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

Toshiba is planning an aggressive push for the HD DVD format at next month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a senior executive said last week.

A group of companies supporting the HD DVD format will hold a news conference on Jan. 7 on the eve of the massive consumer electronics exhibition to announce their plans for 2007, Yoshihide Fujii, president and chief executive officer of Toshiba's digital media network company, said Thursday.

Toshiba, which is the biggest backer of the format, will join the news conference and plans an announcement but Fujii wouldn't disclose what it will be.

The company launched its first HD DVD players at CES in January 2006. One player, the HD-A1, was priced at US$500 and a second player, called the HD-XA1, cost US$800. Two second-generation players, the HD-A2 and HD-XA2, hit shelves this month at US$500 and US$1,000, respectively.

When asked if Toshiba would be announcing cheaper players Fujii remained tight-lipped on the company's plans but said, "At first I though the price threshold is US$499. Maybe coming next is US$399 and after that is US$299." He didn't give a timeframe for this possible drop in prices. Link

NAD, the highly regarded manufacturer of high-performance audio components, further expands their Home Theater products with the versatile T 585 Universal DVD Player and the affordable T 515 DVD/CD Player during CES 2007 this week in Las Vegas. Each model features an HDMI output with HDCP encryption for use with high definition displays.





Audio performance has always been the hallmark of NAD components and that is what really sets their DVD players apart from the competition. Both players benefit from audiophile quality 24-bit, 192-kHz audio D/A converters. All formats, including supported MP3 and WMA files, take advantage of these audiophile grade DACs ensuring the sound quality of even highly compressed sound files are far superior to the performance heard on media players or computers. Bass is full and tight, mids and highs are detailed and smooth with a stereo image that has depth and scale. And if they can do that with compressed files, just think what they will do with all other media.

Both models also include component, S-Video and composite video connections as well as coax, optical, and stereo analog audio connections, assuring complete compatibility with any home theater set-up. The T 585 also provides a 5.1 analog connection as well as the digital audio format via the HDMI output.

As a universal player, the T 585 supports both DVD-Audio and SACD media, providing on board Dolby Digital and DTS decoding for multi-channel discs. It is also equipped with the SRS True Surround circuit, a surround virtualizer that creates 5-channel audio with only 2 speakers. The T 515 supports standard CD and DVD media and is also compatible with DivX and (2-channel only) DVD-Audio discs.

The T 515 provides a standard 480i and 576i picture, which can be “upsampled” to 1080i . The T 585 differs in that it employs a Faroudja DCDi chip that will ‘upconvert’ standard DVD (480 lines) to the HD formats of 720p or 1080i, which is available on the HDMI and Analog Component Video output.

Additional Features of the T 585

Due to the sophistication of the T 585 and the additional high-resolution media supported, it offers a much wider array of technologies and features that further extend its audio and video performance

The T 585 provides comprehensive on-board DVD-Audio and SACD Digital Bass Management, making it possi-ble to preset speaker configurations such as speaker size, distance, and level. The crossover point is selectable with 12 dB high and 24 dB low pass filter slopes.

The T 585 uses MLP lossless compression to produce PCM formatted high-resolution signals from DVD-Audio media. MLP perfectly shrinks the very high data rates of DVD-Audio – up to 13.8 Mbps – to the DVD limit of 9.6 Mbps without losing any data. This compares with data rates of approximately 1.5 Mbps for CD, and as little as 0.03 Mbps for MP3 encoded audio.

SACD (super audio compact disc) uses the DSD (direct stream digital) technique to obtain a very realistic sonic presentation. Many universal players convert the DSD format into the standard PCM format common to all CDs, which defeats the sonic advantage of DSD. The T 585 has two separate signal paths for the DVD-Audio and SACD signals, which maintains the highest possible levels of sound quality for each format. The integration of high- speed FET output devices keep all the detail present in the high-resolution SACD and DVD-Audio formats perfectly intact.

The Dual Discrete Video Circuit (D.D.V.C.) in the T 585 ensures the highest possible picture quality via the Component Video output and a high-speed dual 12-bit, 216-MHz video D/A converter delivers accurate playback of deli-cate, low-level video signals, producing a vivid picture that is faithful in every detail. Higher quality picture reproduction is also possible thanks to a filter with flexible ‘shutout characteristics’ that is used for the analog filter in the latter stage.

Furthermore, the NAD T 585 uses two separate video D/A converters to process progressive and interlaced signals, eliminating mutual interference between the two signals. This allows both a standard definition and a high definition picture to be output simultaneously – a great feature for sending video to a second viewing zone.

Easy integration with advanced control systems, such as AMX and Crestron, is made possible using the rear panel IR input, 12V trigger input, and RS-232 port.

Both players offer a broad array of other capabilities, including Multi-Angle*, Multi-Sound*, Multi-Subtitle*, Frame, 100x Zoom, Marker Search, Smooth Scan, Slow Motion, and Repeat. All these functions can be easily accessed with the supplied remote control. Link

The popularity of DVD players has surpassed VCRs in U.S. homes, according to a survey released by Nielsen Media Research.

The research company's third-quarter technology report said 81 percent of U.S. households own a DVD player, while 79 percent own VCRs.

"This study shows the culmination of a long battle for share of consumers," said Paul Lindstrom, senior vice president of custom research for Nielsen Media Research. "We now see that the popularity of DVDs has finally surpassed that of VCRs."

DVD ownership has risen 6 percent since last year and continues to increase while the use of VCRs has started to decline, the survey said.

When Nielsen began tracking DVD ownership in 1999, less than 7 percent of households owned a DVD player and nearly 89 percent of households owned VCRs.

The report showed that DVD households now rent DVDs twice per month, while VCR households rent VHS tapes only once a month.

