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1. Blu-ray-R disc market to reach critical mass in 2009, says Ritek

   (Trendwatch/Trendwatch Brief)

   Wednesday, 19 November 2008

   Blu-ray Disc-R (BD-R) discs are expected to reach a crucial market size of 20 million units in 2009 that will give the format momentum for sharp growth thereafter, according to Ritek, one of Taiwan's ...

2. Asus announces quad-core gaming laptop

   (Mobility/Mobility Features)

   Tuesday, 07 October 2008

   ... and an Nvidia GeForce 9700M GT card with 512 MB of GDDR3 video RAM. Taipei (Taiwan) – Gamers and video editing gurus rejoice because the age of the quad-core laptop will soon be upon us.  I’m not ...

3. Hollywood movie studios not supporting China-developed CBHD, say Taiwan optical disc makers

   (Trendwatch/Trendwatch Brief)

   Friday, 29 August 2008

   ... optimistic because vendors are finding it difficult to win support from the main movie studios in Hollywood, according to Taiwan-based optical disc makers.Vendors, including Shinco, TCL, Malata, Tsinghua ...

4. Lite-On IT expected to ship up to 5 million Xbox 360 DVD-ROM drives in Q3

   (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

   Friday, 18 July 2008

   ... million units, according to component suppliers in Taiwan. Microsoft has lowered retail prices for 20GB Xbox 360 bundles and plans to offer 60 GB bundle in an attempt to promote sales over the summer, ...

5. Scaled-down Cell CPU beats Intel’s quad-core chip in video transcoding

   (Hardware/Hardware Features)

   Sunday, 08 June 2008

   ... 1000 (SE1000), an accelerator board based on the Cell BE processor. Despite the fact that Toshiba has trimmed down the chip, the performance potential is impressive. Taipei (Taiwan) – During Computex ...

6. Sapphire joins the 2160p LCD TV party

   (Consumer Electronics/Consumer Electronics Features)

   Friday, 06 June 2008

   ... - on a 56” display, Sapphire will be the second company we know of that is actually selling such a display. The bragging rights of owning such a TV come at a hefty price, of course. Taipei (Taiwan) ...

7. Taiwanese temptress lures us to Corel’s suite

   (Software/Software Features)

   Thursday, 05 June 2008

   ... could we resist? Taipei (Taiwan) – Did you know that Corel now owns WinDVD?  We sure didn’t and we thank Corel’s 5-foot tall, squeaky chipmunk voiced, oh so cute as a button ambassador for leading ...

8. Portable gadget copies flash media onto DVDs

   (Security/Security Features)

   Wednesday, 04 June 2008

   ... No computer is needed and you can even pop in four AA batteries and make the unit completely portable. Taipei (Taiwan) – You never know what you’ll find at the Computex tradeshow in Taipei and we spied ...

9. Microsoft: Blu-ray “not taking off”

   (Games and Entertainment/Games and Entertainment Features)

   Friday, 23 May 2008

   ... Kim stated that Microsoft is not working on “any type of Blu-ray disc add-on for the Xbox 360.”    These quotes somewhat contradict a steady stream of rumors coming out of Taiwan, suggesting ...

10. BD Combo drives preferred for mid-range PCs, say Taiwan makers

    (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

    Friday, 23 May 2008

    ... models (BD-ROM plus DVD+RW/-RW) for mid-range PCs to maximize market share, according to industry sources in Taiwan. More here at Digitimes.  ...

11. Lite-On IT and Quanta Storage plan to hike optical drive pricing in Q3

    (Business and Law/Business and Law Brief)

    Thursday, 22 May 2008

    Lite-On IT and Quanta Storage, the largest Taiwan-based ODM/OEM makers of half-height and slim-type optical disc drives (ODDs), respectively, are planning to increase their ODM/OEM pricing by 3-10%, ...

12. CyberLink expects to bundle BD software with TSST drives

    (Software/Software Brief)

    Monday, 12 May 2008

    CyberLink, a Taiwan-based provider of digital multimedia software solutions, stands a good chance of having its Blu-ray Disc (BD) software products bundled with BD optical disc drives shipped by ...

