DVD +R/W reference platform will be on show at CES this week as Taiwanese consumer electronics giant Mustek unveils its first DVD recording device, the DVD-R100A/B. Mustek is actively demonstrating the DVD-R100A/B at CES in anticipation of full production in the spring of 2003. With an entry price targeted below $500, the DVD-R100A/B will allow consumers to play DVDs and also record video content - such as broadcast television or home movies - onto DVD disc media.

Sigma Designs, Inc. (Nasdaq:SIGM), a leader in media processors for consumer appliances, along with KiSS Technology, a leading European vendor of DVD players, and Jamo, the leading European manufacturer of loudspeakers, jointly announced the development of a complete home cinema center with DivX Video(TM) compatibility. The new DVR-50 DVD receiver will be marketed in Europe by Jamo and will reach retail stores in May.

HP today introduced two new DVD writers that allow users to easily preserve, edit and share video and data faster than ever before. Twice as fast as the company's previous writers, the devices are capable of writing an entire DVD in as little as 15 minutes. Using a DVD write-speed of up to 4X, the HP DVD 300i internal DVD writer and the HP DVD 300e external DVD writer enable users to quickly preserve and edit video, store data, record music and back up and transport information on DVDs and CDs.

The entertainment lobby has failed to persuade a Norwegian court to convict a teenager for creating a utility for playing back DVDs on his own computer.

Pioneer projects shipping 700,000 DVD recorders in fiscal year 2003 (April 2003-March 2004), up from an estimated 170,000 units this fiscal year, citing its popular HDD (hard disk drive)/DVD recorders, reported the Japanese-language Business Line. Pioneer launched a new HDD/DVD recorder, the DVR-99H, featuring a built-in 120GB HDD for a maximum of 153 hours of recording, in Japan in late December. The model followed earlier DVD-77H (with an 80GB HDD) and DVR-55 and DVR-3000 recorders (both without hard drives). The DVR-99H offers 4x DVD-R and 2x DVD-RW speeds. The company claims the product can achieve 24x recording speed, dubbing a one-hour TV program in EP mode from HDD to DVD-R disc in less than three minutes without deterioration in picture or sound quality.

Zoran Corporation announced that the new Activa 100 DVD recording chip is shipping in sample quantities to major DVD recorder manufacturers.

Mediatechnics Systems has launched the new PACT240IJ system with inkjet capability built in line. Adding this affordable CD/DVD copier system to the current line of systems allows customers who are looking for duplication ability to purchase the unit without a large investment.

An optical disk with a storage capacity 100 times larger than a DVD is the exciting response to surging demand for an increase in data storage capacity fueled by the accelerating growth of broadband Internet usage.

The U.S. Supreme Court has bowed out of a long-running dispute over a DVD descrambling utility, dealing a preliminary defeat to Hollywood studios and electronics makers.

The U.S. Supreme Court has granted Hollywood studios and electronics makers a temporary victory by stepping into a long-running dispute over software that can be used to copy DVDs.

Supply of pick-up heads (PUHs) for DVD+RW and DVD-RW drives has tightened since November and is likely to continue to be tight until the second quarter, according to some Taiwanese optical drive makers.

Mitsubishi Electric has developed a more powerful semiconductor laser that should pave the way for 16X DVD writers to be commercially available by about 2004.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. is hoping to match the domestic success of its DVD recorders in overseas markets next year, company officials say.

Rewrite the 3R's: Read, Rewrite and Retrieval With the Archos DExDVD RW External DVD Writer. Archos announced the launch of the next generation of DVD writers with the introduction of the first portable (peripheral) DVD writer, the DExDVD-RW. This innovative product offers the professional and home user the ability to create and store video films, images and all types of numerical files on any kind of DVD and CD.

Taiwanese manufacturer Princo yesterday announced the release of their 4 speed DVD-R. The disc will be marketed in Europe under the Whitelabel and Bulkpaq brandnames Princo are following in the footsteps of Ritek who have already released a 4x disc. Our industry insiders advise us that the entrance of Princo into the still immature 4x DVD-R market may result in an oversupply of discs and this in turn may result in sigificant price decreases in the next few months. Watch this space :)

Good news for all those people who have got 4 speed DVD writers this Christmas. We recently received a press release from Datawrite, (who were the first brand to launch a 4x DVD-R disc in the UK) that they expect the street price of their 4x DVD-R to drop to around £1.50 within the next two weeks.

With DVD playback being combined with an increasing number of consumer electronics products, DVD is everywhere, according to In-Stat/MDR. The high-tech market research firm reports that, in addition to TV sets, VCRs, cars, and Home Theater systems, in 2002, DVD players have been added to cable set top boxes and personal video recorders. As a result the DVD player market will hit 84 million units in 2006.

Pioneer have released a new Firmware for the A05 / 105. The new firmware can be downloaded from Here .

A deadline for adopting a new EU law on copyright protection has passed with just two member countries signing up, dealing a blow to media and software companies beset by unauthorized duplication of their works across the Internet.

Adopting DVD-R/RW (read as DVD “dash” R/RW), DVD formats recognized by the DVD Forum, the ASUS DRW-0402P is an enhanced follow-up to the first generation DVR-104, and is a powerful solution for data storage that fully understands what multimedia enthusiasts’ desire. Whether it’s reproducing memory-intensive video sequences on DVD with optimal digital picture quality or playing full-length films, the functionally versatile DRW-0402P delivers smooth and efficient performance on the fly. Record memorable moments in your life with the DRW-0402P and share them with your family and friends anywhere anytime.