The survey also reported that 73 percent of homes currently have a computer. Homes with children and teens are more likely to have a computer. Link

Cyberlink has finally released a standalone version of its HD DVD and Blu-ray movie playback software, PowerDVD Ultra. The total package carries a $99/€99 price tag and is available for download now, while Intervideo's WinDVD 8 continues to wait for its HD upgrade. Dual core processor, 512MB of RAM, 256MB of video RAM, HDCP for any digital connections and of course an HD DVD or Blu-ray drive (the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive is officially supported) are just the mininum requirements.

NVIDIA PureVideo, ATI Avivo and Intel Clear Video hardware acceleration support should keep those h.264 and VC-1 encoded movies playing smoothly while Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD soundtracks play in 6.1 surround sound. Blu-ray Java and HDi interactive features are supported, as well as UPnP streaming to compatible devices. With features that outpace many of the standalone players on the market, building your own dual format player doesn't sound so crazy after all. Link

BenQ is expected to release its first 18X and 20X series of DVD burners in the following weeks, including some Lightscribe disc labeling models.

The Taiwanese company announced the DW1810 triple-writer DVD burner with Lightscribe support, the DW2000 super-fast 20X DVD burner as well as its Lighscribe version, dubbed DW2010.

All drives support write and read multiple DVD (DVD+/- R/RW, and DVD-RAM) and CD formats. The DVD-RAM writing support allows direct "Drag and Drop recording" to a DVD-RAM media without using any burning software. In addition, they incorporate the SolidBurn technology which applies a self-learning algorithm in examining optical media prior to burning. It automatically determines the best writing strategy for each disc to ensure maximum playability. Through BenQ's QSuite tool, users are able to adjust drive settings. Link

Verbatim announced the world’s first Mini DVD-R Dual Layer (DL) disc. Measuring only three inches (8cm) in diameter, the new discs provide nearly a full hour of continuous video capture time or 2.6GB of storage capacity on a single side. Verbatim Mini DVD-R DL media will be available at the end of August 2006 in North America, where the new Canon DC22 Mini DVD-R DL-compatible camcorder will be launched. Shipments to other parts of the world will begin when the new Mini DVD-R DL-compatible camcorders become available locally.

Featuring two recording layers on a single side, Verbatim’s new Mini DVD-R DL discs provide almost twice the capacity of current mini DVD-R discs. Fully compatible with the DVD-R DL specification approved by the DVD Forum, the media can be recorded with compatible camcorders and played back with the majority of DVD players. It is ideal for applications such as recording and sharing home movies, sporting events, training videos and business presentations as well as digital audio, photos and graphics.

For added protection against the scratches and abrasion that can occur during normal camcorder and home use, the Mini DVD-R DL media features Verbatim’s innovative VideoGard™ technology. The VideoGard protective coating on the disc surface makes irreplaceable home videos and photos 40 times more resistant to damage.






The combination of Verbatim’s premium-quality media with VideoGard? protection provides users with the assurance that they have the best media on the market for storing, viewing and sharing their special memories and that they’ll be able to enjoy them for years to come. Link

When Microsoft launched its Xbox 360 HD DVD Drive at the beginning of December for £130, it was by far the cheapest drive with a blue laser to read high definition discs.

Although designed to work with an Xbox 360 games console, we wanted to get the HD DVD Drive working on a PC.

The drive is made by Toshiba and uses a very standard Universal Disk Format (UDF) file system. After a bit of hunting around and some tweaking we finally managed to get HD DVDs playing on a range of PC hardware.

The Xbox 360 HD DVD has a mini USB 2.0 port that connects to the Xbox 360. The cable used is the same type that most digital cameras use and one is included in the box.

After connecting the drive to a USB 2.0 port on your computer, the Windows XP hardware wizard will pop up. Close this and download the 2.5MB Toshiba driver instead.

Extract the driver using winrar and then right click on thdudf.inf and select install. Once installed reboot your computer. If you're an early bird using Windows Vista you don't need to install a driver.

Ignore all requests to install the USB memory device, since this cannot be installed and has no relevance to HD DVD playback.

You now have full access to the files on an HD DVD. While it ran HD DVDs fine, out of curiosity we put a standard ordinary DVD into the drive, but as expected, it failed to read it. This is because the driver is udf 2.5 and DVD's use a 1.5 file system as standard. Link

Said to be the first Serial ATA 18X DVD burner on the market, the SH-S183L drive has transfer rates of 150, 300, and 600 Mbytes/s, making it one of the fastest rewritable DVD drives available. The drive's SATA interface eliminates the need for master/slave jumper settings and provides thinner data cables—improving airflow and cable routing. Link

Two Taiwanese companies, one called CMC Magnetics and the other Ritek, will close their doors during the upcoming mid-February celebration of the Chinese New Year; other companies will do this as well, though they're not listed by name. These shutdowns will result in an approximate reduction in units produced of one-third. To offset the loss (and/or take advantage of the lower supplies), the companies will be increasing the cost of their manufactured DVD blank discs by 5-10%. See DigiTimes for the story.

I would like to say a couple of things regarding this news. First, the companies are increasing their prices to offset the downtime. There's no word on whether or not the increase will cause them to break even or not, but apart from that the second point I'd like to make is that these companies are shutting down production of a major global commodity used by countless companies around the world, and they are doing so as part of their heritage.

Too often today companies will continue to operate their plants for the purposes of making as much money as possible, thereby causing their workers to work through what might otherwise be periods of time when those workers would like to take time off to be with their families, go on a vacation, or whatever else is required in their lives. However, the realities of the corporate world we live in today do not make that possible.

I have always said that if I ever owned a company with more than a few employees I would be overtly generous in terms of giving them time off for personal needs and family time so long as they were good employees. If someone is devoted to the needs of my company and is, for example, willing to work late when required, I would have no qualms whatsoever about showing that employee significant generosity when it came to taking time off, not only during slack times but also when the employee felt that he or she needed time off.

