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My cable television repair man told me today that I shouldn’t bother with Blu-ray because by the time I'm ready for HD movies, discs will no longer be needed. When I asked him why, he said, “Downloading.” I replied, “Will your mother download? Will you keep all of your movies on your hard drive?” No answer. This exchange prompted me to write a column that would update at least the short-term outlook for Blu-ray, and see how it stacked up against the public perception held by some that the world will have moved on from optical disc before Blu-ray can gain any significant traction in the consumer market. And who better to talk to than Andy Parsons, chair of the Blu-ray Disc Association's U.S. region promotion committee and senior vice president at Pioneer.

The first issue Parsons addressed is how the Blu-ray launch compares to the initial DVD launch. “If you combine disc sales of the two high-definition formats before the format war ended, the actual total number of discs sold was not far off from where DVD was at this stage in its launch. It’s a pretty good indication that there is a healthy market and healthy demand for high-definition content on disc,” he said.

Parsons went on to say that some people have a misguided notion that optical media is doomed because of the electronic distribution channel. "There seems to be an idea in people’s minds that it has to be one or the other." That notion, he said, is nonsense, although it may be understandable for people to believe that because of the success of iTunes in the music world. But he maintains that video is a different animal. “Video is more data-intensive," he said, "and it is not terribly realistic to think that we could duplicate today’s video business with online distribution.”

Parsons compared the notion of electronic distribution summarily replacing optical disc to the idea of the paperless office doing away with printed business material and communication. It’s an analogy I use often when I have discussions with the cable repair man or one of my industry friends, like Serge Bozin of CD Profile International, who has been selling used optical disc manufacturing equipment for several years. From a distance, said Parsons, the idea of a paperless office seemed like a no-brainer. However, the most important factor in the scenario was ignored: “human behavior.” Similarly, a disc-less society looks inevitable, “but when you look at the details, it all seems to fall apart.”

Bozin, on the other hand, countered with, ”Look at the behavior of 15 year olds today.” I gave him points for that argument. Today's 15-year-olds don't want discs, and they'll be part of the target market of the movie industry for the next 40 years, but as long as the 30- and 40-year-olds are still in the movie-renting/buying demographic, discs will still have cachet in a significant portion of the buying public. And it's not as if anyone expects Blu-ray Discs to dominate the market for decades.

The question is if Blu-ray Discs make sense now as the most viable distribution medium for high-def video, and at this point in time, there is no more efficient way of acquiring 50 Gigabytes of video than going down to your video store, buying or renting a disc, and bringing it home (though renting it from Netflix and buying it from Amazon without leaving your and waiting a day or two for delivery may appeal more to some consumers). And where HD is less important, and its enormous file sizes not required, electronic distribution can coexist with Blu-ray as video-on-demand and cable TV existed have coexisted with DVD.

The real test is gauging the purchasing habits of the mainstream Wal-Mart-type consumer, currently and over the next few years. While Wal-Mart carries Blu-ray discs, Parsons said, they're not exactly flying off the shelves. “We’re still at the tail end of the early adopter market, and those are not the people that buy their products in Wal-Mart,” Parsons explained. “However, we are all after that market. If we can get that mainstream market to be excited about Blu-ray, then we have done our jobs.”

Another good point to ponder from Parsons is, "How many people in the mainstream market know how to set up a downloading system in their living room? I’ve had trouble setting up my TiVo box and getting it to work with my wireless network. I had to buy a wireless adapter that was acceptable to a TiVo box”--something most consumers probably don't want to deal with.

Another question some naysayers have about Blu-ray stems from the slower acceptance of the format in the adult market. One source I interviewed about a month ago said there is more than one reason for the format's slow adoption in that market. First is that adult content is available in more than one place today, so there is not the high demand for a new disc. A lot of the content today is retrieved from the internet. Also, Blu-ray replication was hard to come by initially, although, he said that has changed now that the format war is over.

What's more, cornering the porn market may not be all that important to Blu-ray's success. Blu-ray, said Parsons, will not revolutionize the adult industry the way videotape or even DVD did, thus “the whole notion that the adult industry was going to have a big impact on the outcome of success of these formats is very much misguided. Aside from that, from what I’ve been reading, the adult market is now starting to show stronger demand anyway.”

