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High-Def / DVD Gallery
CD and DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD
by Douglas Dixon
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These galleries provide notes on some interesting technology and trends in
digital home media.
They include some sample products illustrating these trends.
Information and pricing are summarized
from public sources as of when they were added,
and may be incorrect or out of date. Corrections and updates are welcome. |
High-Def Disc Formats
Blu-ray Disc, HD DVD -- Web features, digital
download
High-Def Disc Products
Set-top CE Players
Game System Players: PS3,
Xbox 360
PC Drives / Burners
HD Disc Player and Authoring Software
CD / DVD Accessories
HD / Disc Media
Printable Media
Disc Printers
See also:
Consumer
HDTV Gallery
Home Networked
Media Gallery
See DVD Authoring
References
Blu-ray Disc (BD)
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Championed by
Sony and Panasonic
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Strong support from the consumer electronics and
computer industries
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More aggressive
step forward
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25 GB per layer and 50 GB for a DL disc
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www.blu-raydisc.com
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Profiles
- Profile 1.0 (Grace Period Profile)
Base available on all Blu-ray models before 11/1/2007
no secondary video decoder or Internet connection.
- Profile 1.1 (Final Standard Profile or "Bonus View")
-- Dual video playback
Adds secondary picture-in-picture (PiP) video and audio
("Bonus View")
256 MB local storage (mandatory after 11/1/07)
Discs should play normally on 1.0 players for movie
playback and traditional bonus features
- Profile 2.0 (or "BD-Live")
Adds 1 GB of local storage capability
Internet
connection
Links
Copy Protection -- AACS
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Movies locked down with extensive
layers of copy protection technology
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Set-top high-def DVD players will display HD picture
only on displays that support HDMI interface
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Titles may permit display at lower resolution on older analog
displays
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www.aacsla.com
Next: Game System Players: PS3,
Xbox 360
Format War: Next-Generation DVD
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High-definition video, higher capacity with blue laser
technology
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But two competing formats
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2/19/08 - Toshiba Announces Discontinuation of HD
DVD Business
HD
DVD
Warner Total Hi Def (THD) -- Cancelled
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- Two-sided disc: One HD DVD and the other Blu-ray
- Each side single layer or dual layers
- HD DVD 15 GB or 30 GB, Blu-ray 25 GB or 50 GB
- 2nd half 2007 -- cancelled
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www.warnerbros.com
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Resolved Jan. 2008
Blu-ray - as of CES 1/2008
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1/08 - Warner Bros. goes exclusive Blu-ray in 5/08
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Blu-ray studios: Disney, Fox, Lionsgate, MGM, Sony,
Warner
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HD DVD studios: Paramount, Universal, DreamWorks
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Blu-ray sales: Blu-ray titles outsold HD DVD 2-to-1
in U.S., 3-to-1 in Europe in 2007
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Blu-ray has 85% of global hardware sales
(including PS3)
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Blu-ray players: 500,000 playback devices, 3 million
PS3 end 2007; increase to 6 million in 2008
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PS3 first year (to 11/07) - 200 software titles
released
more than 60 million pieces of content downloaded from
PLAYSTATION Network worldwide
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Blu-ray: ~ 1M consoles '06, mostly Sony PS3
HD DVD - as of CES 1/2008 - Discontinued 2/08
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HD DVD sales: nearly 1 million dedicated HD DVD
players sold in North America in 2007
more than 400 titles available in U.S., more than
1,000 titles worldwide
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1/13/07 - Toshiba cut entry-level HD-A3 to $149.99,
from $299
