Items tagged with Disc
If you're the type that archives everything, heads-up. And if you're the type that archives everything, only to want to re-write it days later, double heads-up. In reality, we see limited use for re-writeable discs that cost an arm and a leg, but Verbatim is pushing ahead with these units anyway. The company has just started to ship Blu-ray re-writable double-layer discs, which are shortened to BD-RE DL discs. According to the company, these can be re-written around 1,000 times, and they support 1080p media clips and multiple audio formats. Designed specifically for high definition video and audio data, these double-layer discs can support storage capacities of up to 50GB – twice that of...
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Sony introduced the next generation of its internal Blu-ray Disc rewritable drives. The new drives are capable of writing single BD-R media at up to 12X and dual layer BD-R media at up to 8X speeds. Sony's BWU-500S model comes with CyberLink’s Media Suite 8 software and one 25GB Sony BD-R blank disc. In addition to recording to BD-R and BD-RE discs, the drives can record to DVD discs and CDs as well. The drives use a SATA interface and a standard 5.25-inch form-factor. SONY OPTIARC AMERICA INTRODUCES NEXT-GENERATION BLU-RAY DISC REWRITABLE DRIVES SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 4, 2010 – Sony Optiarc America today announced its next-generation half-height internal Blu-ray Disc® (BD) rewritable...
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It seems that the disc requirement for streaming Netflix on a game console is now history. Earlier in the year, eager PS3 and Wii owners were checking their mailboxes each and every day in hopes of seeing a new red disc in there. That disc, when inserted into their console, would enable them to stream Netflix "Watch Instantly" content. It was great, but the disc requirement was certainly a thorn in the side of users who didn't wish to swap out game discs for a Netflix disc. Recently, the disc requirement for the PS3 was yanked, and the latest software update enables PS3 owners to stream Watch Instantly material with no disc at all. Now, that same functionality has found its way to the Wii. Netflix...
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Here's some interesting fodder to chat about at the water cooler. Sony, the company responsible for producing a disc-free PlayStation Portable game console, is apparently not too keen on going the all-download route in the home console space. In a recent interview, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai said that a digital future in the game market is over ten years away. So, is this revelation due to the PSPgo being a general flop? It's hard to say, really. Kaz stated: "We do business in parts of the world where network infrastructure isn’t as robust as one would hope. There’s always going to be requirement for a business of our size and scope to have a physical medium. To think...
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Thanks to high definition video, pictures, and other digital files, we need increased amounts of storage. Soon, the storage capacity of Blu-ray discs could double. In fact, companies such as Sharp, TDK, and Verbatim are already making plans to launch new discs that can store up to 100GB of data. According to a statement, Sharp will start selling a Blu-ray disc with a capacity of 100GB in Japan starting today. The VR-100BR1 disc conforms to the BDXL format specification announced in April by the Blu-ray Disc Association. Last week, TDK made plans to start selling 100GB Blu-ray discs in September. Verbatim has also announced plans to ship 100GB Blur-ray discs next year. Currently, Blu-ray discs...
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We've sure come a long way since the days of 1.44MB floppy disks and the like. Beginning July 30, 2010, Sharp will beginning selling its VR-100BR1 triple-layer Blu-ray disc media, a write-once disc capable of storing up to 100GB of data. "This disc media product conforms to the new BDXL format specification that extends the storage capacity of Blu-ray discs to 100GB, twice the 50GB storage capacity of existing dual-layer discs," Sharp said. "This new format enables recording approximately 12 hours of terrestrial digital TV broadcasts or approximately 8.6 hours of BS digital TV broadcasts." This ranks as the world's first triple-layer Blu-ray media to come with 100GB of storage capacity. To keep...
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When it comes to storage and media, "big enough" never really is. With the amount of 1TB and 2TB hard drives on the market today, it's easy to see that the demand for massive amounts of storage isn't fading soon, and even on the optical media side, there's an unyielding desire to cram more and more data onto the discs that we've used for years. Remember the early HD DVD vs. Blu-ray wars? One of the major fighting points was storage capacity, and Blu-ray had a huge advantage by being able to store 50GB on a dual-layer disc compared to HD DVD's maximum of 30GB. But just a few years after release, it looks like the Blu-ray Disc you know and love will be seeing an overhaul, and it won't make existing...
