The Blu-ray Disc victory in its recent format war with HD-DVD will propel this technology into 29.4 million homes worldwide by the end of 2008, according to the latest research published by the Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices service. According to “Blu-ray Devices: Forecasting Sales and Ownership,” Sony’s PS3 games console will continue to drive the Blu-ray market until 2009, after which stand-alone Blu-ray players will become the dominant segment. By 2012 more than 132 million homes worldwide will own at least one Blu-ray device.

“HD-DVD’s withdrawal leaves the way open for Blu-ray to become a major revenue earner for technology vendors and content owners alike,” says David Mercer, Principal Analyst. “The 265 million homes that will own an HDTV by 2012, and Hollywood’s need for a new growth engine, represent huge incentives for the industry to coordinate marketing activities and demonstrate unified support for the successor to DVD.”

This Strategy Analytics report predicts that global sales of Blu-ray devices will reach 18.8 million units in 2008, including 4 million stand-alone players, 13 million consoles and nearly 2 million PCs. By 2012, annual sales of all BD devices will reach 57.4 million units. The largest market will be in Europe, with 26.4 million, followed by the US (22.6 million) and Japan (8.4 million).

The table, “Blu-ray Disc Devices: Household Penetration Forecast,” may be seen here.

www.strategyanalytics.net

The high-definition format wars are over – and you won: Dell customers can now get a Blu-ray laptop for under a $1,000. Available today on dell.com, movie buffs can pick up the Inspiron™ 1525 with optional Blu-ray disc playback starting at $879.

As retailers and video rental companies expand their high-definition offerings, Blu-ray is the new “must-have” technology to help get the most out of your viewing experience. The award-winning Inspiron 1525 laptop features a 15.4-inch high definition wide aspect display with 720p resolution. It also includes an HDMI port for easy connectivity to high resolution displays and HDTVs.

The Blu-ray player disc drive is fully backwards compatible, and will play as well as burn traditional DVDs and CDs. Consumers can also chose a Blu-ray burner drive, which is great for backing up and storing important files like digital photos, videos, financial records, etc. A Blu-ray disc will hold up to 50 GB of data, vs. 8.5 GB available on the typical DVD disc.

The lightweight Inspiron 1525 is all about self expression, allowing customers to complement their individual style with a laptop that offers designs like Chill, Blossom and Commotion, or a spectrum of vibrant colors, like Sunshine Yellow, Midnight Blue and Ruby Red. Dell Inspiron 1525 laptops with Blu-ray disc drives incorporate Broadcom Media PC technology that allows PCs with integrated graphics to play high definition video. The high-definition video playback is enabled through a built-in dedicated accelerator located in a mini-card slot.

Like all Dell consumer laptops, the Inspiron 1525 features Dell MediaDirect technology which provides one button instant access to media files, even if the system is powered off or in hibernate. Optional accessories for a great movie watching experience include a slim travel power adapter ($80), Dell travel remote control (IR) that slips into the ExpressCard slot ($22), and Creative noise-isolation earphones ($25). The Inspiron 1525 laptop with Blu-ray is available today in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

www.dell.com/inspiron
www.dell.com/hometheater

Synology America Corporation announced the availability of Disk Station Manager 2.0 NAS management software. Disk Station Manager is the suite of NAS management tools that comes pre-installed with all Synology NAS servers. This important upgrade brings a host of new features to existing Synology NAS server customers to enhance their ownership experience, and make Synology NAS servers a compelling choice for small/medium businesses and tech-savvy consumers. Disk Station Manager 2.0 is being offered as a no-cost upgrade to existing Synology NAS owners and will be pre-installed on new Synology NAS servers beginning in April.

"Providing the Disk Station Manager 2.0 upgrade to our existing NAS server customers free of charge shows Synology's commitment to customer satisfaction" said Cheen Liao, President of Synology America Corp. "We've added significant new features and enhanced existing ones that extend the value and life of Synology NAS servers and in the process created a new NAS experience" Mr. Liao added.

Disk Station Manager 2.0 adds several new functions to the current lineup of Synology NAS servers, enhances several existing features, and lays a performance technology foundation for soon-to-be-announced ultra-high performance NAS servers. The key new and improved features include:

