All of them use Pioneer's Kuro user interface.
Pioneer BDP-LX71

BDP-LX71: chunky... but - hey - it's got gold-plated terminals

They can handle cinema-style 24 frames per second playback and punch out pictures at 1080p resolution. They support HDMI's 12-bit Deep Colour for an effectively dither-free image.
Pioneer didn't say how much the machines will cost, but it said the low-end 51FD and LX08 - it's primarily design that differentiates them - will debut in October, shorty after the LX71 arrives in September. Its advantage over the others: gold-plated terminals and touch-key buttons.

The LX91 will go on sale "later this winter". Link

Following the sudden defeat of HD DVD, Toshiba revealed last month that it will attempting to kick Blu-ray's butt - again - by placing a special chip in its new DVD players that will upscale DVD video into HD video to rival that of Blu-ray.

This month we get a new logo [above] and speculation that Toshiba will be adding Internet capability to the new DVD players - and DVD movie disc content - too. The "DVD Download/DL" logo has been approved by the DVD Forum Steering Committee but we have no real information on what it will actually do. Will it make a difference in the never-ending HD spat? Link

Owners of the PowerMac and Mac Pro will be able to rejoice knowing that there is now a MCE 6x Blu-ray burner available for both computers, being natively recordable with Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later with the ability to record data directly from the Finder without the need for any pesky additional software. In addition, the MCE 6x Blu-ray recordable drive can burn BD-R media up to 6x, DVD ± R media at up to 16X, CD-R media at up to 40X, and does read HD DVD-ROM media as well, allowing you to view those bargain bin HD DVD movies. You can pick up this drive for $499, and should you opt for an external FireWire/USB 2.0 option, it will cost you $750. Link

Japanese electronics firm Toshiba has predicted that the decision to stop making high definition DVD players, coupled with falling flash memory chip prices, will damage its 2007 profits to the effect of 125 billion yen (£0.63 billion, $1.26 billion).

Toshiba decided to stop making HD DVD players and recorders following Warner Bros’ decision to only release its films in the format of its rival, Blu-ray.

Sony Pictures, Walt Disney and Twentieth Century Fox had all chosen the Sony-supported Blu-ray format from the start. Link

We recently reviewed the Philips DVDR5570H, which turned out to be a very impressive DVD/HDD recorder with one or two caveats. But if its 250GB hard-disk capacity is too big for your budget, then this 160GB version might be a more suitable option.

That 160GB capacity allows you to record up to 180 hours' worth of TV programmes, as well as up to 150 DivX movies, 4,500 songs or 11,000 photos as part of the recorder's jukebox functionality. This effectively turns the unit into a multimedia hub, enabling you to keep your content in one place and play it all through your home cinema system.

Apart from the smaller hard-disk capacity, the DVDR5520H boasts all the same features as its 250GB sibling, including an integrated Freeview tuner and support for DVD-RW/-R, DVD+RW/+R and DVD+R (Double Layer) discs, but not DVD-RAM or DVD-R (DL). The best feature you'll find is the Time Shift Buffer, which uses a portion of the hard disk to continually record what you're watching (for up to 6 hours), allowing you to pause and rewind live TV or skip back and record a programme retrospectively. Philips is one of the only DVD/HDD recorder manufacturers offering this level of flexibility, which makes a real difference during everyday TV viewing. Link

It took almost two years before the HD format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD finally produced a verdict. Yet near the end, it only took mere weeks for Toshiba, the main advocate for HD DVD, to throw in the towel after the decisive move by Warner Bros to choose Blu-ray over HD DVD. What followed was a chain of unfortunate events for Toshiba, as major retailers defected en mass like falling dominoes.

For some consumers, this is the green light that they have been waiting for while others continued to enjoy the subsequent plunging prices of DVDs. Critics who used to slam Sony for adding the Blu-ray drive to its PlayStation 3 console now had to admit that it was the right decision after all. Meanwhile, Microsoft started to slash the prices of its external HD DVD drive for the XBox 360 and rumors of a future Blu-ray version were circulated. The aftermath of this format war has certainly produced its fair share of drama, with losses in the millions for Toshiba and more significantly, adoption rates for both formats have been quite low.

