Blu-ray

Hitachi-LG Data Storage has come up with a novel idea that combines physical storage with an optical drive. The HyDrive is capable of reading CD, DVD and Blu-ray discs but also has a solid state drive (SSD) slotted in. Initially coming in 32GB and 64GB versions, the company has plans to scale on up to 256GB by March of next year. Read More

Sharp is set to unleash its new LV Series of 3D-compatible AQUOS Quattron LCD TVs into the Japanese market. The four new LV Series models will be bundled with 3D glasses and feature the company's "four-primary-color" technology which adds yellow to the conventional red, blue and green primary colors to improve the reproduction of colors like (yes) yellow, gold and emerald green. Sharp has also announced new LX Series and super slim XF Series 2-D AQUOS Quattron LCD TVs and two new AQUOS Blu-ray recorders that support 3-D Blu-ray. Read More

It smashed Box Office records worldwide to become the highest grossing film in history, now James Cameron's Avatar is setting new benchmarks in the Blu-ray market. Around 1.5 million Blu-ray discs were snapped-up on the first day of release in the U.S. - more than previous record holder The Dark Knight - and that's just the 2D version, without special features. The Blu-ray release also triggered an avalanche of illegal downloads, with the sci-fi epic now well on its way to becoming the most pirated Blu-ray film ever. Read More

The TruLink 1-Port 60GHz WirelessHD Kit lets you say goodbye to the clutter of (expensive) HDMI cables and still retain a 1080p signal via a wireless transmission between your television and your HDMI components, Blu-ray player, set-top box, gaming console, etc. Good up to 30ft line-of-sight, the 60GHz transmission capability delivers wireless flexibility in your home theater setup. Read More

The dust has barely settled on the format war between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray (in which Blu-ray took the honors), but now the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has announced two new media specs. The final specifications for BDXL (High Capacity Recordable and Rewritable discs) and IH-BD (Intra-Hybrid Blu-ray discs) are expected in the next couple of months and neither will be compatible with existing Blu-ray players – not even with a firmware update. Read More

PS3 owners will soon be able to watch digital versions of new release HD movies via their gaming consoles. Sony has signed an agreement with 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution to provide high definition (HD) movies for purchase and rental on the PlayStation Network video delivery service in the US. Read More

The Video Electronics Standard Association (VESA) has unveiled the long awaited DisplayPort Version1.2 digital display interface that brings with it a host of enhanced features. Aside from a doubled data rate of 21.6Gbps and bi-directional USB data transfer of an impressive 720Mbps, the upgrade also offers multi – monitor support from a single plug, improved audio synchronization and support for Full HD 3D Stereoscopic displays. Read More

ASUS' Republic of Gamers (ROG) showed off some new gaming notebooks at CES, with specs available including Intel i7 processor, Direct X 11 and 3D graphics, high definition audio and HDD support for up to 1Tb of storage. Gizmag took the opportunity to have a closer look. Read More

The Cell microprocessor made famous by the PlayStation 3 was developed as a joint venture between Sony, Toshiba and IBM, with Toshiba taking over the majority of manufacturing duties in 2007. Toshiba plans to make the most of the Cell with a new range of Cell-powered TVs for the US market - read on to find out what 200 gigaflops can do inside a TV. Read More