opticaldrive
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Pioneer's ultraslim DVR-XD09 burner is more jewel case than drive
While ASUS is busy stuffing DVD burners into Eee PCs, Pioneer and others are working hard to make the integrated optical drive a thing of the past. The freshly announced XD09 measures in at 5.24 x 0.58 x 5.24-inches and 8 ounces, or slightly beefier than your average CD case. Pioneer claims that it's the most compact drive design yet. Essentially this means if you can carry your optical media around with you, then you can carry the player for it too. Power comes via the USB 2.0 connection, and all the usual DVD plus, minus, reading, writing, dual-layer mumbo jumbo is retained with top writing speeds of 8x on single-layer and 6x on double-layer media. This inspired minimalism can be yours for $79.99 in August.[Via Hot Hardware]
ASUS Eee PC 1004DN lands in Taiwan, gives the netbook a serious identity crisis
Sure, an optical drive isn't going to explode the definition of netbooks as we know it -- we'll have to wait for Windows 7 to do that -- but perhaps we can all learn to live lives of greater peace and harmony now that you can spin up a plastic circle of ones and zeros inside an Eee PC. The new 1004DN is now available in Taiwan for NT$19,988, about $609 US.[Via Liliputing]
Acer Aspire One 571 emerges: Atom N280, 720p panel and Vmedia drive
Wait a second -- can this be real? Are we seriously seeing a drastic diversion from the cookie-cutter nature that has long since bored us of netbooks? The typically trustworthy macles* has shots and details of an all new Acer Aspire One, one that dyslexic folk will likely confuse with the already shipping Aspire One 751. Indeed, the Aspire One 571 looks an awful lot like other Acer netbooks, but it's the internals that set it apart. For starters, it's rockin' a 1.66GHz Atom N280 processor and a 1,280 x 720 resolution panel; sure it's still just 10.1-inches, but hey, we'll take 720p. Furthermore, there's a Quartics Q1721 Multimedia Processor shoved in there -- you know, so it can handle decoding and encoding of H.264 content while adding hardware scaling and filtering. Eager for more? That Vmedia comeback we heard about is on, as the left palm rest boasts one of the miniature optical drives. Mum's the word on price and availability, but you can peek a few more shots in the read link.
Sonic shoves Qflix DVD burners into more Dell desktops
We know you're struggling to believe your eyes, but those Qflix burners actually are still hanging around. For those who missed all the action last year, these devices enable users to download a DRM-laced film onto their PC and burn it onto a specially-keyed DVD for playback. In other words, you can forget about toasting flicks to that dusty stack of DVD-Rs you've got laying around from late '05. For whatever reason, Dell has seen fit to extend its partnership with Sonic Solutions by offering internal Qflix drives on the Studio XPS Desktop, Studio XPS 435, Studio Desktop and Studio Slim Desktop. The wild part? Its actually charging more for having you clean out its inventory.
Sony Optiarc Europe lets loose 24x AD-7240S DVD burner
While we're not totally in agreement with Sony Optiarc Europe's claim that its AD-7240S DVD burner (AD-7220 A/S pictured) is the first on the planet to achieve a 24x burn rate, we won't deny the awesomeness. Inappropriately hailed as a "speed miracle," the drive features the company's Auto Strategy Technology in order to ensure perfect burns every time. You should also know that it'll toast blank CDs at up to 48x and dual-layer DVD-Rs at 12x. Nah, it's no Blu-ray burner, but it's not like you can even afford that kind of optical media, anyway.[Via TG Daily]
Blu-ray optical drives still a rare find in British PCs
This here survey may have been conducted by GfK across the pond, but we'd be willing to wager the results are actually indicative of most major developed markets. Baseless assumptions aside, the facts are that a subset of surveyed individuals has led the research firm to conclude that at the tail end of 2008, DVD-RW drives still held a 92 percent share in the optical disc drive sector. Needless to say, sales of standalone BD optical drives were much, much lower, holding just a 4 percent volume share in November 2008. Moreover, some 81 percent of "mobile computers" and 86 percent of desktops came loaded with a DVD-RW drive last October, and just 1 percent (yes, one) of desktops came with a high-definition drive of any kind pre-installed. It's not shocking to see that the PC market is adopting BD slower than the standalone home entertainment segment, but what this could also signal is the declining interest in cutting-edge HTPCs altogether. What say you, oh knowledgeable ones?
Ask Engadget HD: Best Blu-ray optical drive for my PC?