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All players support picture-in-picture (PiP),
Internet connectivity - “second look” for fans
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“300” (Warner) - first PiP director’s commentary,
also “Heroes” (Universal) and “Transformers” (Paramount)
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“The Bourne Ultimatum,” “Heroes: Season 1,”
“Transformers” – downloadable content, continually updated
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2006 / 2007 - HD DVD: ~ 175K players, 100K Xbox HD DVD add-on
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LG Electronics - "Super Multi Blue"
LG "Super Multi Blue"
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LG BH100 "Super Multi Blue" Player -
$1,199 (U.S. Q1 07)
Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD
Full HD 1080p
Blu-ray: BD-Java advanced interactive functions, advanced
menus
HD DVD: Not advanced menu interactivity
MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264 video, MPEG1/2 audio
Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, DTS and DTS-HD audio
HDMI out, component/composite video out,
optical/coaxial/discrete 5.1 channel audio out
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www.lge.com
Blu-ray -- Set-top CE Players
(OLD)
Sony BDP-S1
- Full HD 1080p Video Output through HDMI connection
- DVD Upscaling to 1080p
- 1/07 - Firmware upgrade 1.50 - Improves BD-Java compatibility
Enhances playback compatibility with certain BD-ROM
format discs
Corrects Linear PCM 5.1 output over HDMI
- 1/07 - $999
Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray player (6/06)
Others
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Panasonic DMP-BD10
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Philips BDP9000
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Pioneer BDP-HD1
- Sharp - DV-BP1U BD player 2Q $1199
HD DVD -- Set-top CE Players (OLD)
Toshiba
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1/08 - HD-A3 $149 , HD-A30 $199 , top of the line
HD-A35 $299
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[ Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD player ~ $499 (4/06) - first,
aggressive price ]
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Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD player ~ $799 (4/06)
- Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD player- entry level - $499 (10/06)
HDMI 720p or 1080i, Play DVD and CD
- Toshiba HD-A20 HD DVD player - $599 (Spring 07)
HDMI 720p, 1080i or 1080p, Play DVD and CD
- Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD player - top of the line - $999 (12/06)
HDMI 1.3, 720p, 1080i or 1080p, Play DVD and CD, Deep Color output, user picture setting
- www.tacp.toshiba.com/hddvd
Toshiba HD-A1
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- Least expensive option for HD movie playback
Sony PlayStation 3 -- Blu-ray (11/06) 
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PS3 - HD Video
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Plays Blu-ray movies
BD-ROM (Blu-ray Disc ROM), HDMI output,
1080p
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Video out: HDMI, Analog A/V, Digital audio (optical)
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Full HD playback, 1080p
 Find the Sony
PlayStation 3 on Amazon.com |
Specifications
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Cell processor jointly developed by IBM, Sony, and
Toshiba
PowerPC-base Core @ 3.2GHz, 1 VMX vector unit per core,
512KB L2 cache
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Graphics processor (RSX) co-developed by NVIDIA
Corporation
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SCEI, and XDR memory developed by Rambus
256MB XDR Main RAM, 256MB GDDR3 VRAM
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Ethernet (10, 100 1000BASE-T), Wi-Fi (802.11
b/g), Bluetooth 2.0
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Video: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
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A/V: HDMI out, Analog AV MULTI OUT, Digital out
(OPTICAL)
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2 USB 2.0; 60 & 80 GB: Memory Stick/SD/CompactFlash
Slots
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Approximately 325 (W) x 98 (H) x 274 mm (D); 5 kg
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PlayStation (PS) 1994, PlayStation 2 (PS2) 2000,
PlayStation Portable (PSP) 2004
Over 13,000 titles
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Introduced Nov. 17, 2006, sold 1 million by end of
year
First year - more than 200 software titles
