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Posts with tag bd-r

ILY Enterprise unveils "world's first" 6x SATA Blu-ray duplicator

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 3:34PM


ILY Enterprise is totally playing word games here with its "world's first" 6x SATA Blu-ray duplicator, but we suspect it actually is a tad quicker than Vinpower Digital's comparable unit. As the company states, this unit boasts a controller that is "specifically designed and built for a SATA connection to reduce the cost and work more reliably than IDE-converted-SATA units," though we can't say if you'll actually notice the difference in speed without a stopwatch. Whatever the case, those interested in firing up their own piracy farm movie production company can acquire one now (from 1 to 11 targets) for a presumably lofty price. Oh, and judging by those logos, we reckon these drives could be used to play back some of your old HD DVDs during off-hours -- talk about a nice perk.

MCE offers 6x Blu-ray burner for Mac Pro and Power Mac G5

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 2nd 2008 at 10:06AM


MCE is at it again providing the wares that Apple simply won't. After offering up a 2x Blu-ray burner for the Mac Pro and Power Mac G5 last year, the company is keeping up with the industry by introducing a 6x variant for the very same machines. You'll also find compatibility with BD-RE (2x), DVD±R (16x), DVD±RW (6x - 8x), DVD±RW DL (4x), CD-R (40x) and CD-RW (24x). The drive itself is available as we speak for $499, while a bundle with Roxio Toast 9 Titanium goes for $599 and an external version runs $749.

[Via The Mac Observer]

NEC ships samples of SoC for 8x Blu-ray recording

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 19th 2008 at 6:06PM


Yesterday, Panasonic announced that it would be bringing 6x BD-R media to Japan. Today, we've got NEC leap-frogging said announcement by trumpeting the shipment of its newest SoC (system on chip). Sure enough, samples of the SCOMBO/UM2A, a "SoC chip designed for use in Blu-ray Disc systems that support 8x recording and playback," have begun to ship out to undisclosed recipients. We're told that the chip is being aimed at the PC and AV markets (obviously), but there's no telling how long we'll have to wait until 8x Blu-ray burners (and 8x BD-R / BD-RE media, for that matter) hit the streets.

Japan gets 6x BD-R media, US has 6x burners: someday the two shall meet

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jun 18th 2008 at 3:40AM


So, you picked up a 6x Blu-ray burner earlier this month did you? Too bad there isn't any media available to cope with that write speed. Oh sure, TDK has been kicking a 6x disc around trade shows for years, but Panasonic will apparently be the first to market when its 25GB and 50GB 6x BD-R discs hit Japan on July 10th. Unfortunately for our Japanese brethren, Panasonic says that, "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." Funny, with those 6x BD-R burners from LG already released in the US, could it be that US (and Korean) Blu-ray interests have finally jumped ahead of Japan's -- the birthplace of Blu? Perhaps, but Panasonic hasn't provided a date for its Stateside 6x media release... yet.

Delkin's 25GB Archival Gold BD-Rs will be around longer than you

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 13th 2008 at 8:43PM


Archive master Delkin has stepped up to the plate once more, this time aiming to please those with way more horror films than a typical CD-R can hold. The Archival Gold Blu-ray recordable media is the first of its kind "guaranteed to preserve data safely for over 200 years." The 4x discs feature the outfit's proprietary ScratchArmor technology, which is designed to fend off the terrifying effects of UV light, heat, humidity and careless fingernails. The units are available now in 1/5/10/25 packs for an undisclosed price.

Corel's WinDVD nabs BD-R 1.1 and BD-RE 2.1 playback certification

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 8th 2008 at 11:53PM


Corel's not satisfied with simply snagging DTS-HD Master Audio certification for WinDVD 8; it's also trumpeting the ability of WinDVD to fully support BD-R 1.1 and BD-RE 2.1 recordable / re-recordable media. Reportedly, this certification proves that said application "has passed the stringent standards and guidelines set by the Blu-ray Disc Association to ensure the best possible user experience," but it's not like that spill really means anything to you. You can, however, now rest assured that WinDVD will be all BFF like with discs that use H.264 and VC-1 for encoding. Availability? OEMs can get it now, retail consumers will see it in early 2009.

Sony slips LTH Blu-ray recordable disc support in 2.20 PS3 update

by Richard Lawler, posted Mar 25th 2008 at 9:45AM

While BD-Live got the majority of the attention in the PlayStation 3's 2.20 firmware update, it appears Sony has made another important addition by implementing support for cheaper organic dye-based LTH (Low to High) Blu-ray recordable discs. These version 1.2 BD-R's, announced back in September, are manufactured with a different process that allows plants to upgrade CD and DVD equipment more easily. Existing Blu-ray players can't read the discs, which debuted in Japan last month, without a firmware update. Sony Japan's upgrade web site notes the new support, confirmed by AV Watch; although it went unmentioned in U.S. press materials, we'd assume the upgrade made it over here for any of those looking to burn (slightly) cheaper Blu discs.