I guess the point I'm making here is that we are all people, and all of the businesses we create, while ultimately serving as a type of source funding for our personal economic endeavors, are still creations of man. They are not dominant masters--or at least they should not be. And yet in our societies today we are not often taking the time out of our days to engage in things that are part of our humanity, those things that keep us grounded, closer to our families and one another. We are, in many ways, losing ourselves in the pursuit of money. Link

Toshiba has announced the UK availability of its first HD DVD player, the HD-E1.

The player is priced at £449, around half the price of rival Blu-ray players, and can be found even cheaper online. The relatively low cost of the Toshiba HD-E1 player is expected to make a big difference in which high-definition (HD) format people opt for.

This is the second generation of Toshiba’s HD DVD players and each one sold will come with eight free DVD rentals through online rental group, Lovefilm.

The player supports HD content in 720p or 1080i resolutions and can play back regular DVDs and CDs. It will also scale standard DVD images up to near-HD quality.

Sound formats supported include Dolby True HD, DTS-HD and Dolby Digital Plus. It has one HDMI input alongside the usual component and S-video hook-ups. There is also an Ethernet port and two USB slots. Link

The European DVD market is expected to see its second straight yearly decline, falling to E10 billion ($13 billion) in 2006, as discounting continues to take its toll and consumers begin a shift to new technologies, a study issued Wednesday said.

In monetary terms, the European retail market for DVDs is expected to fall 5% year on year and the rental market by 7%, according to London-based media consultancy Screen Digest. Unit sales will not fare much better, according to the report, as the number of DVDs sold in 2006 will level off after several strong years.

Amid the overall downturn, which began in 2005, studios and retailers have begun to cut back on promotional pricing. Screen Digest forecasts prices will fall an average of just 5% in 2006, compared with an annual average decline of 12% between 2001 and 2005.

Screen Digest believes the European DVD market has hit a classic saturation point and that growth will level off for a few years before new technologies -- namely, video-on-demand and, later, Blu-ray and HD- DVD discs -- begin to take hold.

"Despite the fact that volume sales continue to climb, the DVD market is running out of steam as falling prices depress spending. However, the arrival of the high-def video formats is expected to increase average prices, and consequently, to boost consumer spending on retail video," said Screen Digest analyst Marie Bloomfield.

Some bright spots identified were the nascent download-to-own and online rental markets. On a regional basis, Central Europe and Russia are viewed as high growth areas if piracy can be controlled. Link

When Toshiba announced the TDP-ET20U Multimedia DVD Projector ($1,399 direct), it said the unit was aimed at both business and home-theater use. But my impression from looking at its features was that the emphasis was much more on home theater. That impression has only been reinforced by running the TDP-ET20U through its paces. Even Toshiba admits that the business-presentation capability is more of a convenience feature than a core function.

The TDP-ET20U is first and foremost an instant theater projector, designed so you can set it up quickly in any convenient room, load a DVD, and watch movies. The only thing missing is a screen, such as the one that comes with the Epson MovieMate 33, another instant theater projector. But it's not hard to buy a screen separately, so that's not really an issue. Link

Sonic Solutions today announced that SnapStream has chosen Sonic's AuthorScript to bring DVD burning capabilities to Beyond TV, the company's PC Digital Video Recorder (DVR) application.

Available now, the optional DVD-burning plug-in enables Beyond TV owners to author DVDs of saved TV shows for playback on a broad range of set-top DVD players. This latest agreement reinforces the versatility of AuthorScript, which was also selected recently to enable DVD recording features in Windows Vista and high-quality DVD playback in a future version of Nintendo's Wii gaming console.

"We are very excited to be working with Sonic Solutions to expand our Beyond TV offering," said Rakesh Agrawal, CEO, SnapStream Inc. "Thanks to Sonic technology, Beyond TV customers can now create DVD libraries of saved programming and enjoy their favorite shows at their convenience in the comfort of their living rooms. Sonic AuthorScript was the ideal solution, providing not only the proven authoring engine, but also the implementation flexibility necessary to ensure DVD creation became a tightly-integrated component of the Beyond TV experience."

Easy to install and configure, Beyond TV software enables consumers to record and watch TV on their PC. Similar to a set-top DVR, Beyond TV allows users to record programs for enjoyment at a later time as well as pause, fast-forward and rewind live television. Key features of the application include an integrated electronic program guide with powerful search capabilities, a SmartSkip feature for quickly passing commercial blocks, and extensive codec support that allows users to compress content to preserve hard drive space as well as prepare recorded content for enjoyment on portable devices.

The new DVD burning plug-in integrates seamlessly into the Beyond TV workflow and enables users to easily record favorite shows to disc complete with menus, content titles, and SmartSkip chapter points. For more information regarding Beyond TV and the DVD burning Plug-in, visit: http://www.snapstream.com. Link

The Helios X5000 is described as an "HD Network Media Player" and is released by a company called Neodigits. Previously, Neodigits have carved a name for themselves by offering a low-priced DVD player that has the distinction of upscaling standard definition discs to 1080p video. Although upscaling DVD players, which "fake" an HDTV-ish picture out of a regular DVD, are now becoming the norm, it's still the case that most of them (even at the higher end) still concentrate on going up to 1080i and not the elusive 1080p.






So, what does the X5000 do? Well, the X5000 retains the functionality of 1080p upscaling for either "NTSC" or "PAL" DVDs, giving it potential appeal right from the get-go, and, when connected to a network either through the Ethernet port on the back or using a Wireless connection, also allows you to go online (to any web site you wish, or more usefully to the HELIOS Media Portal page) to access streaming TV channels and podcasts, and also to your PC's hard drive to access music, video files, and pictures.

Yep - this machine does a lot! Read on to find out just how well. Link

Toshiba has launched its new high-definition DVD player in Europe, marking the start of a battle for living room domination.
The electronics firm wants consumers to use their HD-E1 DVD system rather than the rival Blu-Ray format.
Blu-Ray is being backed by electronics firms Sony, Samsung and Panasonic as well as a number of film studios.
The tussle between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray is similar to the 1980s war between VHS and Betamax video, analysts said.