This week's Ask Engadget HD question touches on a subject that's rarely covered in the mainstream flow of Blu-ray news, but matters much to those with HTPCs or big-screen monitors attached to their towers. Have a look at a Kerry's concerns: "I'm looking to upgrade the optical drive in my HTPC with a Blu-ray drive. My hardware is new enough to support the demands of BD, but I want to make sure I get the best value in a Blu-ray burner. Obviously, speedier drives would be nice, but I'm okay with the next quickest thing to save a few bucks. Which drives have readers had success with?" So, there you have it. What BD drive is currently packed tightly within your living room PC? Have you had any playback / compatibility issues? Spill the beans below.Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
New Wii drives breaking modchips, hearts, legs
Are you a Wii fanatic? Do you enjoy getting "in" "there" and really messing about? Well here's a word to the wise: if you want to keep on keepin' on with your funky mods and hacks, don't get a new Wii. Apparently, fresh shipments of Nintendo's cash cow are stocked with an optical drive configuration that somehow breaks current modchips -- thus rendering your freedom from gaming oppression null and void. It seems that the drives sport a new fusion of older components (including the controller chip) which contribute to the disruption in your regularly scheduled program of l33t hackery. Luckily for you, you're too hardcore to spring for a new system -- so you're safe from this glaring affront to your personal freedom... right?[Thanks, Mike]
Plextor announces four new optical drives, 6x Blu-ray readers included
Not interested in Qflix, huh? No worries, as Plextor has four others for your consideration. Up first is the PX-610U 8x slim external USB Super Multi Drive for both Mac and PC, which requires no AC adapter and comes bundled with Roxio burn software. Next are the 6x PX-B310SA (internal SATA) and PX-B310U (external USB) drives, both of which read Blu-ray Discs at 6x and burn blank DVDs at an undisclosed (but undoubtedly zippy) rate. Batting cleanup are the 22x PX-850SA (internal SATA) and PX-850A (internal PATA) Super Multi drives, which forgo the whole BD-compatible thing and stick strictly to DVD. Each of the units should be available now, though pricing remains a mystery. Nothing like a little anticipation, right?
OWC introduces first external Blu-ray drive with quad interface
It's debatable whether or not Apple is losing its touch with FireWire, but you can rest assured that OWC hasn't. Said outfit has just announced the industry's first Blu-ray external drive with a quad interface, meaning you can link it up to your PC or Mac via FireWire 400, FireWire 800, USB 2.0 or eSATA. The Mercury Pro SW-5583 arrives with the capability to toast BD-Rs at a rate of 4x and includes a pair of 25GB BD-R discs for $499.99; the closely related Mercury Pro SW-5583T throws in a full retail version of Roxio Toast 9 Titanium (OS X) and sells for $579.99. Now, if only we could convince Steve that Blu-ray and Macs could indeed get along together, we'd really be satisfied. Full release after the break.
Amex Digital does what Steve won't, intros portable Blu-ray burner for Macs
A "bag of hurt," huh Steve? How do you like these Apples? Amex Digital has stepped in to give prospective MacBook / MacBook Pro owners (and anyone with a fresh USB-equipped Mac, really) the ability to watch and burn Blu-ray Discs... so long as they're cool with hauling around an external unit. The glossy black / white drive (coincidence?) is pretty much a Blu flavor of the portable Super Multi Drive it churned out in July. It'll burn BD-RE / -R (single-layer) discs at 2x, while dual-layer versions will only toast at 1x; as for blank DVDs, they'll get done at a rate of 4x to 8x depending on flavor. Not too painful at just $289, wouldn't you agree, Mr. Jobs?[Thanks, A1]
Amex Digital does what Steve wouldn't, intros portable Blu-ray burner for Macs
A "bag of hurt," huh Steve? How do you like these Apples? Amex Digital has stepped in to give prospective MacBook / MacBook Pro owners (and anyone with a fresh USB-equipped Mac, really) the ability to watch and burn Blu-ray Discs... so long as they're cool with hauling around an external unit. The glossy black / white drive (coincidence?) is pretty much a Blu flavor of the portable Super Multi Drive it churned out in July. It'll burn BD-RE / -R (single-layer) discs at 2x, while dual-layer versions will only toast at 1x; as for blank DVDs, they'll get done at a rate of 4x to 8x depending on flavor. Not too painful at just $289, wouldn't you agree, Mr. Jobs?[Thanks, A1]
Lite-On intros 6x iHES206 internal Blu-ray reader / DVD writer
If you were hoping to grab a new Blu-ray writer to slap inside of that new tower, you'll be sorely disappointed with Lite-On's new iHES206. The 6x optical drive simply reads Blu-ray Discs, but it will handle writing of blank CD and DVD media. As for speeds, it can digest single-layer BD-R / RE / ROM discs at 6x (dual-layer at 4x) while writing DVD±R at 16X, DVD±R DL / DVD+RW at 8x, DVD-RW at 6x and DVD-RAM at 12x. It's on track for a November release in Europe for a manageable €139 ($189).[Via CDFreaks]
Eee hard drive, optical drive, and 3G card continue to reduce meaning of Eee brand
Okay, so there's clearly a tube that dispenses marshmallows to the ASUS marketing department whenever it comes up with another product to slap the Eee brand on, because this just getting silly. In addition to the countless Eee laptops, Eee Box desktop, Eee monitor, Eee televisions, and other Eee-branded crap, we're hearing the company is working on a line of accessories, including an external hard drive, optical drive, and WWAN card. None of this is official quite yet, but knowing ASUS, it'll be out in 30 different varieties by the end of the month.
