CDRLabs is looking to expand its staff by adding one or two software reviewers. These people must be able to work on their own, be motivated and work under deadlines. In return, you'll be able to check out the latest software while earning some extra spending money. If you're interested, send me an email. Add a comment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that the Blu-ray version of Casino Royale is the first high-def title to ship 100,000 units. Casino Royale also holds the record for the greatest number of high-def copies sold in one day and is the first high-def film to debut on Amazon's top 10 sellers list.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE)'s blockbuster Bond title, Casino Royale, released March 13 on Blu-ray Disc, has hit the 100,000 units shipped mark and is setting records at retail for greatest number of high-definition copies sold in one day, it was announced today by SPHE Worldwide President, David Bishop. The title debuted in the top 10 on Amazon's DVD top-sellers list - a first for any film in high definition. The film's director, Martin Campbell, extolled the disc quality and commented, "It's just unbelievable. Clearly, it's fantastic. The comparison between standard def DVD and Blu-ray is quite stunning and quite transparent to the master. It's precisely what would make me want to buy a copy."

Since the November launch of Playstation 3, sales of Blu-ray titles have risen exponentially - a more than 700 percent increase. "As a point of comparison, the first DVD title to ship 100,000 units took approximately 11 months (Air Force One, in February 1998)," said Mr. Bishop. "Casino Royale on Blu-ray has done it in far less time and is clearly demonstrating the format's robust growth in the marketplace." Sony DADC has replicated more than two million Blu-ray Discs for Sony Pictures since the launch of the format.
SPHE plans to offer more titles on 50GB discs, including new releases like Rocky Balboa and The Pursuit of Happyness. More information, including a list of upcoming releases, can be found here. Add a comment
Panasonic has announced a new portable Super Multi drive, the LF-P968C. Not much larger than a standard CD case, the LF-P968C can be powered from the USB bus and features 8x DVD±R, 4x DVD±R DL and 5x DVD-RAM writing speeds. Here are some of the drive's specs:



Writing Speeds:
DVD±R: 8x
DVD±R DL: 8x
DVD+RW: 4x
DVD-RW: 6x
DVD-RAM: 5x
CD-R: 24x
CD-RW: 16x

Access Times:

DVD-ROM: 180ms
CD-ROM: 150ms

Read Speeds:
DVD-ROM (Single): 8x Max
DVD-ROM (Dual): 6x Max
DVD-Video: 4x Max
DVD±R: 8x Max
DVD±RW: 6x Max
DVD±R DL: 6x Max
DVD-RAM: 5x Max
CD-ROM: 24x Max

Buffer Size: 2MB


The LF-P968C is expected to hit store shelves on April 13th for about 22,000 Yen ($187US). More information can be found on Panasonic's website. Add a comment

Thermalright HR-07 @Overclockers Online
ASUS P5N-E SLI 650i Motherboard @ThinkComputers.org
Ultra X-Pro 800Watt ATX Power Supply @Tweaknews.net
Golden Mars GeeDom Flash Drive and SD Memory @The TechZone
Add a comment
Verbatim Europe has announced the release of its new digital photo album. The album contains 20 sheets of photographic paper as well as a printable 52x CD-R disc so that you can make back-ups of your photos.

One package, two processes. Verbatim has released a digital photo album that will delight fans of digital data storage just as much as it will please people who appreciate professional photos. The digital photo album is a box containing a CD-R 52x for back-up copies of precious photos and photographic paper coated on both sides for brilliant print-outs of your favourite pictures.
No word on pricing or availability. If you'd like to read more, Verbatim Europe's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
DigiTimes has reported that Taiwan's second-tier optical disc manufacturers are currently competiting for OEM orders, quoting prices as low as $0.14-0.15 for a 16x DVD+R/-R disc.
Second-tier Taiwan makers of blank optical discs, including Prodisc Technology and Optodisc Technology, have launch price competition for OEM orders quoting US$0.14-0.15 for a 16x DVD+R/-R disc, 17-18% lower than the general level of US$0.17-0.18, according to industry sources.

CMC Magnetics and Ritek, the top two makers, have not followed suit in lowering prices for 16x DVD+R/-R discs, but have reduced OEM quotations for 8x discs by 10-20%, the sources pointed out.
The article also mentions that 18-20x DVD+R/-R discs will not be in significant demand until the fourth quarter of the year. If you'd like to read more, head on over to DigiTimes. Add a comment
With the price of Blu-ray players dropping, it may be tempting to go and pick one up. You may want to hold off though as the Blu-ray Disc Association has mandated that all players released after October 31st must be able to play back picture-in-picture video and hold 256MB of memory to help power this feature. Players with an internet connection must also have 1GB of memory to hold downloadable content.
The Blu-ray Disc Assn. has mandated that all hardware streeting after that date must be able to play back picture-in-picture video, as driven by BD Java interactive technology. Many players on shelves now can handle BD Java, but to varying degrees. Few Blu-ray players include picture-in-picture capability, for instance, not even the PlayStation 3.

Sony's current and summer 2007 stand-alone models and available Pioneer and Philips units are among those lacking the picture-in-picture feature.

With two different pools of players at retail in the near future, studios will have to navigate how to best create titles that play universally. A title with a highly touted picture-in-picture feature, for example, might not play properly on all players.
Unfortunately, those that shelled out a small fortune for first gen Blu-ray Disc players probably won't be able to take advantage of features like picture-in-picture, even with a firmware update. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

Velocity Micro Gamers' Edge DualX Custom Gaming Computer @ThinkComputers.org
Zalman ZM-600HP 600 Watt Modular Heatpipe Cooled Power Supply @Futurelooks
PowerColor X1650 XT 256MB AGP Video Card @Bigbruin.com
SilverStone Decathlon DA750 PSU @DV Hardware
Dell 2407WFP 24" LCD Display @DV Hardware
Add a comment
Home Media Magazine has released the latest Nielsen VideoScan sales data. As of March 18th, Blu-ray had now sold 100 units to every 84.07 units of HD DVD. Comparing these numbers to last week's results (100:89.25), you can see that HD DVD has slipped another 5% in overall sales.


Things definitely aren't looking good for HD DVD. However, with price drops and the release of the Ultimate Matrix Collection on the way, HD DVD could make a comeback. Feel free to leave your comments in our forum. Add a comment
New Medium Enterprises (NME) has announced that they've signed a deal with MCA Technology, giving them the ability to distribute and promote their VMD players and PC drives in France and other parts of Europe.
New Medium Enterprises (NME) (OTC Bulletin Board: NMEN - News), a company that has developed, designed and manufactured the latest home entertainment innovation, HD VMD (Versatile Multilayer Disc), today announces its contract with one of the most established electronic distributors, MCA Technology.

The deal is a major step towards NME's French expansion for which MCA Technology has been given exclusive distribution rights in addition to introducing NME to parts of other European territories where MCA has a strong footprint. MCA will co-ordinate the distribution and promotion of its HD VMD player and PC drives amongst electronics and technology retail specialists, which will support NME's current aggressive marketing campaigns across Europe.
As part of the European launch, NME will be offering a special bundle which includes an HD VMD player and five HD VMD movies for only 299 Euro (including VAT). If you'd like to read more, NME's entire press release can be found here Add a comment