Toshiba has forecast 500,000 worldwide sales of its HD-DVD player by March 2007.
Its system will retail for about £450, roughly half the price of Blu-ray.

A more feature-laden HD DVD player from Toshiba - the HD-XE1 - is planned to launch from late January 2007 for around £649. Link

An anonymous reader writes with an InfoWorld article on China's new attempt to introduce a royalty-free format to rival the DVD. The article is not sanguine on China's chances of getting the EVD format used outside of its own borders (they tried once before in 2003). The submitter is more optimistic, asking: "Is this the future and the effective end of DRM — to be taken and co-opted by nation-states?" Link

Nothing like a little false hope to brighten your Saturday, right? Of course, we hope the current stalemate in the Blu-ray / HD DVD war actually yields a combo player, but after the on-again / off-again (and again) love affair with the idea, we're not holding our collective breath. Nevertheless, it seems that the current state actually doesn't have one format trouncing the other as many believed would happen after a few months unfolded. Essentially, consumers are "generally indifferent" to the two, and considering there's just seven more HD DVD titles currently available than BD titles, it doesn't look like one or the other will win on sheer studio popularity.

While we've seen the Blu-ray-equipped PS3 outsell Microsoft's HD DVD drive 5 to 1, there isn't much substance in such a statistic, but apparently Taiwan-based manufacturers are rethinking their previous denials of unleashing a player that handles both discs. DigiTimes has it that Samsung is "planning to offer dual-format recorders that can record and play back BD and HD DVD movies," while Hitachi (a devout member of the BDA), is also "considering production of dual-format devices." Link

nitial sales numbers are in and it appears that the PS3 has outsold the HD DVD add on by 5 to 1. Of course this doesn't mean that everyone who bought a PS3 will use it as a Blu-ray player and we don't think many will be surprised by this. The PS3 has sold every unit ship at 197,000 units, compared to the HD DVD add on drive at 42,000 units. We're not sure how many HD DVD add ons were shipped but at least a few online retailers have them in stock. Although this is interesting, the relevance to the outcome of the format war is in question. Obviously most people bought a PS3 to play games and everyone bought the add on to watch movies. The real question is why Sony and Microsoft went different directions. Link

Data trackers NPD have published new figures for videogame accessory sales in the US, revealing that Nintendo sold 270,000 Wii remote controllers during the month of November.

In the same period, 153,000 nunchuk peripherals were also sold, while consumers snapped up 476,000 Wii consoles.

Nintendo's handheld is also continuing to prove a hit - the third most popular accessory for the month was the NDS Lite Starter Kit, racking up sales of 154,000.

Microsoft's HD-DVD add-on for Xbox 360 hit the shops on November 7, and 42,000 units were sold over the course of the month. The second best performing accessory overall was the Xbox 360 wireless controller, with 251,000 units sold, while 84,000 consumers bought the 360 Play and Charge kit. Link

Sony Media Software, a leading provider of professional video and audio editing software applications, announced today the availability of DVD Architect(TM) Studio, a standalone program that addresses the growing consumer demand for a single software
application dedicated to DVD authoring for movies, song compilations and
pictures slideshows. Previously only available bundled with Sony Vegas(R)
Movie Studio+DVD, this new standalone version expands Sony's line of home
studio products by offering a robust application with many important
features that are critical for creating dynamic and interactive DVDs.

DVD Architect Studio software features the same look and feel of Sony's
flagship products, including superior ease-of-use and a simple
drag-and-drop interface for quick DVD layout; the ability to create both
single and multi-movie DVDs, picture and music compilations; and support
for most popular DVD burners today. Link

Although Japanese DVD burner vendors have maintained strong ties with Taiwan OEMs, Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology (TSST) recently grabbed orders for DVD burners for Sony.

Industry sources indicated that TSST has started shipping 18x external DVD burners to Sony since November, marking the first time that TSST has landed orders from Sony. However, since these DVD burners are mainly for sale in the "after-market" rather than installed in PCs, the shipments volume is comparatively smaller than shipments for PC ODMs or OEMs, the sources said.

The major reason TSST grabbed the orders is the competitive pricing it offered, the sources pointed out. TSST offered quotes US$1-2 lower than quotes offered by rivals such as Lite-On IT and Hitachi-LG Data Storage (HLDS), the sources added.

Lite-On IT declined to comment on the speculation.

Last month, Lite-On IT reportedly lowered its OEM/ODM prices for half-height (H/H) 16x DVD burners to US$27-28, but still lost some expected orders to TSST, which was offering prices as low as below US$25.

The optical drive industry is also seeing aggressive moves from Foxconn Electronics (the registered trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry), to secure PC OEM orders, industry players commented. Link

Logitec of Japan has unveiled an external Multi-DVD burner that stands heads and shoulders above the rest of the competition by virtue of its ability to accept 8cm CDs and DVDs, something everybody else does not do. This ultra slim external 8x Multi-DVD burner is compatible with DVD±R, DVD±RDL, DVD±RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, and CD-ROM formats.

It connects to your computer or notebook via USB 2.0 and is Vista-certified, so you won't have any qualms about making that jump to Microsoft's upcoming operating system. No idea on how much it costs though. Link

Sony has announced the launch of its first dual platform, multi-format DVD writer kit for the European market. The DRX-830UL-T drive also comes bundled with two software suites - Nero 7 Essential for Windows and Toast 6 Lite for Mac.

The DRX-830UL-T has a vertical design and comes equipped with dual i.LINK (Firewire / IEEE-1394) and USB 2.0 interfaces. The drive is capable of 18x 'overspeed writing' on standard 16x DVD±R media, recording 4.7GB of data, music, video or images in around five minutes. It's also good with dual layer, 8.5GB DVD±R media as well as DVD Rewritable and CD-R/-RW discs. Link

Pioneer is proud to announce the DVR-A12J, their latest creation able to burn – or + DL DVDs at 10x, –/+R DVDs at 18x, and DVD-RAM at 12x, with only 2MB of cache. It will be soon available in Japan for 65.00 euros. Link

It appears the second wave of HD DVD players are now hitting retail stores. Members over at the AVS Forum are reporting Toshiba's second generation HD-A2 is now showing up in Best Buys across the country and through online retailers.