With Blu-ray media likely to become more affordable with mass production, these previously low adoption rates are expected to increase. Of course, a HDTV is also an important prerequisite for the true HD experience and this is still a relatively high barrier of entry for consumers. The other obviously is a Blu-ray player and with impeccable timing, Sony launched a new internal BD-ROM drive at CES 2008, the venue where HD DVD ultimately suffered its deathblow. Available now, this is the Sony BDU-X10S, which seems to be your basic BD-ROM drive for the PC. Link

Samsung confirmed to CDRInfo the company's plans to release its first Blu-ray drive for PCs that will also read HD DVD discs.

The new BD combo drive is expected to be available in September, followed by a new Blu-ray burner in Q1 of next year. Specifications and speeds were not revealed.

This is Samsung's second Blu-ray drive after the SH-B022, a 2x Blu-ray burner announced in 2006. The device did not enjoy significant market success as the market was immature and the product was considered as a 'premium' one, mainly due to its high retail price ($500).

Samsung had been always considered as a Blu-ray supporter despite the fact that the S. Korean company could have access to the rival HD DVD technology and patents through the Toshiba Samsung Storage technology (TSST) company - at least in theory. On the other hand, the company had decided to enter the CE segment with a combo BD/HD DVD player, a decision hit by Toshiba's announcement to quit HD DVD business earlier this year.

Toshiba's decision relieved the Blu-ray camp from any pressure, allowing them to re-schedule their promotion activities as well as their product releases. The market was there and the Blu-ray domination was just a matter of time. However, with the format war ending earlier than expected, Blu-ray manufacturers are unlikely to increase their investment in parts suppliers due to fears over lower profits. Samsung and its rival LG are included in these companies and they do not have immediate plans to massively inject fresh capital into their Blu-ray business. Link

uly 22nd is the date for your diaries, whereupon the studio will re-enter the HD market with The Mummy, The Mummy Returns and The Scorpion King on Blu-ray. Now personally I can think of better titles with which to make the change to Blu-ray (Serenity anyone?) but that is set to change later in the year.

By the second half of the year Universal plans to have around 40 titles currently on HD DVD also available on Blu-ray. This includes such films as American Gangster, Miami Vice and U-571. As well as converting the back catalogue, new releases such as The Incredible Hulk, HellBoy II and Wanted will also see Blu-ray distribution.

If you're still holding off buying a Blu-ray drive, your reasons for doing so are dwindling rapidly… Link

Summer is here, and just like fashion, there is a need to change the notebook range from Toshiba. First off we have the Qosmio F40 that loses the HD DVD drive for a standard DVD Multi Drive, and is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 processor, an Intel GN965 Express chipset, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, and HDMI output. As for the Dynabook AX, this 15.4" notebook has an underpowered Celeron processor, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, a DVD Super Multi drive, and HDMI out. Last but not least the 13.3" Dynabook CX has Intel's Core 2 Duo T8100 running the show, accompanied by an Intel GM965 Express Chipset, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, DVD Super Multi drive, and HDMI out. The Qosmio F40, Dynabook AX and Dynabook CX will retail for €1,352, €922 and €1,230, respectively. Link

Universal Studios, once Hollywood's top backer of the doomed HD DVD video format, will soon release all its new videos on the Blu-ray format.

The studio announced on Thursday that the program will kick off in the summer with the recent box office flop "Doomsday."

Universal's Blu-ray strategy includes plans to release about 40 titles in the second half of the year.

Among them are the studio's five big feature films of the summer, including "The Incredible Hulk," with Edward Norton, William Hurt and Liv Tyler; "Wanted," an action thriller starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie; "Hellboy II: The Golden Army"; "Mamma Mia," the adaptation of the musical starring Meryl Streep; and the sequel "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," with Brendan Fraser and Jet Li. Link

Shuttle, a maker of small form-factor (SFF) barebone systems, has released its new computer that comes equipped with universal optical drive that can read both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. The new system is aimed at multimedia enthusiasts seeking for compact and sleek computer and comes equipped with TV-tuner as well as relatively high-performance components.


