HD DVD & Blu-ray News

* TDK Increases Blu-ray Capacity - TDK unveiled a prototype high-definition DVD disc with eight times the capacity of the industry standard Thursday. - Aug 31, 2006

* Cardwell backs third high-def format - Former WHV head advising on red-laser-based discs coming to market. - Aug 29, 2006

* Intel unveils Merom chip for notebooks - Intel formally announced its Merom chip for notebooks Monday, as vendors including Dell’s Alienware, Gateway and Toshiba announced new models built around the processor. - Aug 27, 2006

* HD DVD vs. Blu-ray Media Disk War Heats Up - The long, hot summer may be winding down, but the HD-DVD-versus-Blu-Ray optical media marketing wars are just starting to heat up. - Aug 24, 2006

* No Winner Yet in Next-Gen DVD War - Blu-ray discs can hold more data than HD DVDs. Both discs look like DVDs but pack data more tightly and can process more video faster. - Aug 23, 2006

* Xbox 360 Confirmed for South Africa - The world of Xbox Live is getting a little bigger this fall. On September 29th, Microsoft will officially be launching South Africa into the brave new world of next-gen console gaming. - Aug 22, 2006

* Xbox 360 getting HD-DVD, 1080p - Ever since the Xbox 360 was first shown to the public in May 2005, rumors have surrounded it. - Aug 21, 2006

* HD Video Disc Players, HDTV - I've been writing about prototype high-definition video disc players for a long time, so it's great to finally be able to report that they're coming. - Aug 21, 2006

* Burning Questions: Report From the Consumer Electronics Show - Blue-laser discs are on the way, but current DVD products were still very much in evidence at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. - Aug 21, 2006

* Surround Sound Is All Around - I blazed through two trade shows in seven days this month. Amidst the blur, one trend stood out: Surround sound is blowing downwind, showing up in more moderately priced PC-centric products. - Aug 20, 2006

* AMEX 505: high-performance Blu-Ray recorder - Though described mainly as a Blu-Ray player and recorder, the AMEX 505 series is definitely more than a basic Blu-Ray drive with just enough power to handle the new disc format. - Aug 18, 2006

* Blue Day For Blu-ray: Movie Studios Back Toshiba's HD-DVD - A group of movie studios threw support Monday behind Toshiba Corp.'s high-definition HD-DVD format and, thereby, drew a line in the sand against Sony Corp.'s competing next- generation Blu-ray DVD technology. - Aug 14, 2006

* PlayStation 3 is first battleground as Toshiba scream Blu murder - Success for Sony in the battle to dominate the future of high-definition entertainment is far from a foregone conclusion, a major report cautions. - Aug 12, 2006

* Sony Makes Moves in High Definition DVD Battle - As the battle heats up between supporters of the Blu-ray and HD DVD formats for high definition DVDs, Sony has made its latest market move with the introduction of recordable Blu-ray discs. - Aug 10, 2006

* Fujifilm Finepix digital still cameras new guns for the HD wars. - Blurring often results in low light or high-speed action shooting, where the camera's lens can't open wide enough and the shutter is forced to slow down to capture a reasonably exposed picture. - Aug 8, 2006

* Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on unveiled - Microsoft unveiled the first demo of the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on during the Entertainment Media Expo here Monday. - Aug 8, 2006

* Denon Enhances Connectivity, Video In Receivers, DVD Players - Cleveland Denon focused on high-performance video, connectivity and custom installation in launching new receivers, DVD players and other products here during its dealer show. - Aug 8, 2006

* Microsoft to demonstrate Xbox with HD DVD drive - Microsoft is scheduled to demonstrate the first Xbox 360 featuring an HD DVD drive on Monday afternoon at the DVD Forum in Los Angeles, according to event organizers. - Aug 8, 2006

* LG nixes hybrid next-gen optical player - With the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD format war just getting started, it is by no means clear which format will emerge as the ultimate victor or if both will thrive. - Aug 1, 2006

* Blu-ray On Way To Best Buy - Best Buy Co. Inc. is preparing U.S. stores for the July 25 launch of Samsung Electronics America Inc. Blu-ray disc players. - Aug 1, 2006

* DVD-R format best for home players - I received a few e-mails regarding the video encoding used on HD-DVDs and Blu-ray discs and felt it was necessary to expand on the subject. - Aug 1, 2006

* Sonic To Power DVD Burning In Fujitsu Blu-ray-Equipped Computer - Sonic Solutions on Friday said its Roxio software would power the DVD burning capabilities of Fujitsu Ltd.'s upcoming Blu-ray Disc drive-equipped desktop computer. - Aug 1, 2006

* Dual-HDMI Sharp Aquos - Sharp recently debuted the new BX series, adding four midsized entries to its extensive lineup of Aquos LCD TVs. - Aug 1, 2006