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Blu-ray adoption still has aways to go before it matches the ubiquity of DVD, but those who can't get enough storage are already looking beyond the first generation. We've already seen TDK working hard on a 320GB optical disc based around BD technology, and now there's a new report suggesting something entirely more reasonable. You see, a 320GB Blu-ray Disc is probably years away, but a new method of evaluating BD media quality has led to the discovery of a size increase that's much more modest. The increase would apply to each layer, bringing them from 25GB (currently) to 33.4GB each. There are plenty of dual-layer Blu-ray Discs, so there's a theoretical new limit of around 66GB per disc. A...
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Amazon unveiled a promotion called Disc+ On Demand that could change the way some of us consume media. When you buy select DVD or Blu-ray discs under the new offering, you'll get the ability to download a digital copy of a film for instant viewing on your Mac, PC, Roku, TiVo, and other devices. There are a few catches to the Disc+ On Demand service, however. Most notably: Selection: Currently, there only about 300 titles that are part of the Disc+ On Demand offering. That's a relatively small selection considering Amazon sells hundreds of thousands of DVDs.Quality: All Disc+ On Demand downloads are standard definition only so you won't get high-definition streaming versions of the movies.Limitations:...
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TDK has always been one to push the limits. Back in August, we heard that the company's roadmap included 960GB laptop drives and 3.2TB desktop drives. Now, we're also hearing that it's looking to push the same boundaries in the optical media realm. How does a 10-layer, 320GB disc sound? Sounds like Blu-ray whimpering.Reportedly, the media storage company has already developed a 10-layer disc capable of holding a whopping 320GB, or 32GB per layer. Better still, it's possible to write and read data on and from the disc by using a blue-violet semiconductor laser with an oscillation wavelength of 405nm and an objective lens with a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.85. We know that's probably way over...
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Have you ever wondered just how amazing it would be to store your data on an optical disc for 1,000 years? Probably not, considering a) it's not remotely possible right now and 2) that's an awful lot longer than even the best lifespan you could ever hope for. But on the other hand, it sure would make the act of opening time capsules a lot more interesting, wouldn't it? Well, assuming those still on Earth a thousand years from now can find a so-called "optical drive" on whatever has replaced "eBay."Believe it or not, we're being told that technology is on the way soon that will allow us to store data on optical discs for a full millennium. And we're not even talking about next year--we're talking...
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Netflix and Samsung Partner to Instantly Stream Movies on Next Generation Blu-ray Disc Players Samsung BD-P2500 and BD-P2550 Blu-ray Players Transformed into Gateways that Give Consumers Access to More Than 12,000 Choices of Movies and TV Episodes from Netflix Partnership will Include Streaming to a Range of Home Entertainment Products LOS GATOS, Calif. and RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX), the world's largest online movie rental service, and Samsung Electronics America, a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today announced a broad partnership to offer consumers the ability to instantly stream movies and TV episodes...
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Sub-$400 Model Leaps Ahead in Recording Speed; Includes Blu-ray Disc Movie Title 'Men In Black' SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Electronics today announced its third generation internal Blu-ray Disc(TM) (BD) writer for the computer aftermarket, which at about $400 achieves a new level of affordability for BD enthusiasts.The new BWU-300S model burns single and dual layer BD-R media at up to 8X speed, recording a full 25GB disc in about 15 minutes and a full 50GB disc in about 30 minutes. The 8X recording speed is achieved using 6X compatible BD-R media. The drive also records DVDs at up to 16X, CDs up to 48X, and supports DVD-RAM recording, with an eye towards data backup, making...
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There is little doubt that Internet access for many of us has transmogrified from the realm of useful tool to downright obsession. In fact, about a month ago we reported on a study that showed that 46 percent of U.S. e-mail users claim to be addicted to e-mail. Now a new study coming out of the U.K. gives a name to the malady we suffer when we can't get our fix of Internet access: "Discomgoogolation." The term "discomgoogolation" is a combination of the word "discombobulate" and "Google." (As a completely unrelated thought, why isn't "combobulate" a real word?) British Psychologists created the word "discomgoogolation" to mean a "feeling of distress or anxiety when unable to gain immediate information...