13. Sony and BenQ to launch 22x DVD burners in Q3 08

    (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

    Thursday, 08 May 2008

    ... to industry sources in Taiwan. BenQ will have Lite-On IT, the largest Taiwan-based maker of half-height optical disc drives, undertake ODM production of its 22x DVD burners, while Sony's will be produced ...

14. Samsung and LG introduce 22x DVD burners

    (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

    Monday, 24 March 2008

    ... of 2008, 18x and 20x are still the mainstream burning speed levels, according to industry sources in Taiwan. 22x DVD burners take 4.5 minutes to burn a 4.7GB 16x DVD+R/-R disc, faster than 6-8 minutes ...

15. BD-ROM to become BD mainstream in 2008 - Taiwan makers

    (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

    Monday, 03 March 2008

    Following Sony's launch of its BDU-X10S, its first Blu-ray Disc (BD)-ROM drive, BD-ROM is expected to become the mainstream among all BD formats in 2008, according to leading Taiwan-based makers of optical ...

16. Lite-On IT and Quanta Storage to benefit from reported Toshiba HD DVD drop

    (Business and Law/Business and Law Brief)

    Monday, 18 February 2008

    ... next-generation blue-laser war, sources in the Taiwan optical disc drive (ODD) industry commented that Taiwan-based makers Lite-On IT and Quanta Storage stand to benefit from the developmets due to their ...

17. Plextor to launch two BD/HD DVD optical disc drives

    (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

    Wednesday, 13 February 2008

    ... dual-format will become the mainstream in the battle between BD and HD DVD, according to leading Taiwan-based ODD makers. PX-B300SA supports BD-ROM, BD-R (recordable), BD-RE (rewritable) and HD DVD formats, ...

18. Wrap-up: All stories and slideshows from CES 2008

    (Event Coverage/Event Coverage Features)

    Friday, 11 January 2008

    ...  CES 2008: Big TVs for a big show CES 2008: Taiwan-based TV makers highlighting 42-inch and larger LCD TVs CES 2008: Samsung OLED TVs coming in 2010  ...

19. Ritek licensed by Sonic Solutions to produce Qflix DVD discs

    (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

    Wednesday, 09 January 2008

    Ritek, the second largest Taiwan-based producer of optical discs, has signed a Qflix technology and IP licensing agreement with US-based Sonic Solutions, a global provider of digital media software, according ...

20. International PC vendors hesitant over blue-laser optical drive market, say Taiwan makers

    (Trendwatch/Trendwatch Brief)

    Friday, 14 December 2007

    International PC vendors, including Hewlett-Packard (HP), Sony and Taiwan-based Acer and Asustek Computer, have had Blu-ray Disc (BD) or HD DVD optical disc drives on their roadmaps to launch in 2008 but ...

21. BD gaining upper hand over HD DVD in PC-use drives, say Taiwan makers

    (Trendwatch/Trendwatch Brief)

    Thursday, 29 November 2007

    ... recently launched a new BD burner, the BWU-200S, and Taiwan-based Asustek Computer is promoting its BC-1205PT BD Combo drive in the China market, according to industry sources in Taiwan. More here at ...

22. HP to introduce printer with DVD burning feature

    (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

    Wednesday, 28 November 2007

    ... in the Taiwan market initially at the IT Month expo to take place in Taipei during December 1-9, according to HP Taiwan. The Photosmart C8180 will sell at NT$16,990 (US $525) along with a combination of ...

23. Toshiba outsources pre-recorded HD DVD disc orders to Taiwan makers

    (Business and Law/Business and Law Brief)

    Wednesday, 21 November 2007

    Toshiba recently outsourced pre-recorded HD DVD disc orders to Taiwan-based disc makers, according to sources at the makers. The volume of the orders is estimated at 100,000 units and several members of ...

24. DVD component shortage intensifies

    (Business and Law/Business and Law Brief)

    Tuesday, 09 October 2007

    ... to industry sources in Taiwan. Hitachi-LG Data Storage (HLDS), the largest global OEM/ODM maker of optical disc drives (ODDs), is currently only able to meet 85-90% of its order volume due to a shortage ...

25. Lite-On IT reportedly obtains additional orders for Xbox 360 DVD-ROM drives from Microsoft

    (Business and Law/Business and Law Brief)

    Friday, 05 October 2007

    Lite-On IT, the largest Taiwan-based maker of optical disc drives (ODDs), has received additional OEM orders for internal DVD-ROM drives for use in Xbox 360 consoles from Microsoft and consequently has ...

