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Sanyo's blue laser to speed up HD DVD / Blu-ray burning?
While Sony's certainly had its fair share of blue laser supply issues, and the current generation of HD DVD / Blu-ray burners are sluggish at best, it looks like the first step towards marginally acceptable write speeds to next generation formats has been taken. According to Nikkei, Sanyo has developed a blue laser diode which will speed up data access, and moreover, should be able to reach write speeds of "up to 6x for dual-layer discs." Similar to LG's combo unit, this diode also plays nice with both HD DVD and Blu-ray recorders, but there's no word if a hybrid writer using the laser is in our immediate future. Still, any progress towards harmony between the formats -- not to mention being able to burn a dual-layer Blu-ray disc in time for your next birthday -- is a step in the right direction, so we're expecting nothing less than a 6x burner to be hitting shelves sooner rather than later, Sanyo. [Warning: read link requires subscription][Via Inquirer]
Pioneer's BDC-202 "combo" 5x Blu-ray drive
At Pioneer's CES press conference it announced both its new plasma display technology and a new half height Blu-ray drive for PCs. Titled the BDC-202 combination Blu-ray disc drive it unfortunately isn't quite the "combo" drive we might have expected. No HD DVD compatibility is in store from Pioneer but this drive is still special, able to read BD-ROM, BD-R and BD-RE discs at 5x, dual layer recordable Blu-ray discs at 2x while also service as a DVD/CD read/write drive. As long as Blu-ray is your format of choice this is the type of drive that is most likely to end up in the PC of someone who wants to watch Blu-ray movies on their PC, but doesn't need to be able to author them or back up large files. Also, by forgoing Blu-ray burning capability it should (hopefully) be significantly cheaper than current Blu-ray burners (pictured) on the market. No price yet, but the drive should be available in the second quarter of this year.
Toshiba unveils SD-H903A HD DVD burner for PCs
Hot on the heels of all this last minute, pre-CES HD DVD-related action is the SD-H903A, which Toshiba touts as "the world's first dedicated PC-based HD DVD burner" that writes "to all main optical discs." Aside from the obvious (albeit expected) hand-to-the-face to BD-Rs in that last claim, the burner does manage to write nicely to HD DVD-R (single and dual-layer at a measly 1x), DVD +/- R, DVD-RAM, DVD +/- RW, CD-R, and CD-RW. Additionally, it'll include an 8MB buffer, and if all goes well, should play back all your precious HD DVD titles without complication. While we've no idea how much coinage will be required to pick this (admittedly sluggish) drive up, sample shipments are scheduled to take off this month, and we should get a good look at just what it's capable of at next week's CES.
Verbatim adds background color to LightScribe discs
Nothing adds a dash of holiday cheer like a little color to brighten things up, or at least that's the mantra Verbatim is banking on you believing as it "ramps up shipments" of its recently-unveiled LightScribe-compatible CD-Rs. While we figured color would come this way awhile back, we were honestly hoping for actual color etching technology to be a part of LightScribe by now, but we guess a spindle of "red, green, blue, yellow and orange discs" will have to suffice for the time being. Notably, these discs utilize the same ole LightScribe burner you've already got, but adding color silkscreens to your laser drawings certainly won't prove cheap, as these stocking stuffers will run you $19.99 for a 25-pack.[Via Chip Chick]
Pioneer unveils DVR-A12J 10x dual-layer DVD burner
Similar to the height / width race that's always going on in the land of HDTV, the write speed race is also one that never seems to cease. While you can toast a blank DVD at 20x, the dual-layer variety demands a bit more patience, but thanks to Pioneer's latest, the waiting game is getting ever shorter. The DVR-A12J lineup comes in piano black, silver, and white color schemes, claims Windows XP compatibility, and offers up 10x write speeds on dual-layer DVD+/-R media. Additionally, it touts Labelflash technology (similar to LightScribe), writes to single-layer DVD media at 18x, and takes care of DVD-RAM at 12x. Moreover, it boasts a 2MB cache and a rather stout Cyberlink software bundle, including PowerDVD6, PowerProducer, and Power2Go. So if you're still holding out on those pricey (and sluggish) Blu-ray burners, you can snap this sucka up for just ¥10,000 ($86) later this month.[Via Impress]
Plextor's PX-B900A Blu-ray burner reviewed
We've seen the first wave of Blu-ray burners receive their appropriate testing, and while most were deemed satisfactory, all demanded a mighty (and most likely unworthy) pricetag for such sluggish write speeds. Plextor's PX-B900A sports the same ultraslow 2x write speeds for both single and dual-layer BD-R / BD-RE discs, but offered decent burning speeds for the "other formats." PC World was most impressed with this particular drive's ease of installation -- something other drives haven't exactly provided -- and the fleshed-out bundle of software that comes packed in. Reviewers were thoroughly pleased with the inclusion of Blu-ray movie playback software, as well as the video editing / authoring and packet writing programs. While they were none too pleased with the $999 price, they did feel that the cost was somewhat more justified thanks to the smattering of great software that came along with it, and crowned it "a solid value" if you just can't wait another day to pick up an internal Blu-ray burner.
