~ StorDigital’s LightScribe duplicators offer easy disc burning & labelling ~

New from StorDigital the LightScribe duplicator supports silkscreen-quality disc label printing direct from a DVD and CD duplication tower.

Burning and printing large volumes of discs has never been easier, thanks to a new range of DVD and CD duplication towers from StorDigital. The new standalone LightScribe duplicators are available in configuration from 1 to 15 targets and allow users to burn and label their discs in a traditional-style standalone tower copier. This is the perfect solution for any company or individual who wants to make the best impression with their disc.

StorDigital LightScribe duplicators feature patented HP LightScribe disc labeling technology. By utilising a special disc, LightScribe duplicator operators are able to burn their discs, then flip them and then burn a label or image on to the top of the disc. By offering duplicators featuring this enhanced functionality StorDigital Systems are revolutionising the traditional in-house production process.

Nic Ranshaw (MD of CD-writer.com and CEO of StorDigital Systems) had this to say: “The introduction of our LightScribe duplicators really does represent a turning point in the way people approach disc publishing. Traditionally if a tower duplicator customer wished to produce a disc that is both copied and labeled they would have to purchase a separate printer. We have transformed the process, making production simpler and reducing expenditure.“

He added, “We don’t consider that the LightScribe system is perfect for everybody. It won’t replace our automated inkjet printers, but having a tower duplicator that can also label your discs is a strong selling point”.

StorDigital LightScribe duplicators featuring HP LightScribe technology are available now from CD-writer.com Ltd and StorDigital Systems on 0208 293 0777. To register for a CD-writer.com trade account log on to http://reseller.cd-writer.com.

Retail customers can get more information and buy online at www.cd-writer.com.

Editor’s note: If you want to stay constantly u to date on the latest news from CD-Writer.com, paste the following link into your RSS reader, http://press.cd-writer.com/atom.xml. If you don’t have an RSS reader, I can recommend the following free package Sharp Reader.

Osaka, Japan (June 18, 2008) — Panasonic, the leading brand by which Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is known, announced today that it has developed the world’s first Write-Once Blu-ray Discs(BD-R) with 6X writing speed*. The new discs will be available in Japan with both 25GB and 50GB capacities in July.

Panasonic, which introduced the world’s first dual-layer 1X BD-RE Blu-ray Disc in 2004**, 2X BD-R/RE Discs in 2006, and 4X BD-R Disc in 2007, is now launching the world’s first 6X BD-R to meet consumer demand to write and read large amounts of data at a higher speed. The new 6X discs have a maximum data transfer speed of 216Mbps, which is 20% faster than that of 16X DVD-R discs. This transfer speed, along with the discs’ high capacity, allows consumers to use these discs for a variety of applications such as storing High Definition video or backing up PC data.

The new discs have a wide power margin at any writing speeds from 1X to 6X. This enables high-quality recording, even if the drive’s laser power fluctuates, resulting in greater overall drive compatibility.

Panasonic’s adoption of newly-developed disc technology produces extremely level and well-balanced discs with highly precise signal grooves. This improves servo characteristics and enables the laser beam to focus to the right position even when the disc is rotating with 6X high speed, thus providing optimum reading and writing performance.

Blu-ray disc drives compatible with 6X write-once Blu-ray discs are planned to be commercialized in Japan by the end of September 2008.

*As of June 18, 2008, as 6x recordable Blu-ray disc
**The capacity of Blu-ray discs is expressed in units of 1GB=1 billion bytes, but the capacity is slightly below that after formatting, so that the actual amount area that can be used will be less.
***Introduced in Japanese market only

To find out more about the product, visit Panasonic website at http://panasonic.net/

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Taipei, Taiwan—June 20, 2008—CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), innovative solutions provider for the connected digital lifestyle, announced today that PowerDVD receives certification by DTS for the support of DTS-HD Master Audio technology.

The combination of CyberLink PowerDVD and DTS’s latest technology enables the ultimate entertainment experience when playing high-definition content and Blu-ray discs movies on PCs. DTS-HD Master Audio allows bit-for-bit reproduction of the original studio master soundtrack and supports up to 7.1-channel output, for a lifelike audio performance.

“We are pleased to work with DTS in enabling superior high definition video and audio experience on PCs,” said Alice H. Chang, CEO of CyberLink. “PowerDVD users can now enjoy lossless compression audio quality when watching their latest high definition Blu-ray discs.”
CyberLink PowerDVD’s main features include:

• Playback of Blu-ray Disc and high-definition videos;
• Optimized performance for playing high-definition video content through graphics cards featuring NVIDIA PureVideo, ATI Avivo, and Intel Clear Video chipsets;
• Support for next-generation disc features like Picture-in-Picture movie mode, networking, interactive BD-J, bookmarks, and advanced disc navigation.

CyberLink PowerDVD featuring DTS-HD Master Audio support will be available as an upgrade to existing users in in July 2008. An HDMI 1.3a-enabled audio system is necessary to enjoy the high-definition DTS-HD Master Audio.

