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08 May 2007

As a supporter of both Blu-ray and HD DVD, it shouldn't be surprising that HP is one of the first computer manufacturers to offer a PC with support both formats. ExtremeTech has reported that HP will be offering LG's Super Multi Blue drive (GGW-H10N) as an option on two of their Media Center PCs. As we've reported in the past, the GGW-H10N functions as both a Blu-ray Disc writer and HD DVD-ROM drive.

While pricing was not immediately available on either series, both Media Center PCs will come with an optional LG Super Multi Blue Blu-ray Disc Rewriter and HD DVD-ROM Drive (GGW-H10N), which the company demoed at this year's Consumer Electronics Show.

It is expected that the drive will cost $1200, falling into a comparable price range to LG's standalone BH100, also known as the Super Multi Blue Player.

An HP representative said that the optical drive is a triple-format writer and will be able to write to Blu-ray discs at 2x (single-layer and double-layer), DVDs, and CDs. The drive will not be able to write to HD DVD, however, and currently Toshiba is the only company that manufactures an HD DVD writerfor PCs.

Unfortunately, ExtremeTech doesn't seem to have all of their facts straight. The GGW-H10N is able to write to single layer BD-R discs at 4x and not the 2x stated in their article. If you'd like to read more, their entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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07 May 2007

Imation sent out a press release earlier today, announcing plans to acquire Memcorp Inc. for $60 million in cash and notes. Until now, Memcorp has been operating under a long-term license agreement for the Memorex brand. By acquiring the company, Imation will gain full control of the Memorex brand and extend its product portfolio beyond removable media.

Imation Corp. (NYSE: IMN), a worldwide leader in removable data storage, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets of Memcorp Inc. and Memcorp Asia Limited (together known as "Memcorp") from privately held Hopper Radio of Florida, Inc.

The purchase price for the assets includes approximately $23 million in cash and $37.5 million in three-year notes, plus a potential earn-out of up to $20 million over three years, dependent on financial performance of the purchased business. Imation also expects to invest approximately $15 million in additional working capital after the acquisition closes. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2007, subject to customary closing conditions and governmental approvals.

Imation expects the acquisition to contribute an estimated $10 to $12 million in operating income and add approximately $200 million in annual revenue in the first full year of operation. If you'd like to read more, Imation's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

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04 May 2007

Kingston DataTraveler ReadyFlash @DV Hardware
Dell Latitude D820 Business Notebook @TweakTown
Cooler Master iTower 930 PC Enclosure @Futurelooks
OCZ Technology PC2-6400 Titanium EPP-Ready Dual Channel DDR2 @Bigbruin.com
Samsung SyncMaster 971P LCD @BCCHardware
Sapphire Radeon X1950 Pro Dual @TweakPC
Silverstone Decathlon DA750 Modular Power Supply @HardwareLogic

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04 May 2007

Apparently, the AACS LA hasn't learned anything from the revolt at Digg. According to an article at the BBC, the group plans to continue to use both "legal and technical" steps to prevent the processing key from spreading. Here are some of the comments made by Michael Ayers, chair of the AACS business group:

"Some people clearly think it's a First Amendment issue. There is no intent from us to interfere with people's right to discuss copy protection. We respect free speech.

"They can discuss the pros and cons. We know some people are critical of the technology.

"But a line is crossed when we start seeing keys being distributed and tools for circumvention. You step outside of the realm of protected free speech then."

At this point, tracking down every blog and website with the key is probably a futile effort. The AACS LA has already done what they can by revoking it. By continuing this legal campaign though, its just going to spread more. If you'd like to read more, the entire article can be found here. Add a comment

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03 May 2007

Sony Europe has officially launched their new website, the "Museum of Low Res". Developed to showcase Blu-ray Disc's capabilities, the musem takes visitors through a number of virtual exhibits showing other, less than successful, attempts at creating a high definition experience.

