Blu-ray, DVD, HD, Video info and more at WesleyTech.com

New Blu-ray burner from Optiarc

Optiarc, the optical storage technology joint venture between Sony and NEC, recently announced their first Blu-ray burner for PC’s. This internal PC drive is named the Optiarc BD-M100A and will be able to write single layer BD-R media at up to 8x speeds. The drive will also support dual layer BD-R burning, DVD burning and CD-R burning.

“Through the joining of NEC and Sony’s optical storage businesses we can actually manufacture both Blu-ray and HD DVD products,” he said. “However, at the moment, we are being asked for Blu-ray burners from customers, which is what we’re focusing on.”

With the launch of this new Optiarc drive, we will now have Blu-ray burners available from 5 different manufacturers (Panasonic, LG, Pioneer, LiteOn and Optiarc). HD DVD burners are still conspicuously absent from the consumer market. Everyone expects to see Toshiba HD DVD burners appear in the near future, but the release of these drives has been delayed multiple times. LiteOn is rumored to be working on their own HD DVD-R burners as well.

It is very interesting to hear that Optiarc has not completely ruled out HD DVD drive manufacturing, as I had assumed that they would not support HD DVD whatsoever do to the close affiliation with Sony Corporation, who is the largest backer of the Blu-ray format. The relationship with Sony has definitely impacted NEC’s (Optiarc) HD DVD plans in some ways though. At CES 2006, I noticed quite a few NEC HD DVD readers and burners on display, which have yet to make an appearance or be announced for the consumer market.

UPDATE: Thanks to Ian at CDRLabs for letting us know that this Optiarc Blu-ray drive is actually just a Panasonic rebadge! You would think that an optical drive joint venture between Sony and NEC could come up with their own unique drive design, but that is not the case as of yet.

Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray playback problems

We have posted video footage of Blu-ray player problems on the Samsung BD-P1000 in the past. This time around, we have a clip from a user having issues with The Pirates Of The Caribbean Blu-ray Liar’s Dice game on the Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray player.

[gv data=”http://www.youtube.com/v/9gQG4OFgrpA”][/gv]

Update that Blu-ray player firmware!

The problem is likely due to an issue with the Sony BDP-S1 players’ handling of BD-J, the interactive Blu-ray Java specifications. The author of the video appears to have updated the firmware to version 1.6, but that did not fix the playback problems as you can see from the video. Luckily, firmware update 2.0 is now available for that player, which should resolve these playback issues. You can get the 2.0 firmware update online at Sony.com.

Because of the jump in RSS subscribers, I thought I would take a moment to point out some of the best articles on WesleyTech.com that you may have missed. If you have not yet subscribed, feel free to do so using the Full RSS Feed.

BackupBluray rip utility released
BackupBluray Guide
Copy HD DVD freeware
Copy Blu-ray free
DVD Fab Decrypter is now DVD Fab HD Decrypter
Blu-ray vs HD DVD replication costs revealed
Blu-ray vs HD DVD replication costs part 2
Is Star Wars coming to Blu-ray?
$1 DVD Rentals at your grocery store

I normally save the best stories on the top articles page, but some really good ones can slip through the cracks, so feel free to use the search page if you are looking for a particular topic. If you have any suggestions for the top articles page or you would like to contact us at any time, feel free to comment on the articles or use the contact form. Thanks for reading WesleyTech!

Blu-ray and HD DVD PC drives from ASUS
This week ASUStek Computer announced two new PC blue laser optical drives at the Computex Taipei computer tradeshow in Taiwan. These drives will not have any writing functionality, which will enable ASUS to offer them at a lower price point.

The new ASUS BD-ROM drive (BC-1205PT) will debut with a MSRP of $270 and the HD DVD-ROM drive (HR-0205T) at $180.

Asked about the reason why these models are dedicated to reading with BD and HD DVD, a demonstrator answered: “The drives would become far too expensive if we were to develop recordable models at this point of time. In addition, recording media cost more than $30, which is unsatisfactory for many users.”

I am certainly glad to see Blu-ray and HD DVD PC drives dropping in price and becoming more affordable, but I do not see myself purchasing one that does not have any burning capabilities. The new ASUS HD DVD-ROM drive will also have to compete with the Microsoft Xbox 360 HD DVD drive. The Xbox HD DVD drive can be easily connected to a PC and can be purchased online for under $199. Found via TechOn.

Why HD DVD combo format discs suck

If you have been following the HD DVD format at all, then you have probably heard of the combo disc. A combo disc is a hybrid HD DVD format that contains an HD DVD on one side and a standard DVD on the other side (you must flip over the disc to access the other format).

Why do combo discs suck?

The combo disc may look like an innovative and interesting idea at first glance, but in reality, it simply adds more cost to an already higher priced HD DVD movie title. While browsing the HD DVD titles at a local Circuit City electronics store, I took note of the pricing of ’standard’ HD DVD titles and compared them to the pricing of combo format (HD DVD + DVD) titles.

