DreamStream announced today that they have developed a media encryption and distribution system that is poised to eliminate digital piracy.

“We are very excited about our breakthrough technology. For the first time, digital content can be distributed without fear of piracy. This is a tremendous step for copyright and licensing security,” said Ulf Diebel, CDO of DreamStream.

DreamStream’s media system is based on their 2048-bit encryption algorithm, which has never been compromised by hackers or online pirates.

“Our security is unparalleled,” said Diebel. “We offer military strength encryption in a system that is commercially viable for music and video companies.”

Annually, digital piracy costs the entertainment industry billons of dollars in damages, according to the International Federation of Phonographic Industry’s Digital Music Report for 2008. The IFPI report also notes that the ratio of illegally to legally downloaded music tracks is 20 to one.

“Piracy has had a chokehold on the entertainment industry. Now that can change. DreamStream can restore property rights to their owners and restore the commercial success of music and video recordings with a solution that benefits both producers and consumers,” said Chris Franke, media accounts coordinator of DreamStream.

In recent years, current media distribution systems, such as Apple’s iTunes, have continually fallen prey to online piracy. DreamStream claims to have the solution to this dilemma.

“The existing systems are broken,” said Franke. “If studios and artists want to confront the problem of piracy they must embrace a comprehensive restructuring of their distribution methods.”

DreamStream’s media encryption system differs from existing products and services in several ways. Most noteworthy, DreamStream’s system operates via online streaming and not file downloads. As such, purchased content cannot be stored on users’ hard disks, which eliminates the possibility of copying or redistributing the digital files.

Music files streamed with DreamStream’s system are able to play up to a full 320 KBps, which provides nearly professional quality audio. Programs such as iTunes operate at only 96 KBps. Video files can also be offered at a similarly higher quality than is currently being offered by DreamStream’s competitors.

The DreamStream system is able to transmit media files at such higher qualities because the content does not have to be downloaded.

Unique to DreamStream’s technology is the instant availability of the digital content offered. While most media systems require download or processing delays, DreamStream’s system is able to offer its users instant access to digital content.

DreamStream’s system also features encryption that greatly exceeds current standards. While existing online media distribution systems are typically secured using only a 128-bit encryption. DreamStream touts a full 20 round, 2048-bit encryption, which is the strongest in the industry.

“To win the war on piracy, the industry needs DreamStream’s military grade capabilities,” said Franke.

DreamStream’s media encryption system is one of the many uses for the company’s technology. DreamStream’s 2048-bit encryption can be imbedded into any online or computer-based system. For more information on DreamStream, visit http://www.dreamstream.info.

MCE Technologies has introduced its 6X Blu-ray Recordable Drive for Macs. It’s natively compatible with Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later and works inside the Mac Pro and Power Mac. It’s priced starting at $499.

While Macs can support Blu-ray Disc drives as data drives, the Mac doesn’t yet ship with a Blu-ray Disc drive option — “SuperDrives” capable of burning DVDs are still standard issue on Apple’s pro models. Blu-ray Disc is a High Definition (HD) optical drive standard that can store much more data per disc — up to 50GB on dual-layer BD-R media.

The drive can record data to Blu-ray, DVd and CD media directly from the Finder without needing additional software. If you want to burn Blu-ray movies, you’ll need Roxio’s Toast 9 Titanium and HD/BD Plug-in, which MCE bundles for an extra $100. MCE also provides software to enable Boot Camp-equipped Mac Pros also running Windows XP or later to play back Blu-ray and HD DVD movies (movie playback is not currently supported on the Mac).

At 6X, the drive can burn single-layer BD-R media at 27MB/sec. It burns dual-layer BD-R media at 4x (18MB/sec), and BD-RE discs at 2X (9MB/sec). It’s also capable of recording DVD±R media at up to 16X (22MB/sec), DVD±R DL at 4X, DVD+RW and 8X, DVD-RW at up to 6X, DVD-RAM at 5X, CD-R at up to 40X (6MB/sec) and CD-RW at up to 24X.

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to experience Walt Disney’s 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Disc, which will debut in September. My daughters, on the other hand have moved into the Hannah Montana/Jonas Brothers stage of life, and are waiting eagerly for the Best of Both Worlds 3D concert film to debut from Disney in August. I’ve written so much about the manufacturing of Blu-ray, but really, up to now, had taken very little time to think about actually authoring these discs, and whether or not the challenges are extreme for studios making the transition from high-end DVD authoring.

 http://www.emedialive.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=13855

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Xequte today announced the release of DVD PixPlay version 4.0, their popular Slideshow Disk Creation Software for Windows. DVD PixPlay is an inexpensive and easy-to-use solution for digital camera users to share their photos and videos with friends and family through the use of slideshow disks that can be played back on a TV using a DVD player.

Slideshow disks created with the software function like a standard DVD making them particularly suitable for those who do not own a computer or have only rudimentary skills in their use. Version 4.0 is a significant upgrade, delivering over two hundred improvements with particular focus on multiple slideshow disk creation, as well as Power Point and YouTube support.

The major new feature for power users is the ability to create DVD format disks containing multiple slideshows that can be navigated using a menu. The creation process is relatively simple with a wizard that walks users through the main steps: selecting source slideshows and videos and adding a menu. DVD PixPlay includes 30 DVD menu templates to simplify the process, but power users can also customize the menu to their own requirements.

DVD PixPlay has become increasingly popular with businesses to create presentation media for customers. In order to meet the needs of this segment a special “Professional” Edition has also been released.

The Professional version includes the ability to directly open a PowerPoint slideshow and output it to disk for playback on DVD players. It also allows a company logo to be displayed throughout the slideshow and embed frame captions generated automatically from digital camera fields.

The addition of a new “YouTube” video file format will allow users to rapidly create slideshows for uploading to the popular video sharing web site.

The Title Page Editor has been significantly overhauled in this release. It now includes a standard toolbar for quick access to common functions, including new options to quickly align and resize all selected objects. More settings have been added for layout of background images and automatic positioning of text and clip art.

Editing features have also been enhanced with an improved Photo Editing dialog. PixPlay will now automatically rotate portrait camera photos retrieved from digital cameras (using the embedded digital camera fields). Many other improvements have been made to styling and layout, including a more functional Add Images dialog and enhanced Program Options and Slideshow Burning windows.

Get more details here

PORTLAND, OR (June 2008) – LaCie today announced LaCie Remote Burn software for both its Portable DVD±RW with LightScribe, Design by Sam Hecht and d2 DVD±RW with LightScribe drives for FireWire that also include Toast Titanium. With LaCie Remote Burn, users can take full advantage of the LaCie DVD±RW burners’ fast write speeds from any Macintosh located on the local network. Exclusively available to LaCie, Remote Burn can easily burn files with simple drag and drop, while automatically calculating the type of DVD/CD needed. When ready to burn, the software sends data across the network to selected computers with attached LaCie burners.

“LaCie Remote Burn is a complete solution for easily sharing multiple burners plugged into a Macintosh at home or in the office,” said Christelle Dexet, LaCie Product Manager. “With three clicks of a mouse, one can burn their data to a remote LaCie DVD±RW drive or duplicate a custom DVD/CD using multiple burners over the network. In addition to our drives’ stylish design, LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling technology and the bundling of a complete version of Toast Titanium, LaCie continues to offer the most advanced burning solution for Macintosh users.”

Get more details here