BenQ hacks 33% from its BR1000 Blu-ray optical drive in Taiwan
We'd give you two guesses on how we feel about this trend, but you only need one. BenQ has just followed Pioneer's lead and dropped the price of its BR1000 Blu-ray optical drive a full 33% in Taiwan. Post-discount, the BD-ROM unit now sits at around NT$3,650 (or $120 to you Americans). SonyNEC Optiarc projected that we'd see these internal drives selling for under $100 before 2009, and it looks like its prophecy will indeed come true. Now, as soon as the standalone players start heading in the same direction, we'll be all smiles.
Pioneer lowers Blu-ray combo drive price in China, Sony unit to hit Taiwan
Take all of this with a grain of salt for the time being, but word on the street has it that Pioneer has lowered the retail price of its BDC-S02BKZ Blu-ray Disc Combo drive in China by just over 41%. The new sticker shows 999 yuan ($145), while just last week it was marked 1,699 yuan ($247). We're also hearing that Pioneer will soon be lowering the retail price of its BDC-S02 optical drive in the Taiwan market, and if that wasn't enough, (hopefully believable) sources have stated that Sony will launch a Blu-ray Disc Combo drive in this very region for around $230 next month. We can't say that BD prices are where they need to be for mass adoption, but it's good to see them finally headed in the right direction.Read - Price dropsRead - New Sony drive
SonyNEC Optiarc projects sub-$100 Blu-ray optical drives by year's end
If you'll recall, SonyNEC Optiarc was the same company that suggested BD prices would be halved by 2008 from what they were in late 2006, and while stickers are still relatively high on standalone decks, the prediction actually wasn't too far off. A new report from Tom's Hardware notes that the aforementioned outfit is expecting Blu-ray combo drives "to reach the $100 line before the holiday season." For around $50 more, it reckons you'll have access to slim-line notebook drives that handle the same duties. Granted, there's no real confirmation surrounding the assertions, and we'll be the first to blindly hope such wishful thinking comes true, but we'd say BD prices in general have a whole lot of falling to do in six short months for this one to even stand a chance.[Via TechDigest]
LG unveils 6x Blu-ray burners: BE06, GBC-H20L, and GBW-H20L
Not even a week after LaCie trumpeted its latest 4x external Blu-ray writer, along comes LG to re-up the ante. Its latest trifecta -- the BE06 (pictured), GBC-H20L and GBW-H20L -- all offer SecurDisc capabilities and LightScribe technology, not to mention the ability to toast BD-Rs at 6x (and BD-REs at 2x). As for the external USB 2.0 BE06, you'll be looking at $379.95; for the GBC-H20L and GBW-H20L, however, you can expect to pay $199.95 / $279.97 respectively. The trio is available as we speak.
Kohjinsha's SR8KPO6S UMPC makes room for optical drive
Kohjinsha's UMPCs have remained largely unchanged over the years -- an SSD here, Intel CPU boost here -- but the firm's latest has managed to accomplish something few UMPCs would even dream of. That's right, this 7-incher includes a full-fledged dual-layer DVD writer, which tags along nicely with the 1,024 x 600 resolution LED-backlit panel, 1.3-megapixel camera, 60GB hard drive, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth and 800MHz A110 processor. It's also filled with 1GB of DDR2 RAM, Ethernet, a duo of USB 2.0 ports, VGA output, audio in / out, 3-in-1 multicard reader and a pair of battery options promising 3.5 / 7.2 hours of life. The 2.4-pound machine looks to be available at the end of this month (albeit rebadged as a Vye Mini-V S37) for around $1,500.[Via Ubergizmo]
DiscTop
This is probably one of the coolest freeware applications on the Mac that I've seen in a while. Have you ever placed a disc in your Mac's drive, only to shut it down with the disc still in there? I know I have a couple of times. Now you will never do that again, thanks to DiscTop. When you load a CD or DVD into your Mac, DiscTop displays a disc-like icon on the desktop, letting you know that you currently have a disc inserted. When you eject the disc, the icon zooms off the screen. The coolest thing about DiscTop is that when you insert a known DVD (say, The Simpsons Movie) you can set the artwork via an Amazon search and display it over top of the DVD icon. DiscTop even asks you what type of Mac you use and then positions the disc accordingly. For instance, I have an iMac Core Duo (early 2006 model), so when I use that profile DiscTop will make sure the disc's icon is positioned where the optical drive is located. Very cool!If you want to give DiscTop a spin it's freeware and available at the developers website.