Shuttle Mini-PC Media Center is based on Shuttle XPC Barebone SN68SG2 (G5 6801M) with the PF27 front panel. The computer is powered by AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ processor, 2GB of PC2-6400 memory, ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB graphics card and 500GB hard disk drive. The system features wireless network adapter, DVB-T/analog TV-Tuner, remote control as well as LG GGC-H20L Blu-ray/HD DVD combo drive than can read both high-definition formats and record DVDs. Shuttle Mini-PC Media Center sports Windows Vista Home Premium operating system.

The new small form-factor PC from Shuttle may be an interesting option for those seeking for a universal home theater personal computer (HTPC) out of the box. But while the Mini-PC Media Center is a good system, it is not a perfect one: the system comes equipped with ATI Radeon HD 3450 graphics card, which is not an ideal graphics adapter for high-definition video playback. Still, end-users may reconfigure the machine at Shuttle’s web-site. Link

As the smoke clears from the former battlefield of the HD format war, multiple retailers are reaching out to customers who ended up on the losing side. The particulars and restrictions of the various rebate/refund offers vary, but all of them are aimed at helping customers who recently bought HD DVD players make the jump to Blu-ray. An earlier version of this post ran several weeks ago; this version has been updated with new rebate information, while old rebates that were no longer valid have been expunged.
Related Stories

* Best Buy, Netflix join HD DVD dogpile
* Retailers offering credits/refunds to early HD DVD adopters
* Wal-Mart, Fuh Yuan deny $299 HD DVD player deal
* HD DVD and Blu-ray deadlock to continue into 2009... at least

Canadian-based Future Shop's offer has since expired since we first covered the HD DVD rebate question, but Amazon has just launched its own rebate program, and again, the terms are generous. Amazon is "rewarding" all customers who bought an HD DVD player before February 23 with a $50 Amazon.com credit, no strings attached. The deal isn't mentioned at Amazon.com, but the company has reportedly e-mailed all qualifying customers with details on the rebate. An Ars reader sent us a copy of the e-mail, which wryly notes that "new technologies don't always work out as planned."

Wal-Mart has also launched its own program, though again, details aren't being advertised on the company's web site. Any Wal-Mart customer who bought an HD DVD player on or before November 1 is eligible for a refund for the full purchase price. Original packaging is not required, but you must have a receipt for the purchase, and the offer expires April 30.

Best Buy is offering its customers a consolation prize, and the retailer's offer is fairly generous. Any customer who bought an HD DVD player from Best Buy at or before 11:59 PM CST on February 22, 2008, is eligible to receive one $50 gift card per player purchased. Eligible models include the Toshiba HD-A1, A2, A20, XA2, A3, A30, and A35, as well as the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on drive. Dual-format players and computers equipped with HD DVD drives do not qualify. Unlike other stores, Best Buy is not asking customers to return the HD DVD player; if you qualify for the gift card program, Best Buy is essentially paying you $50.

Customers who bought HD DVD players at other stores are also welcome to take advantage of Best Buy's Trade In center, though the company isn't exactly paying hand-over-fist for used HD DVD drives. A top-of-the-line A35 player from Toshiba ($499 MSRP in September, 2007) is only worth $95, but it's better than nothing. You can find the value of your trade-in here.

Best Buy's rival, Circuit City, has its own HD DVD trade-in program, though the company isn't advertising it. Customers who purchased an HD DVD player within the past 90 days may return the devices for store credit, or towards the specific purchase of a Blu-ray player (cost difference to be paid by the customer). Simply contact your local store. Link

Buffalo has announced that they are soon going to launch their MediaStation Blu-ray HD DVD (BRHC-6316U2) device in the Indian market.

It would be sold in India for a retail price of Rs. 45000.

This device is pretty feature rich as it allows users to both read and write Blu-ray content.

The player is capable of storing high definition media on the Blu-Ray discs.

The company added that owners would also be able to connect this player with a notebook or other mobile device via USB.

