Topic: News

CMC Magnetics and Ritek, the top two makers of optical discs, have recently started volume production of 15GB HD-DVD-R SL (high-definition DVD recordable single-sided single-layer) discs and are prepared to begin production of 30GB HD-DVD-R DL (single-sided double-layer) discs in the fourth quarter of this year at the earliest, according to industry sources.

Toshiba is subsidising its HD-A1 HD DVD player by at least $175 in a bid to buy the next-generation optical disc format success. So claims market watcher iSuppli, which took the machine to bits and totted up the cost of all the parts.

Paul Sherman, a Massachusetts freelance reviewer whose outlets have included the Boston Herald, pleaded guilty to selling more than 100 screeners to online "warez" groups, the US Justice Deptartment has announced.

Could Apple be about to offer CD quality sound recordings through its iTunes Music Stores using a lossless compression format?

The HDMI HD equipment interconnect standard has been updated, the seven companies behind the technology announced today. One of them, Sony, said its PlayStation 3 will support the new version of the interface.

Memorex have announced the retail availability of its first Blu-ray media.

Toshiba said it planned the launch of the first next-generation, high-definition optical disc recorder based on the HD DVD format on July 14 in Japan as it intensifies competition with rival Blu-ray products.

Primera Technology has started to ship the world's first Blu-ray Disc publishing system called the Bravo XR-Blu Disc Publisher.

Resident DVD expert Flash has started a new series looking at common questions around the theme of DVD writing. His first article answers the question that is often asked: how long do burners last?. If you have a question you would like Flash to answer please email him.

A man in a white coat from IBM is warning that data stored on homemade CDs only lasts two years on average. Kurt Gerecke said that if you keep your disks in dark, cool places they might last for five if you are lucky.

Two swashbuckling brigands in the US have begun a political party named The Pirate Party. Inspired by Sweden's Piratpartiet, the would-be politicians say the aim of the party is to "fundamentally reform copyright law, get rid of the patent system, and ensure that citizens' rights to privacy are respected."

Consumer electronics companies such as Apple, Nokia, Siemens and Sony stand to save hundreds of millions of euros every year under plans by the European Commission to slash copyright levies on their iPods, DVD players and mobile phones, the Financial Times reports, citing an internal European Commission document.

Samsung announced the possibility of a dual-format player last year, but later drew back from such plans, saying licensing agreements made such a player "impossible". According to sources, the unit may still see daylight, "if HD DVD proves as successful as Blu-ray disc".

Yahoo is set to allow users to embed in its instant messaging service formerly independent programs that help them collaborate on activities ranging from calendar scheduling to watching videos or even trading commodities.

Atech Flash Technology (AFT) has unveiled the iCarta, a stereo dock for Apple's iPod with a built-in bath tissue holder. The dock features four integrated moisture-free speakers, as well as an audio selector to play an iPod shuffle or another audio device.

A device that could foil movie pirates who covertly record films in cinemas has been developed in the US. The prototype is able to locate the position of a digital camera, before overwhelming it with white light to render any recorded images useless.

Netflix VP of original programming Eric Besner has said Netflix is planning to introduce a proprietary set-top box with an Internet connection that can download movies overnight.

Sony's PlayStation 2 is officially a games console and not a computer, according to an English court judgment that denies the electronics firm a €50m (£34.2m) rebate for import duties.

Counterfeit entry-level DVD burners under various brand names, including BenQ and Plextor, are being sold in the China market.

Microsoft is developing a music and video device to compete with Apple's iPod and creating its own music service to rival Apple's iTunes, sources familiar with the plans have said.