released,
more than 60 million pieces of
content downloaded from PLAYSTATION Network worldwide
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10/07 - PlayStation 2 seventh anniversary, more than
120 million consoles sold worldwide
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1/08 - North America hardware units retail sales for
holiday 2007 (Nov. 23 to Dec. 31)
PS3 - 1.2 million, PlayStation - more than 3.9 million
(PS3, PS3, PSP)
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11/07 - new 40 GB $399 (does not play PS2
titles), 80 GB reduced $499 (2.5" SATA)
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1/07 - 20 GB HDD $499, 60 GB HDD with WiFi $599
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www.us.playstation.com/PS3
Microsoft Xbox 360 -- HD DVD (11/05, 11/06)
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HD Video
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All games support 16:9, 720p, or 1080i
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Xbox 360 HD DVD Player
With Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote
Up to1080p
Introduced 11/06, $199 - summer 07 $179 - 2/08 $129
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Component
video, not HDMI
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For HDTV, need Xbox 360 Component HD AV Cable, $39.99
(w/ full system)
Composite cable for standard TV output
Component (Y, Pr, Pb) high-definition video output
Progressive-scan DVD playback 480p
HD output 720p, 1080i or 1080p
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound output
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For digital, need Xbox 360 VGA HD AV Cable,
$39.99
Standard VGA Connector
HD at 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p resolution
640 x 480 to 1280 x 720 (720p), 1280 x 768, 1280 x 1024,
1360 x 768
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound output
Find the Microsoft
Xbox 360 on Amazon.com |
Specifications
- Custom IBM PowerPC-based CPU, 3 symmetrical cores each 3.2 GHz
1 MB L2 cache
- Custom ATI Graphics Processor 10 MB of embedded DRAM
- 512 MB of 700 MHz GDDR3 RAM
- Detachable and upgradeable 20-GB hard drive
- 12x dual-layer DVD-ROM
- Built-in Ethernet port
- Wi-Fi ready: 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g
- Video camera–ready
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Introduced Nov. 22, 2005, 6 million consoles sold by
end of Sept. 2006
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Microsoft TV IPTV Edition, IPTV on Xbox 360
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3.3 x 12.2 x 10.2 inches, 7.7 lbs
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Xbox 360 Arcade - 256 MB (no hard drive) - $279
(was $299)
Not compatible with original Xbox games (300 games), not
HD
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Xbox 360 - 20 GB detachable hard drive - $349
(was $399)
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Xbox 360 Elite - (black) 120 GB, HDMI - $449
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www.microsoft.com/xbox
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www.xbox.com/xbox360
Next: HD / Disc Media
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LG Electronics - "Super Multi Blue" (OLD)
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LG GGW-H10N 'Super Multi Blue’ Blu-ray
Rewriter & HD DVD-ROM Drive - $1,199 (Q1 07)
Blu-ray write/playback, HD DVD playback, DVD/CD
write/playback; SATA?
Blu-ray 4x recording, SL 25 GB in 24 min
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www.lge.com
Blu-ray -- PC Drives / Burners (OLD)
- Pioneer - BDR-101A internal Blu-ray Burner - no CD
- Panasonic - SW-5582-C internal Blu-ray burner, DE, DL,
$870
- LiteOn - LH-2B1S internal Blu-ray burner, SATA
- Sony - BWU-100A Blu-ray burner, DL, DVD+/-, +DL, $700
- Samsung - SH-B022 BD Burner - DVD and
CD read not write
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BenQ - BW1000 BD Burner - internal and external, DVD &
CD, 2x BD
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Philips - SPD7000 BD Burner
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Hitachi - GBW-H10N Blu-ray / DVD / CD read/write - Blu-ray
4x
LaCie d2 External Blu-ray Drive - $1,149 (2/07)
- USB 2.0 & FireWire
- BD (Blu-ray) 2x / DVD / CD writer in one drive
- www.lacie.com
LaCie d2
HP bd135 Blu-ray Disc Writer (spring 07)
- Burn BD-R, BD-RW (2x, DL), DVD and CD discs
- www.hp.com
HD DVD -- PC Drives / Burners (OLD)
Toshiba SD-L902A HD DVD Slim Writer - OEM notebooks (10/06)
Toshiba SD-H903A HD DVD Desktop Writer - first half-height, SATA
(2/07)