An important plus for Blu-ray that is pushed to the side sometimes is that the copy protection is more robust than DVD's, and thus some piracy issues may be reduced. Of course, the pirate that makes bad discs from taping the movie at a movie theater and bootlegging it won’t be stopped, but the casual user who rips movies to pass them to friends and upload them to torrent sites may be deterred. It’s sort of a cat-and-mouse game, and copy protection technology providers have to keep the content moving. As long as the protection has this functionality, it will be less appealing for companies like Caribbean firm SlySoft, which is selling a product called AnyDVD HD which promises to disable Blu-ray copy protection so that copies of content can be made using third-party programs.

“We are looking into SlySoft's claims," said Parsons. "One thing to remember is that AACS and BD+ were designed to be renewable. So, if somebody does find a way to hack a specific title, the technology is changed." Last time I checked, the second version of the software was already released, which supposedly supports the new version of BD+ used on 20th Century Fox's Hitman.

I don’t think anyone expects Blu-ray to take over movie distribution and replace DVD as replaced VHS. And perhaps the market's perceived slow start and the high start-up costs on the manufacturing side will deter new replicators from buying into it. However, with the exciting prospects Blu-ray has to offer in terms of movie quality and interactive features, it is sure to be a boost to existing replicators looking for a future business path. Remember, too, that in times of economic recession, when people tend to spend less on travel and other luxuries, entertainment product is one of the few things that continue to do well. While HDTVs are no bargain, they continue to sell, and it is all but guaranteed that purchasing deals combining HDTV sets and Blu-ray players will be advertised by the big electronic stories. And for those consumers who already have HDTV sets (which is about 30% of the U.S. population at last check), Blu-ray players and PlayStation 3 boxes will be a good option for keeping people occupied who find themselves staying home from vacation in the upcoming months. Debbie Galante Block (debgalante at comcast.net) is a freelance writer based in Mahopac, NY.

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The Authoritative Blu-ray Disc (BD) FAQ: Updates

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Panasonic Introduces Third-Generation Blu-ray Disc Player and Announces Pricing

Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal U.S. subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE:MC), announces the introduction of the anticipated DMP-BD50, Panasonic’s third generation Blu-ray disc player - the ultimate playback source for high definition 1080p content. Blu-ray media offers a wide range of functions that foster the transition to HD - including 1080p image quality, lossless Dolby® TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio™ and versatile Picture-in-Picture applications. The BD50 adds the new BD-Live function, which uses the internet to further enhance the consumer’s entertainment experience and employs VIERA Link,™ a technology that allows the consumer to operate VIERA Link equipped home theater components with a single remote. The DMP-BD50 will be available this spring and will have an SRP of $699.95.

BD-Live opens up a myriad of interactive possibilities for the consumer. In the future BD-Live will allow users to connect the DMP-BD50 to the internet to download such data as images and subtitles, and to join in multi-player interactive games that are linked to bonus movie content contained on Blu-ray discs.

For optimum image quality the DMP-BD50 features the PHL Reference Chroma processor and P4HD i/p conversion processor, which combine to create Uniphier®, a precise digital video processor that produces sharp, crisp, natural colors that are extremely faithful to the original movie. Uniphier reflects the advance encoding and authoring technologies developed by Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory.

The true to the original source images are complimented by an exceptionally pure, accurate sound achieved through Audio Re-master and integrated decoders for the lossless Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio formats. Furthermore, the DMP-BD50 can be combined with a 7.1 channel amplifier and speakers for full 7.1 channel surround sound.

Networking is an essential product of the DMP-BD50. The included SD Memory Card slot allows for easy transferring of images from an HD camcorder or digital still camera via an SD Memory card. The consumer simply inserts the SD card into the BD50 and then can view the images on a large screen HD flat panel television with AVCHD format video images or JPEG stills in full 1920 x 1080 resolution. In addition the DMP-BD50 has been awarded the Energy Star certification.