Lite-On finally releases 20x Super AllWrite LH-20A1P DVD burner
Ok, so we knew these bad boys were coming, and now they're finally here -- well, almost. Lite-On is setting the burning world on fire with its newly released 20X Super AllWrite LH-20A1P DVD burner. Touting a lighting-fast 20x write speed for single-sided DVD+/-R discs and 8x for DVDs of the dual-layer variety, the new burner can toast 4.7GB of data in "around five minutes." Of course, it can handle those CD-R / RWs as well, and even DVD-RAM, but we all know you DVD archivers are after the coveted 20x mark when eying this one. To prevent pumping out coasters at an alarming rate, Lite-On included its SMART-BURN technology, which provides buffer underrun protection to keep those burns error free. Unfortunately, the drive hasn't quite hit shelves yet, but it should be ready to grab sometime next month for a currently undisclosed price.[Via Far East Gizmos]
Hack your Mac Pro SuperDrive for fun and profit
It's not uncommon for computer manufacturers to swap and switch out various components for similar or near-identical parts during a production run, and Apple has been known to partake in this practice in the past. That being said, occasionally a manufacturer will use a part which has a slightly higher build quality or performance than its counterpart in other machines and simply throttle down the performance of the superior part through firmware.Although some of the new Mac Pro towers ship with the familiar Pioneer DVR-111D optical drive, the majority of the systems contain the apparently non-existent Sony DW-D150A. I say non-existent because the ubergeeks over at HardMac noticed that DW-D150A isn't a recognized Sony model number. After some more thorough research, it came to light that the drives billed as Sony DW-D150A are in actuality NEC 4570 mechanisms. You're probably asking yourself right about now why on earth I'm going on about something as innocuous as differing model numbers, and in most cases, you'd be right to question my sanity. However, in this rare instance, I have reached through the haze of confusion that normally clouds my mind, and at least for now I have a firm grip on the real world. The significance is this: The NEC 4570 kicks the pants off the Sony DW-D150A in almost all aspects of reading and writing, and has some extra features to boot.Sony: - DVD -/+R 16x - DVD+R DL 8x - DVD+RW 8x - DVD-RW 6x - CD-RW 32X - CD-R 32XNEC:- DVD -/+R 16x - DVD-R/ DL 8x - DVD+RW 8x - DVD-RW 6x - DVD-RAM 5x - CD-RW 32x - CD-R 48xNaturally, Apple has locked down the specifications of the NEC 4570 to keep things fair, but that doesn't mean we can't do a bit of hacking and regain all that sweet sweet performance. A few simple commands in the terminal, some pixie dust, and a little bit of luck, and you've got yourself one speedy optical drive. Disclaimer, Disclaimer, Disclaimer: Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway) this hack is totally unsupported by Apple, and there is no guarantee you won't brick your SuperDrive. Attempt at your own risk.
Sony's BDZ-V7 and BDZ-V9 Blu-ray and hard drive recorders
Blue laser shortage or not, Sony's hoping to avoid the delay bug with its first Blu-ray disc recorders, just announced at CEATEC 2006 for early December release in Japan. Both models will record two TV programs at once via their two digital and one analog tuners. Backing up video to Blu-ray discs is limited to 25GB -- no 50GB BD-R/BD-RE writing or reading here -- but it will play cartridges from the old Blu-ray recorders, as well as the new AVCHD discs. With the right NTT cellphone you can schedule recordings from anywhere, but at home owners will enjoy the slick PSP-style XMB crossbar menu like other Sony products. The high-end BDZ-V9 is the only choice if you must have 1080p output, DLNA streaming to connected PCs or compatible displays and video conversion to MPEG-4 to transfer directly to a PSP. All the connections you'd expect are a go, including HDMI out, plus i.Link and USB inputs to hook up digicams and make as many sentimental James Blunt-soundtracked slideshows as you can with the included x-Pict Story HD software. The BDZ-V9 will set buyers back a cool ¥300,000 ($2,543 US) or so on December 8th, with the value-priced BDZ-V7 only expected to go for ¥250,000 ($2,119 US) when it hits on December 19th. They may not have the 4x Blu-ray recording of Panasonic's lineup or the soul-crushing bulk of Toshiba's 1TB RD-A1, but with a simple menu system and joystick based remote control Japanese gamers who didn't get one of the 100,000 launch PS3s will still bring Blu-ray to their living room this year.[Via Impress]
Sony standalone Blu-ray recorder due by year-end in Japan
The Toshiba RD-A1 HD DVD recorder will face competition from Blu-ray (sans-cartridges) in Japan before the end of the year, Sony confirmed while showing off the device during their Dealer Convention 2006. Other than showing the device, they were incredibly short on details. No price, no official name, not much in the way of specs just a box and some hype, who does Sony think they are, Apple? We know it will be HDD equipped, but capacity, speed, tuners? You're on your own for now, but be sure to check out the pics, from a purely aesthetic standpoint the Sony Brr (Blu-ray recorder) definitely has the gargantuan 1TB HDD RD-A1 beat.