Most ’standard’ HD DVD titles were priced at $24.99, with some titles priced at $29.99. On the other hand, most of the combo format HD DVD titles were priced at $34.99, with a minority priced at $29.99. This means that consumers will have to cough up an extra $5-$10 per title if they want a movie in the combo format. The worst part of this deal is that most combo format titles are not available as a ’standard’ HD DVD, which means that you are forced to put out the extra $5-$10 for a title, even if you don’t want the crappy DVD that is glued to its’ rear.

Other combo format disadvantages are that the discs are more easily prone to scratching and fingerprinting due to the flipper style disc, missing disc art and in some cases, player compatibility problems.

Combo format discs are not needed

If I wanted a standard DVD, I would buy a DVD, not an HD DVD. If I wanted a standard DVD to go with my HD DVD, I would rip my HD DVD, convert it and burn it to DVD (once I get an HD DVD PC drive). Another option would be to buy a ’standard’ DVD via ebay or another source “on the cheap”. Either way, this forced combo disc nonsense and extra cost is hurting the HD DVD format in my eyes. On the bright side, at least Universal Studios has changed their ways on catalog releases. What do you think about combo discs?

HD DVD drives to be included in all Toshiba laptops

Toshiba plans to start embedding HD DVD drives in all of its’ notebook computers starting next year. How many laptops would that be? Toshiba sold approximately 9.2 million laptops in 2006 and hopes to double that number in 2008 with the help of their new NAND flash storage laptops, which do not use a traditional laptop hard drive.


“Sony Corp. equips its PlayStation 3 (PS3) game consoles with Blu-ray drives to win people to the rival high-definition DVD format, and Toshiba should use a similar tactic, said Toshiba Senior Vice President Hisatsugu Nonaka.

“The demand is there: people want to watch their favorite movies in high-definition on the road,” he told reporters at a news conference.”

Embedding HD DVD drives in all Toshiba notebook computers appears to be a smart move, as it could provide the HD DVD format with an easy way to gain a large amount of market penetration. Will Sony respond by including Blu-ray Disc drives in all Sony laptops next year?

Either way, it will be interesting to see if this significantly raises the costs of all Toshiba notebook computers. Current low end Toshiba laptops can be purchased for as little as $499. Will these budget priced Toshiba laptop models remain available to consumers, even with an embedded HD DVD drive? We will have to wait until next year to find out. One thing is for certain, this strategic move shows that Toshiba is still strongly dedicated to HD DVD. The format will not be going away any time soon. Found via CDRLabs.

Why you should buy an HD DVD player now

If someone would have asked me whether or not to buy a Blu-ray or HD DVD standalone player a month or two ago, my advice would have been to hold off. As of late last month, my advice has changed. This past weekend, I picked up the Toshiba HD-D2 standalone HD DVD player in store at a local Costco. The price? A mere $249.99. For those of you who might be wondering what the “HD-D2″ is, it is another Toshiba HD DVD player model and it is practically identical to the Toshiba HD-A2.

There are many high definition enthusiasts and consumers that are skeptical of buying into an HD DVD or Blu-ray player right now. Some people want to wait out the “war” and see what happens. Others are just waiting for prices to drop. Contrary to some of these skeptics, I say NOW is the time to go out and buy an HD DVD player! Why? Here are my top reasons for purchasing an HD DVD player this past weekend.



1) PRICE:
Toshiba is currently running a $100 instant rebate promotion. That’s right, $100 off at checkout, instantly. The promotion lasts until June 16th and should allow you to snatch up an HD-A2 or an HD-D2 between $240 - $299. Once the promotion is over, prices for Toshiba HD DVD players will likely jump up again.

2) FIVE FREE HD DVD’S:
Toshiba is currently running a mail in promotion that gets you 5 free HD DVD’s. Complete the offer and you should receive five free HD DVD’s in a few months. If you don’t particularly like the free HD DVD’s, you could always sell them on ebay or elsewhere to help offset the cost of the player! Just don’t forget to fill out that form and mail it in.

3) DVD UPSCALING:
Toshiba HD DVD players provide DVD upscaling capability, enabling smoother playback of standard definition DVD’s on a high definition TV. Many people seem to prefer the upscaled DVD video output compared to standard DVD video output on an HDTV.

These were my top 3 reasons for buying an HD DVD player now. I also enjoy supporting a competitive market, which has helped to drive down prices and provide more consumer choices. Other skeptics might cry wolf and suggest that HD DVD might be “dying” or “dead” because the format only has one exclusive major Hollywood studio (Universal). Don’t let that scare you, HD DVD is far from dead. This upcoming 2007 holiday season will be a key period for the high definition optical formats. That being said, I don’t expect HD DVD players to drop in price all that much more this year, so you might as well pick up a unit now.