This player is expected to arrive in the Indian market in May this year. The company would offer it with limited one-year warranty and toll-free technical support. Link

The Qosmio G45-AV690 comes pre-configured by Toshiba, so it’s not a computer you can customize. Its purpose in life is to be an entertainment hub for your household, and this is evident in its numerous multimedia features.

First of all, it boasts a huge 17” display that runs at a true HD resolution of 1920x1200. It has a glossy coating and a widescreen aspect ratio, and compliments the included HD DVD burner. It also features HDMI output, so you could easily connect it to an HDTV as well.

Even if you didn’t connect it to a larger home theater system, it functions just fine on its own thanks to the huge display and Harmon/Kardon speaker system that features two satellites and a built-in subwoofer. Media controls are built right into the top of the unit as well, with a volume knob on the left and media access buttons on the right, as well as a row of soft-touch keys above the keyboard.

Powering the whole shebang is an Intel Core 2 Duo clocked at 2.5GHz. It plugs into an Intel chipset with 3GB of RAM on board A/G/N wireless and two 5,400rpm 160GB hard drives in a RAID 0 array for around 300GB of storage.

One of the more interesting features of the G45 is that it includes a digital cable receiver, which is the size of a small toaster. You must have a technician come to your house to get it installed, however.

Though the G45 isn’t billed as a gaming machine per se, it does include discrete NVIDIA graphics in the form of a 512MB GeForce 8600M GT card.

It also features a built-in 2.0MP webcam, Bluetooth 2.0, five USB ports, FireWire and a 5-in-1 media reader. Link

In an effort to establish Blu-ray as a viable platform now that the main competition, HD DVD, has been axed, Sony is readying enhancements for users of its high capacity, high definition optical disc format.

The company is set to announce on 8 April the first batch of Blu-ray consumer titles that can be connected to the internet to provide access to additional material and features.

The movies "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" and "The 6th Day" will be the studio's first two BD-Live titles. Their release coincides with the launch of a new software update for Sony's PlayStation 3, turning it into the first Blu-ray player with internet connectivity, an ability known as "Profile 2.0."

Ultimately, all Blu-ray players will be Profile 2.0. When the format launched in June 2006, Blu-ray players were of the basic Profile 1.0 kind, meaning they could offer neither picture-in-picture nor internet connectivity, something the doomed HD DVD rival format offered from the start.

Now, the big push is for Profile 2.0 players, which are expected to hit the market in the next few months. Accordingly, studios are scrambling to produce final spec BD-Live software as well. Link

Average retail prices of the entry-level HD DVD player price saw a big drop on Thursday: First stores are selling the HD-A3 for less than $60. Data collected from Pricegrabber.com also suggests that inventories are declining quickly, with less stores carrying HD DVD players every day.

It appears that Toshiba’s estimate that channel supplies of HD DVD players will gone by the end of this month could be about right. Pricegrabber.com showed a huge drop of average retail prices for the entry-level HD-A3 model. The availability of all three HD DVD models declines quickly and the high-end HD-35 has virtually disappeared from the market, TG Daily found.

According to the price comparison service, the average retail price of HD-A3 model dropped to a new low of $64.89 on Friday. The price was led by TigerDirect.com and CompUSA: Both stores dropped the price of the player to $59.99.

Pricegrabber.com data is updated twice a day and shows a certain amount of fluctuation in the number of retailers that are offering the HD-A3 model. The numbers are currently in the range between 11 and 50, while about half of these stores claim to actually have the HD-A3 in stock. At the beginning of this month, 302 online stores carried this player and on February 19, when Toshiba announced the shutdown of HD DVD, there were 1064 retailers selling the HD-A3. Link

This week the optical drive specialist unleashed two new high-end drives, the 'B300SA' and 'B920SA' both targeting format war winner Blu-ray but also with HD DVD support.

No doubt intended as bridging products, the pair can read Toshiba's defunct format at 3x while also reading Blu-ray at 6x with the latter offering 4x write. BD-R, BD-RE, BD-ROM and BDMV Blu-ray formats are all compatible along with 16x DVD+R/-R burning, 4x for dual layer DVDs, 5x for DVD-RAM and 40x and 24x for CD-R and CD-RW respectively.