Toshiba orders HD DVD burners from Lite-On
That was quick. We just received word a few days ago that Lite-On was making HD DVD drives but wondered if they were going to receive any OEM orders from big players in the HD DVD camp. They received a order and it sure is from a big player -- Toshiba. The key HD DVD player ordered these units so it can concentrate on producing slim-line HD DVD drives which we assume are for their laptops. Lite-On is expecting the production lines to ramp up to full power by March of '07 so don't expect any of these drives for Christmas this year. Lite-On might also receive another big order from Microsoft to power their Xbox 360 drive but that is still in the speculation category right now.
Lite-On to start making HD DVD burners in 2007
While we're still waiting for Toshiba -- or anyone else -- to start selling HD DVD burners Stateside, one of the largest Taiwanese manufacturers, Lite-On, has announced they will begin producing HD DVD burners in March 2007. They're not picking a side however, as they've already begun making Blu-ray recordable drives. Digitimes notes Toshiba has been very active in courting Taiwanese manufacturers to the HD DVD side, we'll see if this bears worthwhile fruit. Luckily for HD DVD, considering the current price of most Blu-ray burners, for most consumers they may as well not be on the shelves either.
Logitec intros LBD-A2FU2/WM, first OS X-friendly Blu-ray burner
For those Mac users who just can't wait to start filling up those $20+ Blu-ray writeables, the anticipation is just about over. Later this month, Japanese storage specialist Logitec will begin shipping what's touted as the "world's first Mac-compatible" Blu-ray disc burner. While Blu-ray burners for Windows-based machines have been popping up fairly frequently of late, OS X has been left out in the cold, (but considering the current price of Blu-ray media, we're assuming it hasn't been a total calamity). Nevertheless, the LBD-A2FU2/WM is an external 2x burner that will support DVD-RAM, DVD±R/RW, dual-layer DVD±R, CD-R / RW, and obviously BD-R / BD-RE discs. This FireWire / USB 2.0 combination drive supports PCs and Macs, and it's presumed that Roxio's Toast 7 Titanium software played a role in OS X getting its functionality groove on -- Roxio supposedly began offering Blu-ray drive makers a Mac-friendly version of the software, and sure enough, that's what you'll get with the Logitec. So for all you Mac fans who've felt a bit left behind, you can still get up to speed in just a couple weeks, but know it might cost you more than your MacBook (¥132,000 or $1,148), so you may want to think twice before cruising to Japan to pick one up.
Roxio Toast 7 with Blu-ray support for Macs ready
Is that Blu-ray drive-sporting Power Mac Mac Pro just around the corner? Maybe, maybe not, but for Apple users who like to stay ahead of the curve they can expect to see the new Toast 7 w/ BD support bundled with Blu-ray recorders shipping soon. The Toast Dynamic Writing feature makes the jump to next-gen, allowing Mac users to drag-and-drop to 50GB BD-R or BD-RE discs with ease. No mention of whether the automatic disc-spanning feature is intact, at $47.99 and 50GB each a dual layer disc (whenever they are available) should be more than enough. Still, with pricetags of at least $750 it may be some time before even deep-pocketed Apple aficionados jump in. The Logitec LBD-A2FU2 Blu-ray burner for Macs & PCs we previewed back in April has apparently slipped, Amazon Japan dates its release as July 31, for 132,762 yen ($1,136 US).This is as good a time as any to (re)start an Apple rumor about a Blu-ray burner in the next product refresh. All we need to do is check our calendar for Lord Steve's next public appearance and there is your totally unsubstantiated predicted release date. We'd express more concern about the lack of consumer edition HD DVD recording software if there were, you know, any burners available or even officially announced in the U.S.[Thanks for the tip Joe L.!]