“Panasonic was the first to bring a Blu-ray player with Bonus View (Final Standard Profile 1.1) to market and now with the DMP-BD50 we are again leading the industry with the inclusion of BD-Live,” said Paul Sabo, Panasonic, National Marketing Manager Entertainment Group. “The beauty of the Blu-ray player is that we can now see movies the way the film maker intended, in glorious HD video and audio. The consumer can now combine the new generation DMP-BD50 with a VIERA flat screen televison to create a true living in high definition experience.”

www.panasonic.com

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Pioneer Premium BonusView Blu-Ray Disc Players Emulate True Theater Experience

Elevating the high definition experience in home theaters, Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today announces the Elite® BDP-05FD and Pioneer® BDP-51FD BonusView Blu-ray Disc® players that exceed the capabilities of current players in the market with support of next generation high resolution audio and video formats that fulfill the emotional experience of high end entertainment. Featuring picture-in-picture interactivity and a redesigned platform that significantly improves overall performance, the new players work in tandem with Pioneer’s KURO displays and A/V receivers to provide film enthusiasts the most true-to-life reproduction of HD feature films.

“Our new Blu-ray Disc players continue to demonstrate Pioneer’s unwavering commitment to delivering an immersive seeing and hearing experience for those who want the absolute best in form and function,” said Chris Walker, senior manager of marketing and product planning for Blu-ray Disc at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “In offering a full line of players, we are solidifying Pioneer’s reputation as a brand that is continually meeting the needs of consumers who are designing or upgrading their home theaters.”

Cinematic Picture Quality
Taking advantage of HDMI® 1.3a technology, Pioneer brings film aficionados to the frontier of next generation entertainment with the most cutting edge video processing available. Both players support 12-bit video digital-to-analog converter (DAC) providing exceptional analog video performance. 12-Bit Deep Color is implemented on both models to deliver an unprecedented range of hues and shades resulting in pristine, realistic imagery that was not possible with previous generations. For early technology adopters, both players are a great investment that will continually meet the advancements of HD home entertainment technology.

With Pioneer’s 1080p / True 24 frames per second (fps) video output, the two models offer smooth performance of film based Blu-ray Disc movies that greatly reduce image judder. By preserving the feature film scene cadence in which Blu-ray Disc titles are authored and feature films are captured, viewers gain a natural, high quality movie viewing experience just as they would in the theater.

Pioneer has continued to enhance high performance DVD playback in the new players with the inclusion of the proprietary and advanced PureCinema Deinterlacer, which essentially eliminates lines that can negatively affect the viewing experience. DVDs can be scaled to a 1080p resolution for improved picture quality and compatibility with HDTVs.

Pioneer recognizes the vital importance that sound plays in creating an emotional home entertainment experience and for film aficionados who want to gain the full impact of high resolution movie soundtracks.

The new players are two of the industry’s first to support all advanced audio formats, with the ability to decode Dolby® TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus, DTS® HD* and DTS HD Master* high resolution audio formats, which also enables advanced connectivity that makes compatibility a minimal concern. Consumers will hear the subtle nuances and deep bass in their favorite films to bring an unprecedented listening experience that transcends what was previously thought possible in home theater.

Typically utilized by high end audio manufacturers and professional audio equipment, Pioneer selected the professional quality Wolfson Digital Audio Converters (DACs) in the new players to ensure the highest level audio performance that sound engineers intended audiences to experience.

Robust Build Quality
Pioneer’s two BonusView Blu-ray Disc players feature a supreme build construction and attention to detail to ensure unrivaled content performance. The BDP-05FD and BDP-51FD define premium performance with high quality parts, a center loading tray which helps reduce vibration as well as dedicated audio and video boards for smooth operation and uninterrupted playback of discs.

The Elite BDP-05FD features gold-plated connection ports, capacitance touch key buttons and an aluminum front panel that will have audiophiles and videophiles eager to use and display within their high end home theater décor.

Pioneer Home Theater Synergy
Performing in concert with KURO displays and the upcoming Elite A/V receivers (SC-05 or SC-07), the new Blu-ray Disc players complete the home entertainment experience, allowing consumers to immerse themselves in stunning HD content.

Pioneer engineers developed unique performance settings in both players to ensure subtle details, vivid colors and deep shadows are accurately reproduced when shown on KURO displays. When selecting the “Pioneer PDP” in the video adjust mode, the new players will output the appropriate signal to a connected KURO and deliver the best possible image possible for viewers.

