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There is no HD DVD burning capability built-in, but the drive can burn both normal CDs and DVDs. Those not wanting an external USB drive can opt for an internal unit. No firm pricing is known for the external drive, but word has it the internal version will sell for 47,000 Yen, which would be about $406, which is way less than the $1000 I-O Data wants for their Blu-ray only USB drive. The USB version would cost a bit more, but the pricing would likely be close. The big rub here is that there is no word on if the drive will be shipped to America.

News Source: Everythingusb.com

PRESS RELEASE: Blue Ray Technologies Responds Strongly to Controversial Paramount/HD-DVD Deal

The founder of the first and only indie Blu-ray factory in the U.S, Erick Hansen of Blue Ray Technologies, spoke out strongly about the reported $150 million in incentives Toshiba and the HD-DVD cadre gave to Paramount and DreamWorks Animation to shun Blu-ray discs.

“Toshiba and HD-DVD offered this deal because they are desperate. The public has chosen Blu-ray discs with their pocket books, buying BDs 2-to-1 over HD-DVDs this year,” Hansen said.

“For retailers, it’s like being forced to stock VHS tapes after the public chose DVDs,” he added. “For the consumer it creates more confusion that hurts the industry-wide move to hi-def.” Hanson noted DVD retail leaders Blockbuster and Target stores will only stock Blu-Ray on their shelves.

Studios including Sony, Disney, Fox and MGM are Blu-ray only. Warner Bros. remains dual format. Universal, and now Paramount, release videos in the HD-DVD format.

Hanson said he was far from alone in his opinion, citing two articles this week in the New York Times and dozens of other publications where the president of Disney Home Entertainment Bob Chapek stated “There is no longer any doubt that Blu-ray is the clear successor to standard DVDs,” Chapek is widely quoted as saying. “(The Paramount deal) is not in the best interest of consumers.”

“What has Paramount gained by accepting the money?,” asked Hansen “If multi-billion dollar director Steven Spielberg and billion dollar director Michael Bay like Blu-ray, the deal is a double-edged sword. “Transformers II” and “Indiana Jones 4″ are both billion dollar babies on their own. So why risk the ire of their most valued directors? If these two spoke up so quickly, you can be sure that there are a dozen others who will follow suit if they have the clout on a film.”

Spielberg’s films are specifically excluded from the Paramount-DreamWorks Animation deal, they will continue to be released in both formats, according to Paramount. Bay released a statement on his website over his displeasure of distribution of “Transformers” I and II to HD-DVD only.

“I would like to see others take a stand, this is only slowing the inevitable and hurting consumers and the business,” Hansen said.
“This seems like a move of desperation,” said Andy Parsons, a member of the Blu-ray Disc Association, which represents companies like Panasonic, Samsung and Sony.

The New York Times and other media said Paramount and DreamWorks Animation together will receive about $150 million in financial incentives for their commitment to HD DVD, quoting two executives from Paramount parent Viacom, with knowledge of the deal but who asked not to be identified (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/21/technology/21disney.html?_r=1&em&ex=1187841600&en=5ddd87161117ed10&ei=5087%0A&oref=slogin).

The incentives will come in a combination of cash and promotional guarantees. Toshiba will use the release of “Shrek the Third” as part of an HD DVD marketing campaign.

“It’s not that I’m surprised they took the deal,” Hansen concluded. “But it’s like paying them not to grow crops. How is the film industry going to segue into the next-gen world if it accepts a relative pittance to stunt its growth?”

Hansen is founder of Blue Ray Technologies (www.blueraytechnologies.com) which has built the first U.S. indie Blu-ray plant in Spokane, WA. The $12 million plant also has HD-DVD capacity, but Hansen has chosen to support Blu-ray for reasons of quality, capacity, and market penetration.

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“Last night at dinner I was having dinner with three blu-ray owners, they were pissed about no Transformers Blu-ray and I drank the kool aid hook line and sinker. So at 1:30 in the morning I posted – nothing good ever comes out of early am posts mind you – I over reacted. I heard where Paramount is coming from and the future of HD and players that will be close to the $200 mark which is the magic number. I like what I heard.

As a director, I’m all about people seeing films in the best quality possible, and I saw and heard firsthand people upset about a corporate decision.

So today I saw 300 on HD, it rocks!

So I think I might be back on to do Transformers 2!”

News Source: Highdefdigest.com

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So by now you’ve heard that Paramount has dropped support for Blu-ray right? Good, so has a notable Hollywood director. Michael Bay — the man behind “Transformers,” “Bad Boys,” “Pear Harbor,” etc. — just threw down with Paramount in his personal blog. In a forum post titled “Paramount pisses me off!”, he states, “I want people to see my movies in the best formats possible. For them to deny people who have Blu-ray sucks! They were progressive by having two formats. No Transformers 2 for me!” That’s right Mike, aim your PS3 right at their coffers!

News Source: Engadget.com

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The NY Times has confirmed via two Viacom executives, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, that Paramount has received a $150M pay-off to support HD DVD exclusively for a period of 18 months. The $150M is comprised of cash and future marketing deals. Also re-confirmed is that the deal includes no films directed by Steven Spielberg.

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In response to Paramount’s decision to exclusively support HD DVD, Andy Parsons, Chairman, Blu-ray Disc Association US Promotions Committee had this to say: “The decision seems oddly timed given Blu-ray’s tremendous momentum both with consumers and with retail. Blu-ray title sales continue to outpace HD-DVD sales by nearly a 2 to 1 margin, and major retailers have expressed a strong preference for Blu-ray. Moreover, the price delta between HD DVD and Blu-ray players has been greatly reduced in the past few months, a trend that is on its way to eliminating any perceived cost advantage the HD DVD format has claimed to have. Under these circumstances, we can only imagine what could have enticed them to walk away from a format that is clearly selling significantly more software than the ailing HD-DVD format.”

News Source: Blu-ray.com

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As reported by the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Jose Ignacio Ortega Garcia was kidnapped, beaten and tortured by a pair of men who held him captive in a filthy motel room for nine days.

Garcia, a business owner, was forced to write checks to the men totalling more than $17,000. His kidnappers also made him call his wife and tell her that he had left her for another woman in order to keep her from calling the police.

Charged in the case are Jose Sanchez, 18, and Juan Gonzales, 28. As reported by the Times-Sentinel, it was a video game which finally ended Garcia’s ordeal.

On June 21, Gonzales gave Sanchez a hand-held video game that would prove to be Garcia’s savior…

“Sanchez played the video game virtually all day that day and much of the night,” [according to an FBI report]

Garcia used the distraction as an opportunity to loosen his bindings. When the exhausted gamer fell asleep, Garcia bolted, running from the room to the hotel office, screaming, “They are trying to kill me…”

News Source: Gamepolitics.com

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Blu-ray high-definition movie discs outsold films on the rival HD-DVD format by 2-to-1 in the United States in the first half of 2007, Home Media Research said on Tuesday.

The division of Home Media Magazine said total sales of Blu-ray discs, using a Sony Corp – backed technology, totaled 1.6 million units from January 1 through July 1, compared with 795,000 HD-DVD discs sold in that period.

HD-DVD was developed by Toshiba Corp and backed by Microsoft Corp and film studios such as Warner Bros.

Both formats were launched in spring of 2006. An estimated 3.7 million high-definition discs have been sold, including 2.2 million in Blu-ray and 1.5 million in HD-DVD through the end of July, according to Home Media.

News Source: Reuters.com