For more information about CyberLink’s high-definition solutions, please visit www.cyberlink.com

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, is expanding its TruDirect™ line of optical disc drives with the development of a slim, slot-in external model, the SE-T084M/RSWD. Samsung’s revolutionary TruDirect technology allows consumers to create DVDs and burn digital content through a PC without the need for a hard drive. The time-saving TruDirect ™ SE-T084M provides easy and fast real-time recording of DVDs.

For more informations about this product, go to www.emedialive.com .

Fast turn-around duplication from RapidDuplication.co.uk ~ A new emergency CD, DVD, Blu-Ray and USB copying service ~

RapidDuplication is a new digital media copying service offering 24 hour turnaround on high volume production of discs and USB drives. Ideal for situations when CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray disc or USB drives need to be duplicated fast RapidDuplication.co.uk is your emergency duplication partner.

Helene Zorzi from RapidDuplication Ltd had this to say ” Our new service is the answer to an increasing need from our customers to get their product to market quickly. Digital media has become a very time sensitive commodity and the value of content can depreciate quickly. With RapidDuplication our customers are guaranteed to get their product on the streets fast, giving them a competitive advantage”

She added, “Typical customers of the fast turn-around service would be, live event recording specialists, conference organisers, church AV specialists, recording artists, marketing or press agencies, trade exhibitors or any business that is about to miss their deadline. We’re offering a premium service to a growing customer base who need their product fast. ”

Duplication and disc production is becoming increasingly specialised as physcial media competes and compliments digital distribution channels.
Delivering content to customers faster than your competitors is an obvious advantage. Combine this with a premium service like RapidDuplication, and you get an instant unique selling point for your product.

RapidDuplication – number one for high speed duplication.

RapidDuplication.co.uk is a trading style of CD-writer.com Ltd, a leading UK supplier of digital media technology and services.

To find more information and contact details visit www.rapidduplication.co.uk or call 020 8293 0777 or view browse over 70′000 product lines at www.cd-writer.com.

Rapid DVD CD Blu-Ray and USB duplication service

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

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., June 3, 2008 – LG Electronics today launched its new line of optical disc drives, which feature one of the fastest Blu-ray reading and writing speed of 6x. The latest models – BE06, GBC-H20L and GBW-H20L – are available now through national retail stores as well as other leading online electronics retailers.

Unique to LG, the line offers SecurDisc™ capabilities, which provide data protection and content access control on all current optical formats, and LightScribe™ technology, which enables consumers to easily create direct-to-disc labels right from their drive.

“LG drives offer everyday users and professionals some of the fastest recording speeds in the industry,” said Marc Sorkin, senior marketing manager, for LG Electronics IT and Home Entertainment products. “With cutting-edge technologies such as SecurDisc and LightScribe, which make data transfer easier and safer, these drives meet consumers’ increasing demand for a compact storage option both in the office and at home.”

Storage for the Home or Office

The next generation in optical storage products, models BE06, GBC-H20L and GBW-H20L provide back-up for a wide variety of files, photos, business documents, or video. Consumers will appreciate the 6x speed at which the drives write and read information, their compatibility with DVD and CDR CRDW, as well as their quick and easy data storage option.

Perfect for laptop users or those that have a multitude of PCs, LG’s BE06 can be easily connected through the USB 2.0 connection and a DC power adapter. The BE06 has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $379.95. Additional features include:

• Compatibility with all BD, DVD and CD formats

• 6x BD-R/2x BD-RE read compatible

• DVD+RW/-RW recording speed to 16x recording
Get more details here

Xbox boss questions why consumers would upscale from DVD

Xbox president Robbie Bach has criticised Blu-Ray’s lack of sales success since the HD-DVD format imploded – and questioned why consumers would bother upscaling from DVD.

Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle, Bach also ruled out any possibility of a Blu-Ray enabled Xbox – either in this or the next generation.

Bach said: “If you look at the Blu-ray player market, you haven't seen the acceleration everybody expected (since the demise of HD DVD). It's not as much about whether all the content is in a Blu-ray format or a HD-DVD format. “You have to look at how fundamentally compelling the difference is between a progressive scan DVD player and the picture that it can produce and what you get on a high-definition play

Bach said: “If you look at the Blu-ray player market, you haven't seen the acceleration everybody expected (since the demise of HD DVD). It's not as much about whether all the content is in a Blu-ray format or a HD-DVD format. “You have to look at how fundamentally compelling the difference is between a progressive scan DVD player and the picture that it can produce and what you get on a high-definition player.

“The reality is there is some difference, but most people look at it and say, ‘I am not going to pay extra for that.’”

When asked if Microsoft had Blu-Ray plans for the next-gen Xbox, Bach added:

“No. There is nothing to even talk about right now with regard to the next generation. That is so far out that there isn't anything to talk about.”

Get more details here 

Singulus reveals uptake of replication hardware is ahead of ‘last-gen’ disc format

Optical disc hardware specialist Singulus has received orders for 21 Blu-Ray dual-layer duplication machines in the first quarter of this year – a faster adoption than of the format’s predeccesor DVD 11 years ago.

“This means that the orders for Blu-ray in the first year of the dual layer technology already by far exceeded the volume at the start of the DVD 11 years ago with 17 machines,” said chief financial officer Stefan Baustert.

Get more details here