In line with the premium movie experience its products provide, Pioneer sought to create jitter-free playback and dynamic sound quality for music CDs. When connected to a new Elite receiver (SC-05 or SC-07) via HDMI, the BDP-05FD enhances CD playback with the proprietary Precision Quartz Lock System (PQLS). This advanced feature synchronizes music data coming from the Blu-ray Disc player to the receiver giving music fanatics a revolutionary high resolution listening experience far exceeding traditional methods.

Consumer Convenience
Due to the exclusive chip set design and build quality Pioneer is now utilizing, significant strides in speed performance have been made with the new players to now rival the rapid playback rate consumers have come to experience when using their DVD players. This platform greatly improves disc load, power on, power off and disc eject times.

With a continued focus on unifying the appearance and enhancing the operation of its home theater products, Pioneer has integrated the same graphic user interface found on its KURO displays and new Elite receivers. Through the player, users can customize their viewing experience via the A/V Selection menu, which provides a series of image modifications (LCD, PDP, Pioneer PDP, projector and professional) to optimize the picture displayed on a connected HDTV. Pioneer takes image quality a step further with the exclusive Picture Control Suite, which is comprised of an additional 13 video adjustments that allow viewers to fine tune small picture details of a film and deliver an experience that best suits a user’s viewing preferences.

The Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD and BDP-51FD BonusView Blu-ray Disc players will begin shipping this summer for suggested prices of $799 and $599, respectively.

Pioneer’s Home Entertainment and Business Solutions Group develops high definition home theater equipment for discerning entertainment junkies. Its flat panel televisions, Blu-ray Disc players, A/V receivers and speakers bring a new level of emotion to the HD experience. The company brands include Pioneer and Elite®. When purchased from an authorized retailer, consumers receive a limited warranty for one year with Pioneer products and two years with Pioneer Elite products. More details can be located here.

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FTI Introduces SmartWhite Printable Surfaces for Optical Disc Media Products

Falcon Technologies International (FTI), the worldwide leading manufacturer of optical data storage discs for professional and archival applications, today introduced a complete line of recordable discs featuring innovative SmartWhite printable surfaces. Designed to yield the highest quality printing results with both inkjet and thermal printers, SmartWhite printable surfaces are available on FalconMedia Pro DVD-R, CD-R and Blu-ray Disc recording media.

Ideal for a wide range of applications from service bureaus and video/film production houses, to corporate offices, government agencies, houses of worship and medical institutions, FalconMedia Pro DVD-R, CD-R and Blu-ray Discs featuring SmartWhite Printable surfaces deliver the unsurpassed quality for which FTI is known.

"Our universal SmartWhite technology eliminates the confusion from selecting and purchasing printable media, and simplifies media inventory management for businesses that use both inkjet and thermal disc printing systems," said Mr. Adel Michael, co-founder and CEO of Falcon Technologies International (FTI). "Ideal for a wide range of applications from service bureaus and video/film production houses, to corporate offices, government agencies, houses of worship and medical institutions, FalconMedia Pro DVD-R, CD-R and Blu-ray Discs featuring SmartWhite Printable surfaces deliver the unsurpassed quality for which FTI is known."

FTI SmartWhite printable discs combine crisp, clear surface printing capabilities with exceptional recording and playback performance. The surfaces are designed to dry quickly and lock-in vivid color. The discs feature print-to-hub surfaces that enable printing all the way to each disc's hub for maximum visual impact.

Universal SmartWhite printable surface technology is available in combination with a host of other advanced FTI media technologies. With its innovative 24k gold reflective layer formulations, FTI has achieved an archival lifespan of more than 300 years for FalconMedia Pro Full Gold EP recordable CD-R media, and more than 100 years for FalconMedia Pro Gold EP recordable DVD-R media. A 24k gold reflective layer provides maximum resistance to degradation caused by environmental factors such as corrosion, a major cause of failure in standard media. Both solutions have been subjected to accelerated aging conditions, confirming the discs' archival life-spans.