The Museum of Low Res (MoLR) is a voyage of discovery and enlightenment, enabling consumers to learn what Blu-ray Disc means and how this high definition (HD) technology can improve day-to-day life.

The Art of HD Room is a visual display of Blu-ray Disc and the effect it will have on viewing and listening pleasure. A giant TV sculpture demonstrates the resolution power of Blu-ray Disc through the representation of nine TV's banded together.

Discover alternative designs which could have revolutionised the market before the advent of Blu-ray Disc, such as a robotic arm sculpture which methodically changes up to 12 CD's at a time. This could have caught on if only Blu-ray Disc didn't offer the vast amount of storage space that it does.

Surprisingly, Sony doesn't make any digs about HD DVD. Then again, they do talk about some "Pink-Ray" technology that tried, but failed, to take over the world. More information about Sony's new website can be found here. Add a comment

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03 May 2007

It appears that the HD DVD format will be getting its own form of copy protection. New Medium Enterprises (NME) has announced that they've partnered with Optikey to provide a solution to protect content on HD-VMD discs. While the details are sketchy, Optikey reportedly uses a submicron three dimensional optical structure that can't be forged.

The Optikey/HD-VMD system architecture will prevent the unauthorized reproduction of protected content on HD-VMD discs or any system that has our proprietary technology. Optikey doesn't rely on digital encryption, however, it has been proven that when added to encryption systems as a pass/fail portal, it provides an unbreakable layer of protection for the digital domain. The submicron analog Optikey structures provide precise threshold measurements to be matched with either a reference structure or discrete optical signatures. The Optikey/HD-VMD system will be compatible with existing legacy formats.

NME and Optikey plan to hold a joint press conference at Media Tech on May 16th to elaborate on the technology. In the mean time, you can read more about the technology here. Add a comment

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02 May 2007

Seagate Momentus 7200.2 160GB SATA Hard Drive @Bigbruin.com
Samsung 275T LCD Monitor @Overclockers Online
Zalman HD160XT Ultimate HTPC Case @BCCHardware
Zalman CNPS9700 LED CPU Cooler @ThinkComputers.org
3RSystem R240 "Zion" Mid-Tower Enclosure @TweakTown
Hot Gadgets! Scythe 18-in-1 USB 2.0 FDD & Card Reader Combo @TweakTown
Speed MV8 MP4/MP3 Player @I4U
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra @HardwareZone

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02 May 2007

Last month, the AACS licensing authority sent legal threats to various websites and blogs, demanding that they remove the AACS processing key as well as any links pointing to a certain thread on the Doom 9 forums. Digg.com initially gave in to the AACS LA's demands. However, after receiving a flood of complaints from their readers, they decided not to delete stories or comments containing the processing key. Here's part of a blog post made by Digg founder, Kevin Rose:

In building and shaping the site I’ve always tried to stay as hands on as possible. We’ve always given site moderation (digging/burying) power to the community. Occasionally we step in to remove stories that violate our terms of use (eg. linking to pornography, illegal downloads, racial hate sites, etc.). So today was a difficult day for us. We had to decide whether to remove stories containing a single code based on a cease and desist declaration. We had to make a call, and in our desire to avoid a scenario where Digg would be interrupted or shut down, we decided to comply and remove the stories with the code.

But now, after seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you’ve made it clear. You’d rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company. We hear you, and effective immediately we won’t delete stories or comments containing the code and will deal with whatever the consequences might be.

The AACS LA might as well throw in the towel. While legal threats may slow it down, there is no way they're going to prevent the key from spreading. I think at this point, the only thing left to say is "09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0". Add a comment

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30 April 2007

Cingular Wireless 8525 Smartphone @ProjectPDA
XClio 188 Super Tower @Overclockers Online
Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision Webcam @ThinkComputers.org
Hiper Type-R 580W Power Supply @HardwareLogic
SteelSeries SteelPad 5L Mousepad @BCCHardware
10 Geforce 8800 GTS 320Mb Video Cards Compared @Madshrimps

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