The duo use SATA connections and feature LightScribe technology for the etching of titles and/or designs directly onto the disc (with compatible media). Link

Plextor® LLC, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, today announced two new multifunction disc drives that combine next-generation Blu-Ray and HD DVD technologies.

The internal PX-B920SA drive features 4X BD-R write speed and a Serial ATA (SATA) interface for fast data throughput, up to 150 Mbits/sec. This drive is ideal for PC OEMs, systems integrators, enterprises, professionals, and high-end consumer markets where people want HD DVD playback along with Blu-Ray recording and playback.

The new PX-B920SA is a Blu-Ray burner that also plays HD DVD discs and supports high-speed reading and recording of DVD and CD media formats, including DVD-RAM, Dual Layer DVD, Double Layer DVD, DVD+/-R/RW, and CD-R/RW.

The new PX-B300SA multifunction drive is capable of playing both Blu-Ray and HD DVD media. The internal drive also reads and records DVD and CD media formats with recording speeds of 16X DVD+/-R, 24X CD-RW, and 40X CD-R. The PX-B300SA, which includes a SATA interface for high performance, is designed for PC OEMs, systems integrators, enterprises, professionals, and mid-market consumers who want to playback both Blu-Ray and HD DVD discs and record on DVD and CD media. Link

Atsutoshi Nishida, head of Toshiba, has stated that the move to cut HD-DVD technology was predictable after Warner Bros made the decision to change to Blu-ray over HD-DVD.

Nishida told the Wall Street Journal that he had thought that once Warner left them he didn’t think that the continuation of HD-DVD would stand them in good stead. He stated that, to his mind, it is necessary to switch gears rapidly should a decision be deemed wrong.

Toshiba’s strategic business units have now been cut from 45 to 44 after the HD-DVD decision.

Nishida established that this did not mean that Toshiba would leave the standard DVD market, and that Toshiba planned to improve and upgrade its current DVD technology so that consumers will be unable to differentiate between current DVD technology and HD-DVD.

In addition he mentioned that Toshiba plans to invest more into the video download market. Link

Less than a fortnight ago, Blu-ray emerged winner in the long-running format war; with Toshiba having gone public about withdrawing the HD DVD format.

Having to no longer decide between rival formats, most major HD DVD supporters have lost no time in crossing over to the Blu-ray side. And Acer is next on the list to pledge support to Blu-ray. The company plans to launch two BD (Blu-ray Disc) notebooks (NBs) in the second quarter this year; one with an 18.4-inch panel, and the other with a 16-inch panel, according to DigiTimes.

The newbies will support full HD quality images, and will be priced between $1,900 and $2,240.

Acer predicts that a sales boost in Blu-ray drives will be seen first in notebooks rather than stand-alone players. Today, most households are not equipped to view full HD (1080p) content. This is why Acer feels notebooks with Blu-ray drives will play a major role in boosting sales.

All said, Blu-ray might have emerged winner in the format war but its adoption rates aren't picking up as fast as Sony expects -- not yet. Add to that a whole lot of industry speculation around future success of the format.

Meanwhile, Acer's said it plans to launch large-size BD notebooks in the Asia Pacific region (including Taiwan) in the first half of 2008. Link

With all the hype over Bluray don't you want a portable Bluray drive that you can connect to all your computers? Well if that's your dream than you're in luck because a joint venture between Philips & Lite-On has released an external version of their DH-4O1S Bluray/DVD/CDRW drive. The unit itself is not much larger than an optical drive set on its side, which I'm sure is the point of most external drives. The unit is silver and black and has an acrylic stand, it looks quite classy. The unit reads Blu-ray Discs at 4X, DVD (single-layer) at 12X, DVD (dual-layer) at 8X, and regular CDs at 32x. The unit can connect to any computer with a USB 2.0 port. Link

It looks like the death of HD-DVD is already starting to pay off, with BluRay drive makers ramping up production and prices dropping rapidly.