[Via Engadget Japanese]

Plextor's Blu-ray / HD DVD combo drives still on the way

by Richard Lawler, posted Mar 25th 2008 at 12:31AM


Oh, how things have changed since Plextor originally announced its combo HD DVD / Blu-ray drives would ship in February. Probably due to the end of the format war, the PX-B920SA and PX-300SA slipped a bit but should hit store shelves by the end of this month. The cost of hanging on to HD DVD compatibility? The all-HD media playing, 4x BD-R / 2x BD-RE / 16x DVD±R burning PX-B920SA will cost $599, while the PX-B300SA (hold the BD-R/BD-RE, please, we're on a diet) is $499.

Mitsubishi ramps up Blu-ray recordable disc manufacturing

by Richard Lawler, posted Mar 1st 2008 at 8:47PM

Add Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (Mitsubishi, Verbatim) to the list of manufacturers expanding Blu-ray support in the pending absence of HD DVD. The manufacturer, which has been releasing recordable media for both sides, is adding a Blu-ray production line to its Singapore plant that will expand companywide production from 200,000 to 700,000 units a month when it comes online in July or August, along with production outsourced to other manufacturers. Nothing is set in stone, but hopefully those of us recording movies and data 50GB at a time have more plentiful (and cheaper) discs to look forward to.

Plextor releases two Blu-ray / HD DVD combo drives

by Nilay Patel, posted Feb 7th 2008 at 11:39PM


Although we have hope that the format war is shuddering to a close, it's probably still wise to hedge your bets just a little -- and Plextor's got you covered with two new SATA Blu-ray / HD DVD combo drives. The new PX-B920SA writes to BD-R at 4x speeds, DVDs at 16x, and CD-Rs at 40x, and reads HD DVD, while the lower-end PX-B300SA drops the BD-R capabilities and just writes to DVD and CD. Plextor says both drives will be available at the end of the month, but sadly we don't have any pricing information.

[Via NordicHardware]

Read - PX-B920SA
Read - PX-B300SA

Verbatim introduces new lineup of Blu-ray media

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 8th 2008 at 10:54AM

We've already seen Verbatim crank out a few new pieces of HD DVD media, so it's only fair that red's rival gets a little updating, too. Among the newcomers are 4x BD-R, single-sided double-layer 2x BD-R / BD-RE, Mini BD-R / BD-RE and 1 - 2x BD-R LTH discs. Not a lot to say beyond that -- you know, considering the dearth of pricing information -- but you can expect 'em all to ship sometime during the first half of 2008.

Panasonic's internal LF-PB271JD drive burns Blu-ray at 4x

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 17th 2007 at 5:39PM


Nah, Panasonic's LF-PB271JD couldn't hold a candle to Sony's BWU-200S in a runway competition, but when it comes to performance, we'd say the two are practically neck and neck. This unit fits snuggly within any Windows-based machine lookin' for a 5.25-inch optical drive, and it has no problems burning dual-layer BD-Rs at a furious (ahem) 4x pace. Additionally, you'll find a SATA interface along with backup software bundled in, and just in case you're not working exclusively with BD-R, it can also toast BD-RE at 2x, DVD±R at 16x, DVD±R DL at 8x, DVD-RW at 6x, CD-R at 40x and CD-RW at 24x. Of course, you'll be paying through the nose for the luxuries presented when it lands on November 10th, but the ¥55,000 ($468) asking price is still a good bit lower than what Sony's demanding.

[Via Impress]

Sony's BWU-200S Blu-ray burner reaches 4x speeds

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 9th 2007 at 9:57AM


We know, 4x still isn't all that speedy in the grand scheme of things, but the BWU-200S can still toast BD-R discs twice as fast as last year's BWU-100A. Aside from filling a 50GB BD-R in around 45 minutes, the new drive can also burn to BD-RE at 2x, DVD±R at 16x, dual-layer DVD±R at 8x, CD-R at 40x and CD-RW at 24x. Furthermore, the unit boasts a SATA interface and comes bundled with the CyberLink BD Solution software that "provides a comprehensive application for capturing, authoring, editing, burning and viewing high-definition personal content." If all this looks good to you, get set to pony up around $600 when it ships out next month.

Pioneer, Mitsubishi develop LTH BD-R discs

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 18th 2007 at 12:24PM


While the HD DVD camp is busy with its 51GB disc, the Blu-ray side has a new creature of its own to talk about. Co-developed by Pioneer and Mitsubishi, the LTH (Low to High) BD-R reportedly utilizes an "organic dye recording layer," and is said to be a recognized format within the Blu-ray Disc Recordable Format v1.2 standard. Additionally, the two companies boast that this disc won't require "large-scale plant investments" to manufacture, which is music to the ears of anyone who enjoys lower costs. Regrettably, it sounds like existing Blu-ray drives won't play nice with the LTH BD-Rs as-is, but here's to hoping that firmware updates could fix that. Click on for a shot of a prototype drive gettin' cozy with one of the new discs.

[Via CDRInfo]

Continue reading Pioneer, Mitsubishi develop LTH BD-R discs

Panasonic prepares 4x DL BD-R burner: 50GB in 46 minutes

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 3rd 2007 at 8:03AM

Panasonic is set to join LG with the introduction of their own 4x speed BD-R recorder. However, while LG's GBW-H10N Blu-ray recorder burns are limited to single-layer media, Panny is boasting of a 4x burn to a dual-layer BD-R platter. That's 50GB in 46 minutes in case you're keeping track. No pictures, price, but you can expect Panny to go big and fast with product sometime later this year.

[Via Impress]




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