• AJAX Management UI: The brand new management interface utilizes AJAX technology, which brings you the familiar Windows experience with full drag and drop support and Wizards to simplify common NAS management tasks.
• Surveillance Station: Turn your Synology Disk Station into a network video recorder (NVR) by connecting IP cameras to the network, and recording surveillance video to the Synology Disk Station. Support for continuous or motion detection recording.
• Sony® Playstation® Support: Sony PlayStation 3 is now supported as a digital media adapter device.
• Microsoft® Xbox 360 Support: Microsoft Xbox360 is now supported as a digital media adapter device.
• Photo Station 3: Photo Station 3 has a brand new blogging function.
• New Office Backup: Data Replicator 3 provides a worry-free backup option
• Expandable RAID 5 Volume: Now you can add a new hard drive to expand the RAID 5 volume on the fly. No more volume deletions and re-creations are needed.
• MySQL Update: MySQL is now upgraded to 5.0.51.
• Secure SMTP Support: In the email notification settings, you are now able to enter a customized port number and select SSL connection.
• FTP with SSL/TLS for entry-level models: FTP with SSL/TLS is now supported on entry-level Synology NAS server models.
• HTTPS now supported for entry-level models: HTTPS is now supported on entry level Synology NAS server models.
• Encrypted Network Backup for entry-level models: Encrypted Network Backup is supported on entry-level Synology NAS models.
• New Audio Station: Audio Station comes with a brand new, sleek look.

Availability of Disk Station Manager 2.0 Upgrade
Disk Station Manager 2.0 will come pre-installed on new Synology NAS servers beginning in April and is available free to owners of most existing Synology NAS servers.

Please visit www.synology.com for more information and to download the Disk Station Manager2.0 upgrade.

BluFocus, a Blu-ray solutions and advisory services company, has introduced the Online Reporting System (ORS), a groundbreaking database-driven system that allows studios, authoring facilities, player manufacturers, quality assurance testers and others to enter, track and share production issues online in real time. Already in use by BluFocus and its clients, ORS will now be available to others in the Blu-ray Disc industry for the first time.

"Because of Blu-ray's enhanced interactive capabilities, the error-reporting methodologies currently in use for testing standard DVDs are not effective or efficient," said Paulette E. Pantoja, founder and CEO of BluFocus. "ORS employs an approach more typical of the software industry, where large, complex programs require accurate, detailed and consistent issue reporting systems. The instantaneous data sharing provided by ORS allows problems to be resolved more quickly, which is essential in the deadline-driven environment of home entertainment disc authoring and manufacturing."

The first in a suite of quality assurance tools from BluFocus, ORS is the only system specifically designed to assist in the testing and development of Blu-ray Discs. With the participation of studio home entertainment groups, authoring facilities, player manufacturers and tools developers, ORS will help ensure streamlined communication and processes in the development of Blu-ray Discs.

Over time, ORS will develop into an industry-wide knowledge repository, combining production reporting data with consumer data to improve the overall development of software, tools and QA processes for the Blu-ray industry. "As use of the database increases, we can begin to identify trends and anticipate concerns before they develop," said Pantoja.

www.blufocus.com

For your best video and storage experience, AOpen announces the first Blu-ray Disc drive BDR0412SA. It can read Blu-ray Disc at 4X (17,844KB per sec.), DVD-ROM at 12X, DVD+/-R at 12X, DVD-RAM at 5X and CD at 32X; and gives you an all in one optical reading option for multimedia entertainment.

Blu-ray Disc (BD) is an optical disc storage media format using blue-violet laser with shorter wavelength. Blu-ray Disc was developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association, a group of several famous electronic companies. It has the same dimensions as a standard DVD or CD but can hold 25GB (single layer) and 50GB (dual layer).

With AOpen BDR0412SA, you can access BD High Definition movies with 1080P resolution and Dolby Digital AC-3, DTS, linear PCM, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD High Definition audio formats! Primary movie studio companies in the world had distributing their blockbusters with Blu-ray Discs.

For greater transfer speed, AOpen BDR0412SA employs 1.8MB buffer memory ensures a high speed data transfer rate and smooth HD movie playback quality. And it comes with Disc breakage protection and an emergency eject hole to keep your discs safe.

AOpen BDR0412SA has a black disc tray and ships with 3 interchangeable bezels (black, white, and sliver) for customization. Therefore, you can not only enjoy high quality AV entertainment but also have a stylish computer system at the same time!

www.aopen.com

Software Architects, Inc. announced the release of its WriteBD!™ Blu-ray Disc Drive upgrade kit for computers running MS Windows XP and Vista. The WriteBD! Blu-ray Disc Drive upgrade kit provides a simple way to connect and run a rewritable Blu-ray Disc drive on most Windows desktop systems. It includes the WriteBD! software for formatting, reading and writing to Blu-ray discs, a Serial ATA (SATA) to Parallel ATA (IDE) converter board and cable. Most current generation Blu-ray Disc drives use serial ATA connectors. Many desktop systems do not have a serial ATA connector available for connecting to optical disk drives.

Easy to Install
Using the kit’s Serial ATA (SATA) converter board, connect your Blu-ray Disc drive to any available Parallel ATA (IDE) connector in your PC. Install the WriteBD! software, insert a “write once” BD-R or a “re-writable” BD-RE disc, and the software automatically prompts you through formatting. When formatting is complete, you can drag & drop files to the disc using Explorer. It’s that easy!