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From a technical perspective, the biggest advantage Blu-ray discs (BD) offer is more storage space--up to 25GB (for single-layer discs) or 50GB (for dual-layer discs). From a more practical standpoint, the best thing BD brings to the table is higher-quality, high-definition (HD) movies. More storage space means less data needs need to be compressed to fit on the disc--which is how we're able to get 1080p BD movies. But what happens when Quad HDTV (3840x2160 resolution: 2160p) makes its debut in a few years? Or what if the proposed Ultra High Definition (7680x4320: 4320p) standard or something similar makes it to market? Does this mean we're back to the days of DVDs when movies had to be highly...
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Social music networks are like college. You all meet up there for a while, make friends, maybe a few enemies, share all sorts of things, and then scatter to other places and make new friends. The overriding constant is that nobody has any money in either place. Social.FM, which until recently was known as Mercora, was launched in 2005, and on July 31st, shut happened. To our Valued Customers,We regret to inform you and apologize for this inconvenience, but Social.FM will be shutting down the system on July 31st, 2008.The Company is unfortunately no longer in business and therefore cannot continue its service to you.Regards,Mercora, Inc. Microsoft inked a deal with Mercora to offer the service...
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Microsoft has disclosed some details regarding the next iteration of its gaming and graphics API, DirectX 11. Shacknews has the full scoop on what Microsoft has disclosed up to this point, which isn't much, but there is still plenty to ponder. For example, the initial DirectX features and specifications disclosed at this point include... Full support (including all DX11 hardware features) on Windows Vista as well as future versions of Windows Compatibility with DirectX 10 and 10.1 hardware, as well as support for new DirectX 11 hardware New compute shader technology that lays the groundwork for the GPU to be used for more than just 3D graphics, so that developers can take advantage of the...
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Whether you like it or not, let's face it, disc media is just plain getting old. Further, "the power of the network" continues to rise and downloadable multimedia content continues to become more and more pervasive. Take a quick vitals check on companies like BlockBuster Video and you'll know why the folks at Netflix are running to head this one off at the pass as well. It's not rocket science people (actually it's called photonics, which is easily as complex), the fatter your pipe gets, the more data you can and will pump down it. Another case study of Valve's Steam game delivery, network gaming and community services, shows end user acceptance was spotty at best initially...
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A group of Santa Fe residents claiming to be allergic to WiFi signals is requesting that all public buildings have the devices removed. Arthur Firstenberg says he is highly sensitive to certain types of electric fields, including wireless Internet and cell phones." I get chest pain and it doesn't go away right away," he said. Firstenberg and dozens of other electro-sensitive people in Santa Fe claim that putting up Wi-Fi in public places is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The city is investigating the matter and should have some sort of decision by the end of the month. If the city does come to the conclusion that having public WiFi is a form of discrimination,...
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As with all rumors, please take the following news item with a grain of salt until we can receive official confirmation or denial from Microsoft.“Vista SP1 shipped to duplication and OEMs Feb. 4, but since then it has only been available to previous beta testers, volume licensing customers and subscribers to IT subscription services. In fact, subscribers to TechNet and Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) only got access to SP1 after raising a ruckus, with some threatening to cancel their subscriptions and others saying they would postpone Vista deployment.”So what about the rest of us, especially those waiting to get fresh discs with the service pack already applied? Are we doomed to long...
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You have to measure the remarks of the Ericsson CEO about the future of Wi-Fi hotspot computing against the stake he has in the outcome of the race to serve the computing public on the go; but he does seem to be hitting the nail on the head when he predicts that Wi-Fi hotspots are "The telephone boxes of the broadband era." ... there's a lot of truth in what Ericsson CEO Johan Bergendahl has to say: Wi-Fi has really never been much more than a stopgap technology, especially as far as cell phones are concerned. The range is tiny, the reliability and susceptibility to interference are poor, and the amount of equipment required to blanket a metropolitan area without leaving substantial gaps...
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Here's an idea that - well, read it, then you decide.Indian manufacturer Spice Mobile on Tuesday introduced a phone with a built-in optical disc player, the first of its kind, here at the Mobile World Congress trade show.VMedia produces a 1.2", blue laser optical disk that holds one gigabyte per layer. Current discs have one layer, which is good enough to hold a 3.5-hour Bollywood movie in H.264 format at 720x576 resolution, Packman said. The company is working on a 2GB disk for next year, he said. In an era when everyone's talking about moving to online media, physical media still has a commanding presence in sales, Packman said.About that online media - while streaming to a cell phone isn't...
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