Being a first generation product, the original HD-A1 had plenty of flaws including issues with slow startup times, problems with HDMI compatibility, artifacting with 720p content and lack of 1080p support. Then there's also the fact that the HD-A1 was huge -- it simply dwarfed traditional DVD players that have had years to mature.





On the other hand the HD-A1 had exceptional image quality, a built-in Ethernet port, upgradeable firmware and a price that was half that of competing Blu-ray players. As of now, the HD-A1 can be had for a price of around $400 according to Froogle.

According to the folks at AVS Forum, the HD-A2 goes a long way to solving the problems of its predecessor but 1080p support is still missing (for 1080p, you’ll have to wait for the HD-XA2). Link

Gamers love Sony's new PlayStation 3 for its graphic capabilities and firepower, but the advanced Blu-ray DVD drive is annoying some by raising the cost, slowing production and forcing them to buy into a format they've not yet aligned with.

Sony's move to put a Blu-ray drive into the PS3 video game console is part of the Japanese giant's plan in a high-stakes next-generation DVD format war that recalls the fierce Betamax-VHS battle, which Sony's Betamax lost.

This time, Sony's Blu-ray is competing against a rival Toshiba Corp.-backed format known as HD-DVD.

Sony said Blu-ray is part of its long term plan to position its machine as a home entertainment hub, but some experts say the strategy may be backfiring.

Yankee Group analyst Michael Goodman said that while die-hard gamers will buy the PS3 at any cost early on, buyers who come to the product later will be more price-sensitive.

"Blu-ray is adding US$150 to US$200 to the product. They've created something that is not for today's market. It's not a market driver, it's only driving the price higher," he said.

Cymfony, which culls trends from posts on Internet sites, reported that positive discussions about HD-DVD were 46 percent higher than Blu-ray in a survey of almost 18,000 posts on blogs, discussion boards and consumer review sites from October 1 to November 30.

"Negative Blu-ray conversation indicated a lack of consumer trust in Sony, as well as gamer displeasure with selling Blu-ray in association with PlayStation 3," said Jim Nail, a spokesman for Cymfony, which culls trends from posts on social media sites

Hollywood and electronics makers are hoping high-definition DVDs, with better picture quality and interactive features, will reignite the slowing market for DVD sales. But the format war, technical issues and the advent of digital video-on-demand services are creating hurdles for the new DVDs and players. Link

By the way, there are two models available for you, the DZ-HS301E with 1.3 Megapixel CDD and the DZ-HS303E with 3.3 Megapixel. The 8GB HDD allow you to store up to 110 minutes of full resolution video and you can easily transfer your work from HDD to DVD.
Link

Imagine taking the entire collection of historical documents at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and storing it on a single DVD.

University of Central Florida Chemistry Professor Kevin D. Belfield and his team have cracked a puzzle that stumped scientists for more than a dozen years. They have developed a new technology that will allow users to record and store massive amounts of data -- the museum’s entire collection or as many as 500 movies, for example -- onto a single disc or, perhaps, a small cube.

Belfield’s Two-Photon 3-D Optical Data Storage system makes this possible.

“For a while, the community has been able to record data in photochromic materials in several layers,” Belfield said. “The problem was that no one could figure out how to read out the data without destroying it. But we cracked it.”

Think of it this way. Television viewers can tape a show on a VHS tape. They can use the tape several times. But each time the same segment of the tape is used, the quality diminishes as the tape wears out. Eventually, the data is lost. The same is true of recordable DVDs.

Belfield’s team figured out a way to use lasers to compact large amounts of information onto a DVD while maintaining excellent quality. The information is stored permanently without the possibility of damage.

The process involves shooting two different wavelengths of light onto the recording surface. The use of two lasers creates a very specific image that is sharper than what current techniques can render. Depending on the color (wavelength) of the light, information is written onto a disk. The information is highly compacted, so the disk isn’t much thicker. It’s like a typical DVD. Link

Less than a month after the troubled launch of its PlayStation 3, Sony rolled out its new high definition DVD recorder in Japan yesterday as it struggles to restore its tarnished reputation.

In a replay of the VHS-Betamax battle between two types of video cassette tapes in the late 1970s, two different DVD formats are hitting the market, offering cinematic quality images and interactive entertainment.

Sony’s Blu-ray machine went on sale here in time for the crucial year-end holiday shopping season with a price tag of about 300,000 yen ($2,600) for the 500 gigabyte hard disk drive version. “We heard from electronics appliance stores that customers showed great interest in our new products during our demonstration campaign,” said Sony spokesman Daichi Yamafuji.

A clerk at major electronics retailer Bic Camera said the store had “received a great deal of customer interest in the product.” But whether the company can translate such interest into significant sales remains unclear, analysts said.

With such a high price putting it out of the reach of most households and Sony only set to produce 10,000 units per month, sales of the new machine will have a limited impact on Sony’s overall performance, they added.

“The weight of the new DVD recorder in Sony’s overall performance is very low compared to the PS3 game console as the number of sales is very small,” said Kazuharu Miura, analyst at Daiwa Institute of Research. Link

Samsung today announced what the company claims to be the world's first 18x DVD rewriteable drive that connects to a PC via Serial ATA (SATA). The interface provides the WriteMaster SH-S183L with a bandwidth of up to up to 600 MB/s, which makes it one of the fastest drives available today.