A search of PC parts price search engine Staticice.com.au shows a Lite-on BD-ROM drive can be purchased for as little as $203 -- a huge improvement on the $1500 prices for the very first BluRay drives that came onto the market. (UPDATE: A Pioneer BluRay combo drive is available for even less - $199.)

This Lite-On can read BluRay at 4X speeds, write to DVD at 12X and CDs at 32X. Interestingly, the much higher density BluRay disks have a slower seek speed than the more basic CD and DVD formats. It takes the drive 350ms to hone in on the right part of a BluRay disk, while it takes just over half that time for a CD or DVD.

The specifications note that you'll need a pretty grunty PC setup to be able to play BluRay movies: "Pentium D 3.0GHz or faster CPU and 1GB or higher RAM are required, HDCP capable graphics card with 256MB RAM, PCI Express x16, 1920x1200 resolution, 32bit color, GPU: nVdia GeForce 7600 GT / 7800GTX512 / 7900GX2 / 7900GTX / 7950GX2 and ATI X1600 / X1800 / X1900 series are recommended."

Note particularly the HDCP requirement -- that relates to the copy protection on BluRay discs which require every component in the display process to be capable of decrypting the copy protection, right through to your monitor. So you need an HDCP-compliant video card and an HDCP-compliant monitor or TV.

Not all BluRay discs implement the HDCP protection, so early adopters without HDCP may get lucky, but it's certainly not a sure thing (especially as there is no competition in the high definition marketplace any more, so it's likely that the movie studios will start locking down their content with HDCP very soon.)

The price drops look set to continue, with Sony today announcing a $299 (recommended retail price) BluRay ROM drive (BDU-X10S) which comes with CyberLink PowerDVD BD Edition software for playback of commercial movie titles. Given the RRP of $299, expect to see that drive on the market soon for considerably less.

The other good news is that optical drive makers finally seem to be making the switch to SATA for good with BluRay drives. A quick search on Staticice turned up no PATA BluRay drives, but plenty of SATA ones. Given every computer made in the last three or four years has had SATA ports on the motherboard, this seems like a perfectly reasonable time to cut ties with PATA (not to mention that you'll need a pretty recent-model computer to be able to make use of a BD-ROM anyway.) Link

Only, it's not a new concept at all. Remember Viiv? It was Intel's unsuccessful stab at a home entertainment platform from two years ago, back when digital home convergence was the big buzzword, Media Center Edition was a separate flavour of XP, and content providers and hardware vendors alike were busily coming up with solutions for the dramatic transformation of the living room that never actually happened.

Most of the big names like HP and Dell have long since withdrawn their Viiv media centre PCs from the market, and we don't hear so much as a whimper from Intel about its failed foray into home entertainment as a platform.






Nonetheless, Sony has seen fit to release a new model of its media-centric TP series with a larger 500GB hard drive, faster 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 processor, and a Blu-ray disc combo drive. As with its predecessor, it also comes with a matching wireless keyboard and remote control.

The TP2's white colouring and minimalist aesthetic give it a close resemblance to the Apple Mac Mini, and on looks alone, it's certainly attractive enough to keep company with glossy flat-screens and sleek stereo hi-fis.

But the trouble is, Sony already sells an incredibly powerful 'living room PC' with a built-in Blu-ray drive for a third of the TP2's asking price (the PlayStation 3, in case you were wondering).

Is there really that much appeal in being able to run Windows software from the comfort of your sofa?

If the past is anything to go by, the answer is a resounding "No". Surfing the Web and reading email is hardly a family activity, and playing photos, music and digital video on a high-definition television can be achieved by any number of significantly cheaper means, not the least of which is plugging a flash drive or digital camera into it directly.

Given that the TP2 doesn't bring anything new to the table other than a Blu-ray player, it's hard to see how it can succeed where the others before it have failed to capture mainstream interest. Even if Sony tries to market the TP2 as a souped-up Blu-ray player with a 500GB hard drive, its $2399 pricetag is a tough pill that I'm doubtful many people will be prepared to swallow. Link

With HD-DVD dead, Microsoft now seems to be moving on, and is believed to be considering collaborating with the current format champion Blu-ray to fill the void left by demise of HD-DVD.