Easy to Use
Simply drag & drop files to and from the disc in Windows Explorer. Add and delete files just as if you were writing to a hard disk drive. Save directly to disc from any application. There is nothing new to learn.

Files and Discs readable on Mac, Linux and Windows Systems
WriteBD! software uses the UDF format, which is readable on Windows, Mac OS and most modern Unix and Linux systems. This is ideal for distributing and sharing large audio/video files or large collections of digital photos or other files on other computer systems. Access your old files in the future, regardless of the type of computer system you might be using.

www.softarch.com

Thomson (Euronext 18453; NYSE: TMS), through its Technicolor Services division, today announced the launch of a new DVD compression and authoring (C&A) operation in Bangalore, India, to be co-located within Thomson’s new, 100,000 square-foot Paprikaas Animation and Game Design facility. The new C&A facility will open in May and will be based upon Thomson’s industry-leading research and development efforts for high-definition Blu-ray Disc and standard-definition DVDs.

The new C&A facility will be a central production hub connected to Technicolor’s worldwide DVD operation through its secure, high-speed production network. Thomson’s Technicolor Services Division provides C&A services on hundreds of Blu-ray Disc and standard definition DVDs monthly, specializing in theatrical high-concept, collector’s editions double-disc sets, as well as television episodic series and music videos. Technicolor’s proprietary BD Jive authoring tools and our Tiger AVC encoder are just two examples of industry-leading innovations that separate Thomson from the competition.

Technicolor has been recruiting top talent to its Bangalore operation, and it currently is seeking a broad range of technical engineers, compression experts, java programmers, interactive graphic designers, quality control (QC) technicians, project coordinators and client account managers.

Technicolor also announced today that Sumit Malik has been appointed as general manager, C&A for Technicolor in India. The Technicolor Services Division’s Bangalore operation will focus on serving the domestic Indian market, and it also will serve as an off-shoring location to augment the division’s capacities for worldwide DVD services.

Ahmad Ouri, president of Technicolor Content Services, said, “As part of our expanding role in the Indian market, we feel the time is opportune to grow our C&A offering in Bangalore, especially in light of the increased demand for Blu-ray authoring now that the market has settled on a single format. I am delighted to have Sumit join our team. He brings deep experience with DVD production and strong relationships in the US and India.”

“This move is another step in Thomson’s initiative to expand its offering from its Bangalore strategic platform. This will enable us to tap into the local gifted talent base and to address the fast growing Indian media & entertainment market. The execution of our India road-map is well underway.” adds Thierry Pasquet, Vice President India of the Services Division.

www.thomson.net

The renowned Hollywood technical service provider Javelin Ventures has taken on the responsibilities in conveying the stateside training and support of sofatronic’s Kaleidoscope to motion picture post-production facilities. This strategic global partnership brings together decades of industry and technical expertise from both sides of the Atlantic with a shared vision to establish the Kaleidoscope platform as the standard for BD-J development.

Javelin will provide a comprehensive support and training program to ensure seamless integration of the Kaleidoscope middleware into the workflow of both designers and programmers creating Blu-ray discs and their interactive applications. This includes in-depth training seminars as a part of the Javelin High Definition Training Center (HDTC) as well as on-site and over-the-phone technical support services.

“After a careful analysis, we knew Kaleidoscope could be the answer for many of the complicated and tedious problems in BD-J development and the solution that application developers have been waiting for. The Javelin team is exicited to work closely with sofatronic to provide support and training for Blu-ray developers.”--Mark Johnson, CEO Javelin Venture.

The first of many training seminars will be held this coming month in the US and in Europe. For more precise dates, registration can be found online at the Javelin and sofatronic websites.

sofatronic is a leading developer and technology provider for DVD’s follow up format Blu-ray. In addition to the kaleidoscope platform, sofatronic focuses on custom application development for the Blu-ray format.

Kaleidoscope offers the film industry increased value and services to enhance revenues on its franchises, while simultaneously providing an exciting new HD home cinema experience for consumers. The sofatronic group is a 20 strong team divided between Hamburg and Los Angeles. Its founders – René Baisch, Nils Hammerich and Rouven Malecki – gained international standing with their first company, mobile games developer and publisher elkware. More information can be found online at www.sofatronic.com or by contacting Marchsreiter Communications.

Javelin Ventures delivers forward-thinking education, services and products for professional DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD production. Javelin’s mission is to help production facilities and motion picture studios make the transition to next generation home entertainment formats. Starting with education and training classes for facilities with little to no HD and BD production expertise, and moving through services and products for facilities looking to optimize their production workflow, Javelin’s approach offers support to production facilities of all capacities. More information can be found online at javelindvd.com.