Actual data transfer speeds, of course, are limited by sustained read and write speeds of the drive. Samsung said that the device supports all major DVD and CD media formats with 18X write speed (24.3 MB/s) only possible with DVD+R and DVD-R media. The maximum read speed in both cases is 12X (16.2 MB/s). Link

Onkyo has introduced the DV-CP704, a stylish and high-performing six-disc DVD changer that features an HDCP-compliant HDMI output for single-cable audio and video connections to modern A/V receivers and video displays. The player is capable of upsampling DVD video to either 720p or1080i and is compatible with a wide range of disc formats, including DVD-Video, audio CDS, and CD-R/RWs encoded with WMA™ or MP3 files.

The DV-CP704 boasts 108 MHz/14-bit digital-to-analog video DACs and high quality video processing for crystal clear visual images and vivid color via rear panel HDMI or component video outputs. An internal scaling engine can be used to convert output at the HDMI jack to 720p or 1080i formats for improved performance with high definition video displays. Finally, the player also features both composite and S-video outputs for compatibility with a broad range of display equipment.





For maximum fidelity in audio reproduction, the DV-CP704 employs 192 kHz/24-bit audio DACs coupled with the company’s proprietary Vector Linear Shaping Circuit (VLSC) for smooth and linear analog output. Onkyo’s Direct Digital Path further enhances audio quality by maximizing fidelity of signal transfer and eliminating potential noise interference.

The Onkyo DV-CP704 features a streamlined low-profile housing with an attractive blue illuminated disc tray to simplify disc changes. The player includes a wide array of playback options, including consecutive playback of all discs, whole disc or A-B block repeat, and shuffle modes for one or all discs, including those containing WMA or MP3 files.

Oppo Digital is back with yet another in its line of DVD upscalers, the DV-981HD. New in this edition is upscaling all the way to 1080p, courtesy of the included Faroudja DCDi video processor. Successor to the highly regarded DV971H, the new unit includes such features as DVD-Audio and SACD support and DivX compatibility, among other digital media. One thing this player doesn't bring to the table however, is component video outputs.






If your display doesn't support HDMI or DVI with HDCP, you'll be falling back to the dark ages of S-Video or even composite connections. Besides the HDMI 1.1 port ((HDMI cable included, hear that Sony?), there are also analog 5.1, optical and coaxial audio outputs powered by a 24-bit/192kHz d/a converter. MSRP is $229 and it's available now, if digital video is a part of your setup and DVD upscaling is more appealing than current HD DVD or Blu-ray offerings, this should be an excellent buy. Continue on for larger images and a shot of the back. Link

Chinese consumer electronics companies yesterday kicked off a second attempt to establish the country's alternative to DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc as the nation's favourite format. Called Enhanced Versatile Disc (EVD), is essentially a DVD that uses a more efficient content compression system.

China launched EVD back in November 2003 as a home-grown format that would leave its consumer electronics free of the hefty licensing fees they pay to foreign firms for the rights to produce DVD-branded kit. However, EVD failed to make much of an impact, and since October 2005, China has been claiming the format will not only make headway against rival technologies but become the market leader in China come 2008. Link

An analysis of online discussions on next generation DVD formats HD DVD and Blu-Ray gives the early edge to HD DVD. Cited as reasons are the lack of consumer trust in Sony, as well as gamer displeasure with selling Blu-ray in association with PlayStation 3.

Cymfony, a market influence analytics company, issued a Consumer Opinion and Trends report, "A Blue Christmas for Blu-ray," examining consumer market perception of next-generation high-definition video platforms HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

According to the study, positive discussions about HD DVD are 46% higher than Blu-ray, with over twice as many post authors stating being "impressed with HD DVD" versus "impressed with Blu-ray". Negative Blu-ray conversation indicates lack of consumer trust in Sony, as well as gamer displeasure with selling Blu-ray in association with PlayStation 3, according to the research.

The study researched 17,664 posts from blogs, discussion boards and other social media sites, from October 1 to November 23, 2006. According to the results, the discussion was evenly divided between HD DVD and Blu-ray, while the individual products using these platforms were rarely discussed. Early adopter sources drove the majority of conversation.

Cymfony's research found that consumers debate formats, not specific models. Overall discussion was balanced between HD DVD and Blu-ray during this period, though HD DVD conversation narrowly edged out Blu-ray.

Consumers discussed specific models far less, with only 1,200 posts referencing one of the 3 Blu-ray players or 9 HD DVD players currently on the market.

In addition, the study claims that early adopters drive current discussion. Posts about these video formats were found on 323 discussion boards, blogs, consumer review, and other social media sites. Almost 60% of the conversation occurred on only 44 sites. These sites had a clear focus videophiles and gamers. The first were those focused on creating total video experiences in their homes through the use of home theater systems, high definition, e.t.c., while gamers were identified as those focused on discussion of the benefits/disadvantages of the various gaming consoles and their respective games, as well as the associated equipment needed to fully enjoy the experience (such as HDTVs). Link

The first “Built for PC” HD DVD drive has been built and released by Buffalo. Taking up a standard 5.25” expansion bay, the new “HDV-ROM2.4FB” is an HD drive that is also compatible with various older formats such as DVD and CD. This is definitely not the first method of getting HD formats onto a computer, as onboard drives in laptops and other external models have been available for some time, but this is the first on the shelf upgrade piece that can be acquired.

The price isn't bad at all, starting with a retail of around $320, which is in line with a first-gen optical release. Successive versions will likely drive prices down. Link

Oppo Digital has unveiled the DV-981HD, its new upscaling DVD player with HDMI connectivity connectivity and an attractive price tag. The DV-981HD ca, take standard-resolution video content on DVD and up-convert it to 480p/576p, 720p, 1080i, and even 1080p using DCDi by Faroudja video processing, which offers progressive scan technology, film mode detection, TrueLife enhancement, and adaptive noise reduction. Incoming video is analyzed on a pixel-by-pixel basis to detect angles lines and edges, which are then processed into smooth images without visible artifacts or "jaggies."