- Read and write support for legacy CD and DVD formats, 1X HD DVD
- Single and double layer (30 GB)
Hewlett-Packard hd100 External HD DVD-ROM (~ 1/07) ~ $499
- USB 2.0
- HD DVD-ROM 2.4x, DVD±R/±RW and ±R double-layer read capability
- www.hp.com
HP hd100
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See DVD
Authoring Software Gallery
HD Disc Players
See DVD
Authoring Software Gallery
CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra -- Blu-ray and HD DVD
- Also plays from folder, DVD
- Also AVCHD
Corel (InterVideo) WinDVD 9 -- Blu-ray and HD DVD
- HD upgrade -- Blu-ray and HD DVD
- 1/07 - AVCHD certification
- Play Standard and Advanced Content (HDi) HD DVD titles
- 1/07 - supports playback of rewriteable Blu-ray Discs
BD-RE 3.0 (BDMV on BD-RE), BD-R 2.0 (BDMV format BD-R),
BD-ROM discs
ArcSoft TotalMedia Extreme -- Blu-ray and HD DVD
- High definition, full resolution playback of BD-AV, BD-MV, BD-J, HD DVD,
AVCHD, DVD
- Advanced video decoding, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 AVC, VC-1 (SMPTE 421M)
codecs
- Next generation Blu-ray and HD DVD audio format support
- Playback of protected content (CPRM, AACS, and BD+)
HD Disc Authoring Tools (OLD)
See DVD
Authoring Software Gallery
CyberLink PowerProducer 4 -- Blu-ray clips and HD DVD menus
- Blu-ray - BDAV 2.0 (no menus), burn to disc only
- HD DVD - with menus, to HD DVD, DVD, folder
Pinnacle HD DVD Authoring Pack -- HD DVD menus
- HD DVD format movie discs complete with menus
- Combine of HD and SD footage
- Burn to HD DVD or DVD -- Both play on set-top CE players, $49.99
Nero 7 Ultra Edition Enhanced -- Blu-ray & HD DVD data burning
- Blu-ray & HD DVD Disc Data Recording
Roxio (Sonic) MyDVD 9 - Blu-ray clips
- Author and burn Blu-ray (BDAV, no menus)
Roxio (Sonic) DVDit Pro HD -- Blu-ray menus
- Author and burn Blu-ray (BDMV, no menus)
Ulead DVD MovieFactory Studio Pro Edition
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Trends in Advanced Blu-ray Titles
BD-Live: Internet
connection, 1 GB local storage
Digital Copy
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See article: Digital
Copy: Movie "Downloads" |
- Movie release on Blu-ray (or DVD), also includes
computer-readable versions of the movie in "digital
copy" files
- Fox Digital Copy - Digital movie files
for playback on PCs, Mac, portable devices - www.foxdigitalcopy.com
- iTunes-compatible format for playback on PCs, Macs, iPods (iPhone)
- Windows Media format for playback under Windows, and
Plays For Sure portable devices (SanDisk, Creative,
Samsung, Sony)
- Play movie on PC (one copy), also sync portable device (one copy)
- Sample BD Releases: Fox Juno, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem
- Disc 1 is movie on Blu-ray with special features
- Disc 2 is DVD with digital copy files, with three copies of the movie:
Windows Media "PC" - 720 x 390
(AVP 720 x 300), 1 GB
"Portable" Windows Media - 320
x 174 , 500 KB
Apple iTunes - 853 x 461 (AVP is 853
x 356)
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See Hard Coat
Protection for Recordable Discs (6/05)
Dual-Layer DVD Media
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Verbatim 8X DVD+RW
burn an entire 4.7GB disc in about 7 minutes
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Small Verbatim Mini DVD+R DL coaster-size DVDs (around 3 inches or 8 cm)
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Double-layer capacity (2.6 GB)
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DVD camcorders can record 1 hour
of video at reasonable quality.
Blu-ray -- Disc Media
See Multi-Layer
High-Def DVD Technology -- Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD (10/05)
- Media: Verbatim, TDK,
Sony, Ritek, Panasonic, LG, HP, Maxell, Memorex, Rioch
- BD-R single layer 25 GB ~ $20, BD-RE 25GB $25
- dual layer 50GB ~ $40-$50
Memorex SimpleSave Photo and Video Back-Up DVDs (6/08)
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SimpleSave software |
- Automatic, all-in-one back-up for photos from PC to DVD disc
- Optical disc with recording media plus pre-recorded software
Each disc has 4.5GB of capacity, to back up some 2,200
photos
- Insert SimpleSave disc into PC's DVD drive
Back-up software launches automatically from the disc, no
installation required
Automatically find, organize and back up photos or music
Saves selected file types from PC to the same SimpleSave
disc
When disc is full, software prompts to insert another
disc
- No additional software or recording media required, no need to configure
software
Can use advanced options to designate file types to be
located and saved
- Future: music - 1,000 songs per disc?
