Month: June 2008

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.

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Analysts say landmark is a sign that the format is becoming mainstream

Blu-ray movie sales have passed the 11 million mark according to the latest figures, prompting industry analysts suggest that the format is finally beginning to gain traction amongst customers.

Research by US market analyst firm Redhill also showed that sales of the format had overtaken those of 2007 by May this year. Blu-ray movie sales only accounted for two per cent of total movie sales during 2007, however, Redhill’s figures suggest that the format may account for as much as eight and ten per cent of total sales by the end of 2008.

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Xbox boss questions why consumers would upscale from DVD

Xbox president Robbie Bach has criticised Blu-Ray’s lack of sales success since the HD-DVD format imploded – and questioned why consumers would bother upscaling from DVD.

Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle, Bach also ruled out any possibility of a Blu-Ray enabled Xbox – either in this or the next generation.

Bach said: “If you look at the Blu-ray player market, you haven’t seen the acceleration everybody expected (since the demise of HD DVD). It’s not as much about whether all the content is in a Blu-ray format or a HD-DVD format. “You have to look at how fundamentally compelling the difference is between a progressive scan DVD player and the picture that it can produce and what you get on a high-definition play

Bach said: “If you look at the Blu-ray player market, you haven’t seen the acceleration everybody expected (since the demise of HD DVD). It’s not as much about whether all the content is in a Blu-ray format or a HD-DVD format. “You have to look at how fundamentally compelling the difference is between a progressive scan DVD player and the picture that it can produce and what you get on a high-definition player.

“The reality is there is some difference, but most people look at it and say, ‘I am not going to pay extra for that.’”

When asked if Microsoft had Blu-Ray plans for the next-gen Xbox, Bach added:

“No. There is nothing to even talk about right now with regard to the next generation. That is so far out that there isn’t anything to talk about.”

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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.

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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.”

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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 SecurDiscâ„¢ capabilities, which provide data protection and content access control on all current optical formats, and LightScribeâ„¢ 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

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Singulus reveals uptake of replication hardware is ahead of ‘last-gen’ disc format

Optical disc hardware specialist Singulus has received orders for 21 Blu-Ray dual-layer duplication machines in the first quarter of this year – a faster adoption than of the format’s predeccesor DVD 11 years ago.

“This means that the orders for Blu-ray in the first year of the dual layer technology already by far exceeded the volume at the start of the DVD 11 years ago with 17 machines,” said chief financial officer Stefan Baustert.

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