As per the London Financial Times, Sony is in talks with Microsoft to bring out Xbox 360 consoles with Blu-ray drives. The newspaper reported that the two giants (rivals in a sense) were in discussions at a media dinner last week.

Before Toshiba went public with dropping its HD-DVD format, Microsoft's Xbox 360 had been supporting an HD-DVD external drive. In a sense, the exodus of major Hollywood studios and retail chains from HD-DVD in favor of Blu-ray led to Toshiba officially nailing the format. Microsoft's decision is but a fall-out of the demise of HD-DVD.

Yet, the software giant is believed to be still selling the Xbox 360 add-on external HD-DVD drive at half its original price.

Microsoft has no option but to adopt an alternative high-definition format for its Xbox 360 gaming console. Whether it will adopt rival Sony's Blu-ray format is uncertain. Meanwhile, Sony's PS3 integrates Blu-ray and is already a super seller amongst available gaming consoles.

And according to reports, Sony is also in talks with Apple Computer to introduce Blu-ray drives to their products. Link

If you like to hang on until hardware tech is EOL-ed (End of Life) maximally polished to jump in, now may be the time for you to score a DVD player. The Oppo DV-983H upscaling DVD player announced last week is now officially available. Oppo's going out with a bang, for sure -- the unit has some good looking specs, especially the built in Anchor Bay (a.k.a DVDO) VRS processing. But what's more significant is a bit of info we gleaned from the PR email accompanying the DV-983H release: the unit is the last DVD player that Oppo will be making. The company that made its name in upscaling DVD is moving whole hog into something else, and we're all-in on a Blu-ray spinner. Bring it on, Oppo! Full PR email after the jump. Link

Any of you who made requests for the Xbox 360 HD DVD emulator last week should have received at least an initial email with further instructions on getting access to the emulator support site on http://connect.microsoft.com/, signing the end user licensing agreement (EULA), and obtaining the Xbox Live Marketplace token.

Remember, there is an actual live, breathing human being processing all these emails. His name is Josh. He is moving as fast as he can. We let him come out of his office late on Friday and let him go home for the weekend as long as he promised to come back Monday and keep working. Luckily for all of you, he did come back.

So far, he's processed about 3000 (legitimate, non-spambot) requests. ~800 people have accepted the EULA, and 413 Connect invitations have been sent out with ~400 to go. Give Josh about a business day or two (M-F, 8a-5p, PST) to respond to any email you send. FYI, I've heard a rumor that Josh has a script that moves emails to the bottom of the queue if he gets too many emails from a single address, so try to have a little patience.

This is roughly the way the process goes...

1) Email hdemusup at Microsoft to request signup instructions

2) Go to http://connect.microsoft.com/

3) Click the "Sign In" button. If you have a Windows Live ID (ie, a Microsoft Passport login, Hotmail account, MSN account, etc), login with this. If you do not have a Windows Live ID, click the "Sign Up Now" and create one. Your Windows Live ID can be any email address at which you would like to receive communications about this program. (and, btw, Microsoft is hyper-sensitive about privacy and stuff so you won't get spammed - you will just receive info about this program if you opt-in).

4) Reply to the instruction email, and change the subject line to include the Windows Live ID that you selected. For example, I would use: "MS CONNECT ID: amydullard@msn.com"

5) Josh will send you the end user licensing agreement (EULA)

6) Reply to the EULA email and change the subject line to "I Agree"

7) Josh will send you an invitation ID for http://connect.microsoft.com/ and an Xbox Live Marketplace token.

8) Go to https://connect.microsoft.com/invitationentry.aspx and enter the invitation ID. This site is where you will download the PC software for logging, the user instructions (in the CHM file - READ IT!! It has all the information you will need to get started), and best practices documentation, as well as find support articles on the emulator.

9) On your Xbox 360, sign into Xbox LIVE. Navigate to the Xbox LIVE Marketplace tab and select Redeem Code. Enter your redemption token. After successfully redeeming the pre-paid code, select "Yes" to download.

10) Get programming.
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