XLNT Idea Inc., a leading US Based Manufacturer of DVD and CD Printing, and Publishing Systems, is now shipping its XLNT brand of ink jet cartridge consumables. Users of XLNT Idea Nexis Publishers can now purchase XLNT Idea ink cartridges at a reduced price point, or purchase Lexmark ink cartridges from retail outlets or XLNT Idea Authorized Dealers. The combination of ink types and sources will provide Nexis system users with the greatest degree of flexibility in system consumables and the lowest system cost of ownership available today. XLNT Idea ink carts are available from an XLNT Idea Authorized Dealer at an MSRP of $ 21.50 / ea for Xi16 ( Black ) and Xi26 ( Color ).

Chuck Alcon Jr, XLNT Idea’s Director of Sales and Marketing, commented ” Now our system users have complete flexibility to use our consumables which are available at a lower price point, or Lexmark brand consumables. Ink formulation, cartridge quality, and disc throughput parameters were all factors in developing the product. XLNT Idea ink cartridges carry a full warranty and each unit is individually certified by XLNT Idea for use in our Nexis Publishers. Most importantly, we maintain the lowest cost to print per disc associated with our products.”

www.xlntidea.com

The Blu-ray Disc victory in its recent format war with HD-DVD will propel this technology into 29.4 million homes worldwide by the end of 2008, according to the latest research published by the Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices service. According to “Blu-ray Devices: Forecasting Sales and Ownership,” Sony’s PS3 games console will continue to drive the Blu-ray market until 2009, after which stand-alone Blu-ray players will become the dominant segment. By 2012 more than 132 million homes worldwide will own at least one Blu-ray device.

“HD-DVD’s withdrawal leaves the way open for Blu-ray to become a major revenue earner for technology vendors and content owners alike,” says David Mercer, Principal Analyst. “The 265 million homes that will own an HDTV by 2012, and Hollywood’s need for a new growth engine, represent huge incentives for the industry to coordinate marketing activities and demonstrate unified support for the successor to DVD.”

This Strategy Analytics report predicts that global sales of Blu-ray devices will reach 18.8 million units in 2008, including 4 million stand-alone players, 13 million consoles and nearly 2 million PCs. By 2012, annual sales of all BD devices will reach 57.4 million units. The largest market will be in Europe, with 26.4 million, followed by the US (22.6 million) and Japan (8.4 million).

The table, “Blu-ray Disc Devices: Household Penetration Forecast,” may be seen here.

www.strategyanalytics.net

InfoSmart Group, Inc. ("InfoSmart" or the "Company") (OTCBB: IFSG), a leading recordable digital versatile disc ("DVDR") manufacturer in Hong Kong and Brazil, today announced its recent purchase from the world's only vertically integrated optical disc equipment maker. Anwell Technologies has sold their Blu-Ray Disc (BD) replication system -- "Smart BD" -- to InfoSmart. The BD system will be installed in InfoSmart's Hong Kong plant making it the first Blu-Ray Line in commercial use in China and Hong Kong.

InfoSmart and Anwell have also agreed to collaborate and leverage on each other's strengths. Specifically, the two companies will share the Blu-Ray disc manufacturing process know-how with each other. On February 19, 2008, Toshiba announced that it had bowed out from the format war. According to research firm Understanding & Solutions, it is estimated that global demand for Blu-Ray discs is expected to increase from 0.13 billion in 2007 to over 1.5 billion in 2011.

"The 'victory' of Blu-Ray in our industry was an anticipated result for InfoSmart. Though we initially hedged our positions on both platforms, we certainly concentrated our efforts to find a viable Blu-Ray line well before the decision was made by consumers," Parker Seto, InfoSmart CEO, stated. "Blu-Ray production complements our company strategy to expand into optical discs with content and positions our company as the leader in Hong Kong and China," Seto continued.

The system's manufacturer, Anwell Technologies, Ltd., is a Singapore-based company specializing in optical disc replicators and peripherals. Anwell has more than 120 disc replicating systems throughout the world. The Anwell "Smart BD" system purchased by InfoSmart is capable of producing 500,000 units per month once 100% operational. InfoSmart anticipates a go-live date of the manufacturing line by the end of June 2008. The Company disclosed the buy-price of the unit at US$1.4 million.

Mr. Seto further commented, "We have several strategies related to Blu-Ray production, sales and distribution both for our current market and select new customers. The first step was undoubtedly the sourcing of an excellent and supportive supplier in which we can place our confidence. We spent over a year researching potential suppliers with the necessary capacity to support our business. Anwell's system is a welcome addition to our facilities and the cooperation and partnership between our firms is sure to benefit InfoSmart, our customers and shareholders long-term."