26. Toshiba 51 GB triple-layer HD DVD standard not final version

    (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

    Monday, 17 September 2007

    ... than a final one, according to industry sources in Taiwan.Although Toshiba unveiled the new disc standard at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in January 2007, neither the company nor the DVD Forum have ...

27. OEM quotes for slim-type DVD burners drop only 2-3% in Q3 07

    (Business and Law/Business and Law Brief)

    Monday, 27 August 2007

    ... to industry sources in Taiwan. While there has been tight supply of slim-type DVD burners due to booming global sales of notebook PCs, third quarter ODM/OEM quotes for such burners have not rebounded, ...

28. Shortage of DVD components said to be emerging

    (Trendwatch/Trendwatch Brief)

    Wednesday, 15 August 2007

    ... during the third quarter peak season for DVD burners/drives, according to industry sources in Taiwan.Matsushita Electric Industrial, Sanyo Electric and Sankyo Seiki are the world's major suppliers ...

29. Halo 3 expected to boost Xbox 360 demand

    (Games and Entertainment/Games and Entertainment Brief)

    Monday, 13 August 2007

    Lite-On IT, the largest Taiwan-based maker of optical disc drives (ODDs), may obtain more orders from Microsoft for internal DVD-ROM drives for the Xbox 360 game console due to the Halo 3 video game, which ...

30. Second-tier blank DVD disc makers may face crackdown in Japan

    (Business and Law/Business and Law Brief)

    Thursday, 09 August 2007

    ... would affect some second-tier makers of optical discs in Taiwan because they are producers of a large portion of such DVD+R/-R discs, according to industry sources in Taiwan. The M-Code is a manufacturer ...

31. Ritek obtains certification for 2x HD DVD-R discs

    (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

    Tuesday, 07 August 2007

    Ritek, the second largest Taiwan-based maker of optical discs, has secured certification for blank 2x HD DVD-R (recordable, write once) discs, according to industry sources in Taiwan. The company had already ...

32. Lite-On IT may land OEM orders for Xbox 360 external HD DVD-ROM drives

    (Business and Law/Business and Law Brief)

    Monday, 30 July 2007

    ... Taiwan-based Lite-On IT is likely to secure OEM orders from Microsoft, according to industry sources in Taiwan. Microsoft's price cut is in response to Sony lowering the price of its PlayStation 3 ...

33. LG to launch HD DVD plus BD hybrid drive in Q3, say Taiwan makers

    (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

    Monday, 23 July 2007

    ... according to industry sources in Taiwan.Although LG is a member of the BD Association, the company has also adopted the HD DVD format for its blue-laser optical disc drives as business strategy, similar ...

34. CD-R, DVD+R/-R disc makers expected to have growing orders in Q3 07, but face increased costs

    (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

    Monday, 16 July 2007

    Taiwan-based optical disc makers will receive significantly more OEM orders for CD-R and DVD+R/-R discs this quarter than in the second quarter of 2007, but will suffer unavoidable rises in the procurement ...

35. Samsung to launch second dual-format blue-laser disc player in Q4 07

    (Consumer Electronics/Consumer Electronics Brief)

    Wednesday, 11 July 2007

    ... 400 Euro ($545) in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to industry sources in Taiwan. More here at Digitimes.  ...

36. Update: Intel launches Bearlake chipset, announces plans for sub-$200 PC

    (Hardware/Hardware Features)

    Monday, 04 June 2007

    ... plans for a Core 2 Extreme mobile processor as well as a low-cost “mobile” PC. Extra: Slideshow Taipei (Taiwan) – Intel today launched its long awaited 3-Series chipsets, previously ...

37. Computex 2007

    (Event Coverage/Event Coverage Features)

    Sunday, 03 June 2007

    Coverage from Computex 2007 (Taipei, Taiwan, June 5-9, 2007).   Computex 2007 Taipei, Taiwan   June 5-9     Top Story Intel releases ...

38. LabelFlash on the rise in competition with LightScribe

    (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

    Monday, 28 May 2007

    ... according to sources from the Taiwan-based optical disc drive manufacturing industry.LabelFlash is a disc labeling technology developed by Yamaha Corporation and Fujifilm, whereas LightScribe is a similar ...

