Recently the RareWares published an open AAC / MP4 audio encoder listening test and now the results are ready for you to review.

321 Studios have released a new version of their DVD-9 to DVD-/+R tool, XPRESS. The new version, XPRESS v2.5.1 fixes couple of bugs from the previous (2.5.0) version and adds support for multiple languages.

A Hong-Kong based manufacturer is producing a portable version of Sega's discontinued Dreamcast console, featuring a built in LCD monitor and speakers - but many importers are refusing to stock the machine as it infringes Sega's copyrights.

Italian Police have swooped on a major counterfeiting ring based in Italy and have nabbed €118 million (£83 million) worth of fake software, the Business Software Alliance said. The crackdown, dubbed 'Operation Mouse' was headed up by Italian cops from the crack Green Beret brigade, aided by both the BSA and the Federation against Music Piracy. The Green Berets used dynamic IP address tracing, log file analysis, and code breaking passwords to counter anonymous email addresses and encrypted messages.

Pioneer Electronics have said they have licensed TiVo's TIVO.O digital video recording technology for use in consumer entertainment products it plans to release later this year.

The next big step it optical storage is the use of a blue laser to read and write to the disc rather than the current infrared ones. The smaller wavelength means a tighter focused spot and more pits and lands per square inch and hence more capacity. The blue laser brigade had agreed earlier in the year to co-operate and have just one standard, Blu-Ray. Toshiba and NEC obviously thought they could do better and have announced their own blue laser drive.

It was all going so well. But then one morning our resident DVD guru woke up and things just weren't happy in DVD land: the discs and drives that had been burning just dandy had gone bellyup. Not to be detered, our plucky reviewer (Flash) went through several processes to rectify this state of affairs and has written this article about his experiences to help anyone else who might have these problems.

Memory maker Micron has begun sampling what it claims is the world's first third-generation DDR SDRAM chips developed specifically for graphics applications.

TEAC’s new DVD+/-RW DVD-Recordable drive writes at 4X speed to DVD+R and DVD-R, rewrites at 2.4X speed to DVD+RW and 2X speed to DVD-RW media and plays DVD movies at 12X speed. The drive is also capable of recording to CD-R media at 16X speed, rewriting to CD-RW media at 10X speed, combined with a higher read speed for CDs at 32X speed maximum.

Press Release: Iomega have launched the Iomega DVD Internal 4X Dual Format Drive (DVD±RW/CD-RW EIDE/ATAPI), thus eliminating any confusion customers may have as to which format DVD drives to buy. This latest DVD±RW/CD-RW drive from Iomega can read and record CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW as well as read DVD-ROM and CD-ROM.

Both retail and contract manufacturing prices for recordable DVD drives have plunged since early this year despite tight supply, and prices of some products have declined by as much as 30% during the past month.

Gateway are set to launch a range of 50 products in 15 new categories by the middle of November. These products, organized under six or seven new product lines, will include a new line of plasma televisions, LCD televisions, DVD players, home theaters built around digital projectors and connectivity products, CEO Ted Waitt said. Gateway is also working on digital video gear and gaming products, which will take longer to come out.

Samsung has committed itself to investing around £10bn on flat screen manufacturing plants, which means flat monitors and televisions will get bigger and cheaper.

Press Release: Warner Music Group, Silverline Records, BMG, EMI Recorded Music, 5.1 Entertainment Group, Meridian Audio, Dolby Laboratories and Panasonic (MEI) have announced the formation of the DVD-Audio Marketing Council. The DVD-Audio Marketing Council will serve as a complete resource for all technical, press and marketing information related to the DVD-Audio format in the United States and Europe. The council will also function to educate hardware and software retailers to the benefits and features of DVD-Audio while simultaneously promoting consumer awareness of this exciting new format.

Sony Electronics bumped up the high-end features in its Vaio notebook line, betting that jazzed-up multimedia and wireless will draw buyers and help revive its flagging PC fortunes.

Pioneer have released a new official version of their firmware for the A05/105. The new firmware is claimed to give DVD-R/RW writability and playability improvement, DVD-Dual Layer playability improvement and CD-R/RW writability improvement. You can download the new firmware here.

A research team has unveiled a new system to turbocharge the Internet, claiming to be able to achieve speeds so high an entire movie can be downloaded in mere seconds. The team is already talking to Microsoft and Disney to look into using the system to deliver high-quality video over the Web.

Korean electronics giant Samsung has launched a massive 40-inch LCD display which will go head-to-head with plasma screens, the traditional kings of the wall-mounted flat-screen world.

The Japanese giant behind the Panasonic brand name is to test a movie rental system that combines DVD discs with file downloads. Besides Matsushita, Nikkei Business News said the trial will involve four other companies -- networking equipment provider Oki Electric, software maker Japan Wave, Internet cafe operator InterPia and systems developer PFU.

Denon have announced that the PAL version of their DVD-2900 universal DVD-Audio/SACD player will be the only machine capable of delivering ‘legal’ PAL progressive video. The DVD-2900 brings Denon’s audiophile and videophile performance features to a price point that most enthusiasts can afford. Many of the technologies and construction elements developed for the flagship DVD-A1 have been used in the 2900, which will go on sale in the U.K. with a recommended retail price of just £850.