FTI's Ultra Hard Coat (UHC) anti-scratch protection is the most reliable solution to protect mission-critical data against potential disc surface contaminants and mishandling. Applied to the media's polycarbonate layer during the manufacturing process, UHC technology dramatically increases the disc's scratch resistance and also helps fend off other contaminants such as smudges from fingerprints. Because most spills and other contaminants cannot readily bind to the UHC surface, the disc easily wipes clean. Performance is not impacted, and the data is protected.

FalconMedia Pro SmartWhite printable surface DVD-R, CD-R and Blu-ray Discs are available in Cake box 50 or 100 horizontal tape wrapped spindles.

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Acoolsoft PPT2DVD 2.0 Released - Burn PowerPoint to DVD

Acoolsoft, which is absorbed in developing the best presentation authoring tools, today announced the release of PPT2DVD 2.0, an innovative yet economical solution to bring your PowerPoint presentation out of the monitors, but onto DVDs. Since its initial release on 2007, it has won tons of praises and received lots of Suggestions. After 5 months developing, it finally upgraded from 1.x to 2.0 with great improvements.

What's new in Acoolsoft PPT2DVD 2.0?
Acoolsoft PPT2DVD is the best tool to burn PowerPoint to DVD with excellent quality. It can retain all the animations, transitions, audio tracks, video clips, action buttons, internal links and other things you've added to the presentation, and generate DVD Menus to enable you to control the playback with a DVD remote. It is used by more and more teachers, sales people, presenters and even individuals who want to share or distribute their PowerPoint slide show more conveniently.

Here are the main upgrades which are genuinely useful and keep the Program standing on the top over the competitors:

1. Refreshing User Interface (Cool black and easy to understand)
2. Burn PowerPoint presentation to DVD disc with improved video quality
3. The conversion process is more stable and fast With higher conversion speed, PPT2DVD 2.0 saves 50% time for you.
4. Reasonable DVD menu editor. You know one of the best ways to enjoy your video on channel with others is the DVD format, and an important part of making a DVD experience enjoyable is incorporated the useful and understandable menu. PPT2DVD 2.0 will guide you to where you want!
5. Create eye-popping menus with free backgrounds, frames and buttons. Have you ever wondered how to create stunning, professional-looking interactive DVD menus to make your PowerPoint presentation more attractive, just like the ones on the DVDs you buy? The new version offers you an enhanced range of menu materials including backgrounds, frames, buttons, and text customizing, which will let you get creative when authoring your DVD PowerPoint presentation. Features include the following:

Amazing picture backgrounds
Flexible menu buttons
Professional-looking frames
Customizing text
Flexible frame-capturing function to apply any captured frame as the thumbnail image on the menU

6. Support 12 PowerPoint files batch process at a time
7. Accurately synchronization of sound and animation
8. Fully compatible with Windows Vista, PowerPoint 2007
9. It can retain the video full screen play and loop setting if set in original PowerPoint presentation

What is Acoolsoft PPT2DVD?
Acoolsoft PPT2DVD does only one thing: Burn PowerPoint presentation to DVD with the best solution! Acoolsoft PPT2DVD is a powerful presentation tool which helps you burn PowerPoint presentations to DVD without any complicated technical skills. The wizard of PPT2DVD can walk you through the steps to create DVD presentation out the PowerPoint and enjoy your Presentation on TV with only a DVD player.

Why you need to burn PowerPoint presentations on DVD?

Showing presentations without the need of a computer
Create your own Toast DVD menu style
Distributing your slideshows to friends and colleagues on DVD Unattended
Exhibition presentations on big screen
Giving your presentations a TV feel
Creating professional looking presentations Ensuring that everyone can view your presentations (no matter whether they have PowerPoint installed on their computers)
Protecting PowerPoint presentations from unauthorized editing

Click here learn more details about Acoolsoft PPT2DVD 2.0.

To Download PPT2DVD 2.0, click here.

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Introducing BIDDLE Technology: Transforming Blu-Ray Disc Players Into Global HD Set-Top Boxes

Dreamer, a Korean-based leader in developing interactive TV-related platforms, announced today that it has opened an office in Burbank, CA in order to better serve Hollywood-based customers of its patented BIDDLE technology, which is currently in use by over one million subscribers in Korea.

