~ 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 http://www.cd-writer.com/lightscribe.html

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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 http://panasonic.net.

We have made live a new blog for stordigital data systems customers. This will allow us to keep our customers up to date with new products, and product developments, in addition to software and firmware downloads.

You can find the StorDigital duplicator blog here.

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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

DV-983H is the new flagship model in OPPO’s line of award-winning up-converting DVD players. Featuring Anchor Bay’s leading video processing technologies, 7.1-channel audio, and 1080p HDMI up-conversion, the DV-983H Universal DVD Player delivers the breath-taking audio and video performance needed to make standard DVDs look their best on today’s large screen, high resolution displays.

The DV-983H provides a rich array of features for serious home theater enthusiasts. By applying source-adaptive, motion-adaptive, and edge-adaptive techniques, the DV-983H produces an outstanding image for any DVD, whether it’s mastered from an original theatrical release film or from a TV series. Aspect ratio conversion and multi-level zooming enable users to take full control of the viewing experience – maintain the original aspect ratio, stretch to full screen, or crop the unsightly black borders. Special stretch modes make it possible to utilize the full resolution of ultra high-end projectors with anamorphic lens. For users with an international taste, the frame rate conversion feature converts PAL movies for NTSC output without any loss of resolution or tearing. Custom home theater installers will find the DV-983H easy to integrate into whole-house control systems, thanks to its RS-232 and IR IN/OUT control ports.

Get more details here

Manufacturers are being offered the world’s highest capacity optical storage technology to license, reportedly, leap-frogging 300GB holographic disks and offering 1TB in a DVD-size disk. But the technology has not been commercialized and product could be three to five years away.

It uses a 2-photon recording process to record bits in a three-dimensional inside a disk’s recording media coating. Multiple layers of information can be stored within the 3D volume with less than a 10-micron layer of separation. This effectively allows the equivalent of 250 conventional DVD layers to be put onto one disk platter. The roadmap lays out fivefold capacity increase through greater layer densities. This could enable a disk to store high definition format movies.

It could also enable movies or equivalent data up to 50GB to be stored on 1-inch optical disks inside PDAs and mobile phone-format devices.

Call/Recall says that another advantage of its technology is its use of affordable, commercially available, off-the-shelf components. This approach allows optical hardware manufacturers to extend the roadmap of their existing technologies, such as DVD and Blu-ray Disc, while maintaining backward compatibility with their installed base. Additionally, other key components are designed as molded/replicated parts, enabling low-cost production on industry-standard production lines.

Call/Recall is a military- and commerce-funded very high capacity optical storage research company. A co-founder is Dr. Peter Rentzepis. He is a former head of Bell Laboratories and, according to the company, a world-renowned scientist who has authored approximately 85 patents; his innovations are referenced as prior technology by 45 of the world’s top optical technology providers, including IBM, Panasonic and Hitachi. This gives the technology more credibility.

Get more details here

Get the very best out of your DVD movie collection with the new DVP-NS708H upscaling DVD player from Sony.

A perfect complement to your BRAVIA™ LCD television or any HD Ready TV, the DVP-NS708H upscales Standard Definition DVDs to 1080p for sublime, detail-packed pictures. The highest resolution format your HD TV can display, 1080p presents 1920×1080 Full HD images with progressive scanning. This guarantees a richer, more cinematic viewing experience, especially at larger TV screen sizes.
It’s also a great way to get even more enjoyment from your precious digital photo collection. JPEG images burned onto CD or DVD from your Cyber-shot™ or α digital SLR camera can be enjoyed on a connected BRAVIA™ television with breathtaking HD quality. If your BRAVIA™ TV supports PhotoTV HD, still images are optimised further for the ultimate photo viewing experience.

The beautifully styled DVD player features a premium high-gloss black finish that makes a chic addition to any interior.

For simple operation and less living room clutter, the DVP-NS708H can be controlled via BRAVIA™ Sync using your TV’s remote.

“Here’s the perfect answer for any home theatre fan who wants to get the very best out of DVD movies or their digital photo collection.” says Ayhan Akyüz, Product Manager for DVD Player products. “The DVP-NS708H upscales Standard Definition signals to 1080p for beautiful, detail-packed images that look amazing on your BRAVIA™ television or home cinema projector. Your favourite DVDs have never looked better!”

Get more details here