"With the incredible success of the OPDV971H, our first and highly rated up-converting player, we are very excited to introduce the even more powerful and high performing DV-981HD," said Nathaniel Plain, Oppo Digital's Technical Service Manager, in a statement. "Users can enjoy HD-quality DVD movies without having to become an early adopter of expensive and undecided HD-DVD or Blu-Ray players." Link

Sometimes it's hard to draw the line between "fair use" and "just plain ol' dumb," but if being in charge of the playback and storage of your purchased media is of the utmost importance to you -- to the tune of a couple grand -- then Jake Ludington over at MediBlab has a solution for you. His argument in favor such extreme measures is the tried and true "backup" excuse, since, so far, managed copy hasn't made its way into his discs or hardware. Of course, with the amount of money involved in his method, he would probably be better off just paying buying a few extra copies of any disc he might purchase, and storing 'em in a vault someplace.

However, if you would like to follow in Jake's fair usin' footsteps, the method is really quite straightforward. Just score yourself an Xbox 360 and HD DVD drive (one of the view HD DVD solutions which will output 1080i or 720p via component), a minimum of 4 eSATA drives in a RAID 0 array (for which you might need an external SATA card), an AJA XENA LG analog HD capture card (which will be doing most of the heavy lifting in this process), and a speedy PC for processing the video once you've got it all captured. Not quite 1080p, and not quite digital perfection, but it should win you a good bit of love and recognition in the BitTorrent community be plenty good for most "backup" purposes. Link

So, the fight right now is over HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. You can really see the fight with the XBox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

I read an article on Wired.com awhile back the pretty much said it didn't matter. Both formats would largely be ignored by the public because they didn't do anything to change how we interact with media. We view the same conent, we'll just pay more now for a player.

DVD was embtraced over VHS because it streamline the process and allowed us access to all kinds of additional content easily. VHS simply couldn't compete.

All HD-DVD and Blu-Ray does is, essentially, give us more storage space. Joe Blow movie fan may be a hard sell on a $1000 Blu-Ray player when he can get a new DVD player for something like $40. Link

What's it for?

Watching HD DVD movies
Who's it for?

Xbox 360 owners who want to upgrade to HD DVD playback
We like:

Picture quality; incredibly affordable; easy to use; remote control and King Kong HD DVD included
We don't like:

No support for lossless audio; Xbox 360 still makes some noise; awkward styling
You might also want:

Xbox 360; HD Ready TV or projector
CNET.co.uk judgement:

When you balance out the price and performance, this is the best next-gen disc player on the market -- any movie fan with an Xbox 360 and an HD Ready TV should seriously consider buying one. There are one or two minor niggles, and the styling is slightly odd, but overall this is an excellent product for those looking to get into hi-def

Design
This is a small, lightweight device, oddly reminiscent of a hardback book. The shape and colour strongly echoes the Xbox 360 itself, although the drive drawer is placed on the end of the rectangle, rather than the side. Like the 360, it can be placed flat on its belly or stood on its side, but we'd recommend you always use the former option -- there are no rubber feet on the side, so it could be knocked over fairly easily. Do that with it switched on and a disc inside and you'll probably be left with a broken drive -- or an interestingly shaped paperweight.

It's also a clean-looking product: the only button on the front is the control for opening and closing the drawer, and the connectors are all hidden at the back. There's an input for the power adaptor (yes, sadly this needs its own power supply and has an external 'brick'), plus three USB ports -- one mini and two at the normal size. The mini one is for connecting the drive to your Xbox 360, while the other two are for any USB device you fancy hooking up. Even wired 360 controllers and the Wi-Fi adaptor will work here.

Clean as it is, it's not exactly an attractive device. External add-ons for consoles tend to look a tad out of place anyway, but the white plastic shell and weird shape aren't really the height of cool, especially when you compare the design to the forthcoming Toshiba HD-XE1 and HD-E1 standalone HD DVD players.

Supplied with the drive is an Xbox 360 Media Remote, a remote control that usually costs around £20. Naturally, it works with the HD DVD player, but the presence of an Xbox 360 'jewel' button and a Media Center key means you can use it to access other media content, whether it's stored on your console or being streamed from a PC.

Features
Setting up the drive is incredibly simple. First, you stick a supplied software update disc in your 360's drive. This installs the necessary software on your console, and takes a matter of seconds. Then you plug the drive into the USB port at the back of the 360. That's basically it -- the only noticeable difference to the Xbox 360 Dashboard is that it now has a slightly different version of the disc tray icon at the bottom, in order to let you choose whether to want to play the disc in the HD DVD drive or the one sitting in your console's own drive.

You don't need to consult any menus or tweak any settings to use the player. The output resolution for HD DVD is the same as whatever you've set for your 360, and there isn't anything in the way of image adjustment.

Audio will also be output from your 360, so at present the only options are analogue stereo or digital optical. The latter will carry 5.1-channel surround sound to an external receiver or amp, but the player is not compatible with the new lossless audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD. It's not easy to imagine this being added as a feature in the near future, either -- unless the rumoured HDMI cable for the 360 measures up to the v1.3 standard able to carry these formats. That's a really big 'if', though.

Put in an HD DVD and the startup time is surprisingly swift -- you'll be gazing at the disc's menu screen in a few seconds. In fact, it's much quicker than the £900 Samsung BD-P1000 and £1,200 Panasonic DMP-BD10 Blu-ray players. Navigating menus is a cinch with the Media Remote. It's reasonably responsive, backlit for ease of use in the dark, and the buttons are nicely chunky. As with other HD DVD players, you can browse disc menus while the movie is playing, and the menus themselves are more interactive and animated than those found on standard DVDs.

Performance
Picture quality is excellent here. A copy of King Kong is currently bundled with the drive, and some of the scenes really show what hi-def is all about: the shots of 1930s New York boast a breathtaking level of detail, for instance. Watching Mission: Impossible 3 in 1080i, we did notice juddering on some slow pans, as well as the odd jagged edge on objects such as railings and staircases -- but overall the image is as impressive as anything you'll see from the far more expensive Samsung and Panasonic Blu-ray players.