Toshiba RD-A1 HD DVD recorder launches in Japan
After a slight delay, the Toshiba RD-A1 HD DVD burner is finally available in Japan. This is the first recorder for the format, which besides being the approximate size of an aircraft carrier also has a 1TB hard drive to save broadcast TV via either of its tuners. Once you've got it on the 1000GB HDD, you can burn it in MPEG-2 format to 15GB or 30GB HD DVD-Rs, which your good friends at Mitsubishi and Hitachi/Maxell will be more than happy to provide. If that sounds like too much work you could always stream the content to DLNA compatible equipment like your Qosmio laptop. Finally, this is the first standalone HD DVD player that plays back at full 1080p resolution. At 398,000 yen ($3,407 US, down from $3,466 due to the exchange rate), we'll have to wait and see if this fares well in burner-crazy Japan against Blu-ray recorders that have been on shelves there for several years now but slow to take off so far.
Sony unveils BWU-100A Blu-ray burner
This thing has been around for quite a while in prototype form, but Sony has finally gotten around to joining the pack and unveiling a PC drive for their own format. The BWU-100A Blu-ray burner doesn't have a whole lot of surprises -- other than that purple faceplate which will most likely totally clash with your PC case -- but the $750 pricetag is a nice move. It also manages all three lasers types, allowing it to read and write single layer 4.7GB DVD+R/+RW/RAM discs, 8.5GB DVD+R Double/Dual Layer Discs, and CDs. With 2x burning speeds for BD-R or BD-RE media, you can fill a 25GB Blu-ray disc in 50 minutes, and we're guessing 50GB discs should fill at a similar rate. Sony also touts the ability to move 1080i HDV camcorder footage natively to the BD-AV format for home playback, with a whole four hours fitting on one 50GB disc. The drive should be out in August, and is available for pre-order now.
Sony announces BWU-100A, their first aftermarket Blu-ray burner
While we've seen a few Blu-ray burners announced by other companies and Sony has announced BD-R media, they are finally ready to show off their burner for anyone who wants to make Blu-ray discs at home. The BWU-100A is a 2x BD-R/RE burner that also reads and writes to DVDs and CDs. It will be available in August for the (comparatively) low price of $750. The drive will come bundled with Cyberlink BD Solution to help author and burn your discs, however there is not any software for Blu-ray movie playback included so you'll need to find your own.
Toshiba delays RD-A1 HD DVD recorder launch
Lately it's been the Blu-ray camp cruelly torturing us with product delays, but in a refreshing change of pace, today it's rival format HD DVD's main proponent Toshiba announcing that a next-gen optical disc device won't be shipping as scheduled. Unlike Sony's procrastination in releasing the PS3 and BDP-S1, though, Toshiba claims that it only needs two more weeks to get its RD-A1 HD DVD recorder out the door, citing inadequate inventory stemming from component shortages as the reason for putting off tomorrow's scheduled launch. Since this model, with its 1TB storage capacity and OTA digital tuner, is only headed for Japan anyway, the delay probably doesn't concern the vast majority of our American readers -- nor most Japanese, for that matter, as the $3,500 pricetag will likely dissuade all but the most fervent early-adopters. [Via HDBeat]
Lightscribe to get color?
Apparently, the staff at TGDaily were flipping through the user's manual for one of their Lightscribe-equipped drives when they stumbled across a rather oblique mention of an upcoming color version of the current monochrome technology. They did a little journalizing and eventually contacted an HP PR staff, who informed them that "Lightscribe color background CDs are expected to be available later this year." This could be referring to the different colored Lightscribe discs that have seen release here and there, but when it comes to truly color laser CD imaging, obviously no official announcements have been made yet. We wouldn't be entirely surprised if the launch so many a Lightscribe fans have been waiting for winds up being timed to coincide with the announcement of an HP HD DVD drive or two. For right now though, we'll be sticking to our analog CD and DVD labeler, or as you may know it by its other name: a Sharpie marker.
LG's GBW-H10N Blu-ray burner headed to Taiwan
Watch out BenQ, because your fellow manufacturers over at LG also have a 3-in-1 Blu-ray burner poised for release, and not only does it write to BD-R discs at a blistering 4x speed, it's coming to market several weeks before you're getting your BW1000 out the door. In fact, LG's Taiwanese subsidiary is claiming that the GBW-H10N internal drive will hit Chinese shores in the next few days, and at only $923, it's something of a steal compared to dedicated players going for $1000 and up. Of course the BenQ model still holds a few key advantages over this unit, most significantly its ability to burn 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray discs as well as its faster write speeds for most recordable DVD and CD formats. So for now it looks like you'll have to decide whether speed or capacity is the more important attribute, but as HDBeat alludes to, more competition in the market means that at least a few next-generation devices will probably have all the features you're looking for.[Via HDBeat]