Dreamer's BIDDLE technology is a software platform that makes it possible for content creators and distributors to deliver customized, interactive programming and services directly to consumers' living room TVs, via a networked Blu-ray Disc player (BD Live) or a PlayStation(R) 3 gaming console.

With BIDDLE technology, the possibilities for interactive content and services are virtually endless, including video/audio on demand (VOD), product catalogs, e-commerce, casual gaming, social networking, advertising, web portals and much more. All of these can be personalized by geographic region or even by specific players.

"BIDDLE technology is designed to be an efficient, turn-key solution for any company that is ready to enter the interactive TV era," said Dr. Won Baek, CEO/President of Dreamer.

Added Dr. Baek: "For content creators and distributors, BIDDLE technology presents an easy to deploy solution backed by real-world operational experience, which allows them to continually update and add new content and services, thus keeping their customers coming back for new experiences. From a consumer standpoint, BIDDLE technology is 'invisible', turning their Blu-ray Disc player into a global HD set-top box."

The BIDDLE code pulls the content and services from a central server, allowing every application to load as fast as today's web pages, thus making it easy for consumers to browse, search and watch interactive content on their TV screens.

"BIDDLE technology is the only BD-Live solution available that allows content providers to continually update and add new applications and services that consumers can access via the same Blu-ray disc, even years after the disc has been released," said Jim Braun, CEO, Namsung America, an exclusive sales and marketing agent for the BIDDLE technology in North America.

Added Braun: "We anticipate that many U.S. movie studios and broadcasters will see the limitless possibilities that this technology provides in terms of building their brands, enhancing their customers' experiences, and offering additional revenue streams for their companies."

For more information, click here.

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Rock Legend Neil Young Joins Sun Microsystems at 2008 JavaOne Conference to Announce Career Archive Blu-ray Disc Series

Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) today announced a collaboration with Neil Young and Reprise/Warner Bros. Records for the release of the upcoming Neil Young Archive series on Blu-ray Disc, powered by Java technology. Young will join Sun CEO and president Jonathan Schwartz and Rich Green, executive vice president for Software, on stage during the JavaOne conference opening keynote to announce this revolutionary new project and demonstrate some of the interactive features of his upcoming Blu-ray Disc box set. Visit: http://www.java.com or http://www.neilyoung.com for more information.

Neil Young's exciting project ties to this year's Conference theme of "Java + You" by highlighting the role Java technology plays in delivering dynamic content, sophisticated services and application mashups across consumer devices. Today, Java technology is the most widely adopted runtime in the world and is now powering compelling content and rich end-user experiences across all the "screens of your life" on billions of devices – from desktop browsers and computers (800,000) and mobile phones (more than 2 billion) to TVs, Blu-ray Disc players and other connected consumer devices.

More than 15 years in the making, the Neil Young Archive will be a complete biography of the artist's career in a timeline format including a chronology of songs released and unreleased. Through Blu-ray and Java technology, for the first time viewers will be able to navigate through Young's music, movies, videos, personal archives, memorabilia, photographs, letters, handwritten manuscripts and more while the high resolution 192/24 audio is playing, giving a chronological insight into the creative process and an opportunity to bear witness to the evolution of Neil Young's musical soul over the course of his life and work.

The Blu-ray format delivers both unsurpassed 192/24 audio quality and high definition video, capturing the quality of the original analog master recordings in the best digital format available today. The first Neil Young Archive release will be a 10 Blu-ray Disc set available this fall from Reprise/Warner Bros. Records, covering Young's career from 1963-1972.

"Previously, there was no way to browse archival material on a Disc and listen to a song in high resolution at the same time. The technology had not yet evolved to that capability," said Young. "It is important for me that the user experience the high resolution music along with the archival visual material. Previous technology required unacceptable quality compromises. I am glad we waited and got it right. And here is something really new, we will be able to add content to already released Blu-ray Disc archive volumes by downloading it, whether it is music, film or vintage recording sessions, recently found photographs, or other archival materials that were located after the release of that volume. Users will be able to download any of these archival materials and they will automatically be assigned to their place in the Chronology timeline."