Sound quality is also good, although the lack of support for 7.1-channel lossless audio is a shame.

Thankfully, the player is also quiet -- although we can't say the same about the Xbox 360 during operation. It's not as noisy as it can be when you're playing a game, but the cooling fan can be heard during quieter scenes. It's slightly annoying, but not likely to spoil your enjoyment of a movie. Link

A British man who traded counterfeit DVDs on the internet auction site eBay has been fined £55,000.

Peter Spencer, 39, from Oakhill Park in Bradford, pleaded guilty to importing and distributing pirated DVDs at Bradford Crown Court in May.

He received a six-month jail sentence and has now been ordered to pay £55,000 or face a further two years in prison.

The sum was judged to be his profit from selling pirated copies of films like Kill Bill and Lord of The Rings.

Spencer was brought to court following an investigation by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact), which found he had more than 950 counterfeit DVDs for sale on eBay in January 2004. Link

A District Court in Germany (Landgericht Dusseldorf) today announced verdicts finding that German DVD disc manufacturer Optical Disc Service ("ODS") has infringed certain patents licensed in the MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License offered by MPEG LA as a result of ODS's manufacture of DVD discs. The verdict of infringement as a result of DVD disc manufacturing issued in eight of nine cases brought by six patent holders who are Licensors to MPEG LA's MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License.

According to these verdicts, ODS has been sentenced to cease and desist its current DVD production and to pay damages to the patent owners for past DVD production. In addition to findings of infringement, the court also rejected arguments by ODS based on exhaustion, competition law and antitrust claims. The court's verdicts are enforceable if the patent holders provide a security bond to ODS.

The verdicts can be appealed by ODS.

MPEG LA, LLC

MPEG LA is the world leader in alternative technology licenses, enabling users to acquire worldwide patent rights necessary for a technology standard or platform from multiple patent holders in a single transaction as an alternative to negotiating separate licenses.

Wherever an independently administered one-stop patent license would provide a convenient marketplace alternative to assist users with implementation of their technology choices, the licensing model pioneered and employed by MPEG LA may provide a solution. Among MPEG LA's licenses is one for MPEG-2 digital video compression that has helped produce the most widely employed standard in consumer electronics history. The MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License, which includes approximately 800 MPEG-2 essential patents in 57 countries, has more than 1000 licensees accounting for most MPEG-2 products, including an estimated 90% of all DVD discs, in the current world market. Link

As I sit down to write this, it has been only a few days since Sony's highly-anticipated PlayStation 3 next-gen game console was launched here in the U.S. on November 17, 2006. It is a day that will go down in infamy in the history of consumer electronics. Amid a media frenzy and near-riots at stores nationwide, Sony's limited supply of units (some say it was as low as 120,000) sold out in a matter of seconds. Demand was so high that violence broke out at several retail outlets, with one altercation at a Connecticut Wal-mart resulting in a near-fatality. All for a videogame console -- we've come a long way since Atari.

While I can't say I'd kill for a PlayStation 3, I can't help but feel a little bit like I am (as my roommate has dubbed me) "The Luckiest MoFo in the Whole World." For I'm one of the few to have received a brand-new PS3 for review (the ultra-swanky black 60Gb version, no less), courtesy of Sony. Indeed, more than just an updated game console, the PS3 represents a significant milestone in the history of the home video industry -- with a suped-up Blu-ray player inside, the PS3 promises to not only invigorate gaming, but to also bring high-definition disc playback to the masses. Though past game consoles have supported home video formats (both the PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's original Xbox offered DVD playback) the Blu-ray-driven PS3 represents a truly landmark synergy between the gaming industry, major consumer electronics manufacturers and the Hollywood studios.

It is hardly a coincidence that Blu-ray's rival HD DVD also chose to fire its own salvo in the next-gen format war this month via Microsoft's Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on drive. With the Xbox 360 already enjoying a one-year market lead on Sony's console with a hefty installed base, the new HD DVD add-on offers a huge opportunity for gamers to jump into high-definition at a low cost. The hardware was co-developed by primary HD DVD backer Toshiba, and with a wallet-friendly $199 price tag, it is by far the cheapest way to get a high-definition disc player into your home. Of course, you still have to own an Xbox 360 to enjoy the add-on drive, but with the console's list price at about $300, that's still a relatively affordable $500 -- the same price as the entry-level version of the PS3. Link

Our interpretation is that the drive should not report a profile if it cannot recognize the blank media for that type. If the DVD reader is a capable of reading from the recorded DVD+R, DVD+RW media then it can report DVD+R feature and DVD+RW feature as supported features but not the profiles for those media types. The MMC committee also agrees that the DVD drives should not report DVD+R and DVD+RW profiles as supported profiles if they are not capable of writing to those media types. Link

HD DVD Player For Xbox 360

It’s finally here and it costs about £130. The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player offers up to six times higher resolution than DVD, and all Xbox 360 consoles have the ability to output native resolution 1080p games and movies. Users can enjoy the biggest HD DVD releases, with tons of great titles available soon from movie studios including HBO, Paramount Pictures, StudioCanal, Universal Studios, New Line Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Link

The lack of DVD upscaling for either the PS3 or 360 (a VGA-only cop-out doesn't cut it, Microsoft) has been a pain in the ass for anyone who has a HDTV and whose skin crawls at the thought of the "format war". I'm happy with my DVDs, I don't want to go and buy them all twice within the same decade, so if I could just get a little spit and polish added to them, I'll be a happy man.



Sony are on the case. In an interview with Japanese tech nerds PC Watch, they disclose that they're working on upscaled DVD playback, which can be rolled out as part of a firmware update. As the ones who have most to lose by allowing people to keep watching their old DVDs, it's odd Sony are leading the charge with this, but hey, I'm not complaining. Link