- 9/08 - 5-pack $14.99
- Product - www.memorex.com/products/product_list.php?SID=49
- PR 1/08 (old) - www.memorex.com/html/newsroom_pr_show.php?PressID=167
Find the Memorex
SimpleSave Back-Up DVD on Amazon.com |
Verbatim PhotoSave DVD (10/08)
Water Resistant Surfaces
- Inkjet printable CDs and DVDs, water- and smear-resistant
- Great print quality with instantaneous drying
- Handle directly from the printer
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Imation
AquaGuard printable discs
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Nanoparticle technologysurface to grip and hold ink, lock printed images in
place
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Very white surface for better color reproduction and more
brilliant images
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Also is offered by Primera
inkjet-based disc duplication and printing equipment, www.primera.com
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Hard Coat Surfaces
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Hard coat surfaces resist
scratching and are easier to clean by just wiping with a cloth
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Originally
developed for the new high-def DVD formats
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Now available for
DVD and CD
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Memorex
DuraLayer
Imation - ForceField Scratch Resistant Coating
Maxell - MAXPRO Hardcoat
- 40 times more scratch resistant and 20 times more dust resistant than
standard DVD media
- ultra-reliable, high-quality, propriety dye further ensures data integrity
and longevity
- up to two times longer archival and storage life
- www.maxell-data.com
TDK - DURABIS Coating
Verbatim - VideoGard
LightScribe Media
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Flip over the disc in the drive tray
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Uses laser to write
the label.
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Not printing in color, result is a sepia
effect.
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Verbatim LightScribe CDs
and DVDs
gold-background coating that enables up to 30 percent
faster label printing
vibrant jewel-toned
background colors, yellow, green, orange
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DYMO - DiscPainter CD/DVD Printer (10/07)
- Full-color, high quality printing directly on inkjet printable discs in
minutes
- RadialPrint Technology prints as disc spins, from edge to hub
- Prints on all inkjet-printable CDs, DVDs (full sized,
120 mm), and mini discs (80 mm)
- Prints on full-coverage / hub-printable discs (to inner edge of
center hole)
and non hub-printable discs (larger unprintable inner
plastic ring)
- Print speed from 30 seconds (simple text/design, Fast mode)
to 3 minutes (more complex design, Best quality)
- Recommend glossy inkjet-printable or water-resistant
inkjet-printable discs
Glossy discs have a lustrous, shiny surface, often
water-resistant
Matte discs have a dull, flat surface, with softened
appearance
- DiscPainter printer software for Mac or PC - Select as print driver
Print from any application, such as Adobe
Illustrator or Photoshop
Set paper size to match size of disc, margins 0
Standard (120 mm, 4.7")
disc, paper size 120 mm wide x 120 mm high
Mini (80 mm, 3.15") disc,
paper size 80 mm wide x 80 mm high.
- Includes Discus for DYMO software for creating disc designs
Print properties
- Print Quality/Speed:
Fast/Draft 600 dpi (two nozzle passes) -- good for simple
text
Normal 600 dpi (eight nozzle passes)
Best 1200 dpi (eight nozzle passes)
- Ink Density: 1 - 5 for matte discs, 6 & 7 for glossy
8 & 9 for colored (non-white) discs such as silver
inkjet printable
- Single Ink Cartridge system in full color - DYMO part number 1738252
Prints about 100 discs with one cartridge (Normal
quality, ink density 5)
Ink status light: yellow when ink level below 20%, red
below 5%
- 4.33" H x 10.62" L x 5.71" W (110 mm x 270 mm x 145 mm),
2.65 lbs (1.2 kg)
- DYMO is a unit of Newell Rubbermaid
- 12/07 - $279; Cartridge $49 -> $40
- See DYMO website for tutorials and videos
- http://global.dymo.com/enUS/DiscPainter
Find the DYMO
DiscPainter on Amazon.com
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