39. Ritek obtains HD DVD certification

    (Business and Law/Business and Law Brief)

    Tuesday, 22 May 2007

    Ritek on May 21 announced it has received the certification for both HD DVD-R (recordable, write once) and HD DVD-RW (rewritable) formats, becoming the only Taiwan-based producer of optical discs to receive ...

40. SATA could displace ATAPI for DVD-ROM, DVD burners in H2 07, say Taiwan makers

    (Trendwatch/Trendwatch Brief)

    Tuesday, 15 May 2007

    ... in the second half of 2007 due to increasing adoption of the latter by global OEM/ODM clients such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard, according to ODD makers in Taiwan.Many international OEM/ODM clients have ...

41. Blu-ray/HD DVD demand to rely on game/consumer applications

    (Consumer Electronics/Consumer Electronics Brief)

    Wednesday, 09 May 2007

    ... to 100 million in 2010, leading Taiwan-based makers of ODDs indicated that the promotion of Blu-ray Disc (BD) and HD DVD will rely more on game consoles, including the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Xbox 360, ...

42. Production cost of PS3 could be cut by $100

    (Games and Entertainment/Games and Entertainment Brief)

    Monday, 07 May 2007

    ... according to Taiwan-based makers of game consoles and components. Sony Shiroishi Semiconductor, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony, on April 23 announced an expansion of its monthly production capacity ...

43. Pioneer unveils $300 Blu-ray Disc Combo drive

    (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

    Wednesday, 18 April 2007

    ... according to Pioneer's Taiwan subsidiary Pioneer High Fidelity Taiwan.Pioneer on April 17 debuted its BDC-S02 Blu-ray Disc (BD) Combo drive model in Beijing, for immediate launch in China and later ...

44. Lite-On IT eyeing production of 16x DVD+R DL burners by end of year

    (Hardware/Hardware Brief)

    Friday, 13 April 2007

    The DVD+RW Alliance early this month announced that it had released the specifications for 12x and 16x DVD+R DL (single-sided double-layer) burning speeds (termed v1.2), and in response, Taiwan-based Lite-On ...

45. Cyberlink first out the gate to support Xbox 360 HD DVD drive on the PC

    (Hardware/Hardware Features)

    Wednesday, 27 December 2006

    ... reveals that Cyberlink has developed a driver for Microsoft's Xbox 360 HD DVD drive. Taipei (Taiwan) - Cyberlink announced a new version of its PowerDVD video playback software. The big news about the ...

46. Retail prices of entry-level portable DVD players down 20-30%

    (Business and Law/Business and Law Brief)

    Tuesday, 26 December 2006

      Increasing competition between makers of optical disc drives (ODDs) in Taiwan and China as well as decreased costs for small-and medium-size TFT-LCD panels have caused global retail prices of entry-level ...

47. Sony DVD burner order goes to TSST, as competition heats up in ODD market

    (Business and Law/Business and Law Brief)

    Thursday, 14 December 2006

      Although Japanese DVD burner vendors have maintained strong ties with Taiwan OEMs, Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology (TSST) recently grabbed orders for DVD burners for Sony. Although Japanese ...

48. Intel P965, Microsoft Vista to boost adoption of SATA optical drives

    (Trendwatch/Trendwatch Brief)

    Tuesday, 28 November 2006

    ... interface standard for optical drives in the second half of 2007, according to optical disc drive (ODD) manufacturers in Taiwan. Intel's P965 chipset and Microsoft's Vista operating system are expected ...

49. Xbox 360 hack spurring demand for DL DVD discs

    (Business and Law/Business and Law Brief)

    Thursday, 09 November 2006

      Sources at Taiwan optical disc makers makers indicated demand has been warming up for DVD+R/-R DL (single-sided double-layer) discs recently, following the increased availability of a modding hack ...

50. 16x DVD burners fall below $30

    (Business and Law/Business and Law Brief)

    Monday, 06 November 2006

      Lite-On IT, the largest Taiwan-based maker of optical disc drives (ODDs), has lowered its OEM/ODM prices for half-height (H/H) 16x DVD burners to $27-28, but some expected orders were shifted to ...