"The Blu-ray format offers superior audio and video quality and, through Java technology, gives the viewer sophisticated ways of interacting with the content. Sun is thrilled to be working with Neil Young on what will surely be the most innovative release of any artist's material and the start of a new genre of content," said Schwartz. "Through Blu-ray and Java technology, the Neil Young Archive will create a more immersive experience for the viewer and a truly unique experience for his millions of fans around the world."

Java technology, which is the underlying platform for the new BD-Live capabilities of the Blu-ray format, enables interactive components as well as the ability to update all aspects of a Blu-ray Disc via BD-Live Internet connectivity. For the Neil Young Archive discs this could potentially include content updates such as music, film, adding new photos and providing tour information. It could also provide the ability to support dynamic fan community features such as message boards, concert reviews or even enable fans to use a BD-Live donation mechanism to help support the Bridge School). The Bridge School is a non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure that individuals with severe speech and physical impairments achieve full participation in their communities through the use of augmentative and alternative means of communication and assistive technology applications.

java.com will be featuring the work with Neil Young and the archive project in a special Java + Neil Young segment. Java + Neil Young will include links to Young's appearance at JavaOne, as well as links to more information about the upcoming Blu-ray Disc package.

http://sun.com

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SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES Lifts Forecasts for Blu-ray Order Intake for 2008

SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES (SINGULUS) received numerous orders for Blu-ray lines from Europe and Asia in the 1st quarter 2008. A first major order for Blu-ray was also received from the US in the 1st quarter. These new orders confirm SINGULUS’ expectations with regards to growth of the Blu-ray market. Since the settlement of the format dispute at the beginning of January 2008 and with the strategic acquisition of the Blu-ray Disc equipment operations from OERLIKON on January 31, 2008 SINGULUS has further improved its position for Blu-ray Disc.

Due to these favorable trends SINGULUS lifts its own order forecast from 20 Blu-ray machines to about 30 machines for 2008. For the Blu-ray segment a market share of more than 65 % is targeted.

The MediaTech Expo 2008, the largest trade fair for the optical disc industry worldwide, which is currently taking place in Frankfurt, is predominantly devoted to Blu-ray. The positive expectations for Blu-ray were underlined by the leading market research institutes.

www.singulus.nl

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ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre Receives DTS-HD Certification

ArcSoft, Inc., an industry leading software developer of multimedia technologies and applications, proudly announced today that ArcSoft TotalMedia™ Theatre received DTS-HD certification. ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre has fulfilled all the requirements of the test specifications and received certification from DTS for DTS-HD Master Audio™.

"It is exciting to hear high quality audio delivered by DTS-HD Master Audio available from a PC software for the first time." said George Tang, ArcSoft's Vice President and General Manager, Video & Home Entertainment Group. "This marks an important milestone and demonstrates that the PC environment is able to deliver the same quality as a Consumer Electronic (CE) set-top box."

"We are very excited with the announcement that ArcSoft TotalMedia Theater has received DTS-HD certification." said David Tan, VP of Product Management/North American Licensing for DTS Inc. "We are happy to team up with an industry leader to create the best possible entertainment experience for PC users."

Having obtained DTS-HD certification, ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre now not only has the ability to decode the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio - a "bit-for-bit" identical recreation of the original studio master sound track, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, etc.; it also provides end users the ability to control and direct bass signals to the most appropriate speakers or subwoofer(s) in the system, a process known as Bass Management System, an important recognition from DTS. Also noteworthy are "Speaker Remapping" which offers support for various speaker playback configurations and "DTS Digital Surround Transcoding" on traditional Digital audio output (S/PDIF) which delivers 5.1 channel surround sound at significantly better sound quality found on most standards DVDs. For more information on DTS-HD technology, click here. ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre supports playback of all three Blu-ray Disc video formats: MPEG-2, AVC, and VC1, as well as other High Definition content such as WMV HD, QuickTime HD, DivX HD, and H.264 HD. Enhance your movie watching experience with ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre. Don't just watch movies - experience them! A certified version of the software will be available to the public in mid-May. An update for existing, registered users will also be offered at no charge. For more information, visit http://www.arcsoft.com/products/totalmediatheatre/.

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