LG Electronics has launched its latest Blu-ray drive and writer - the GBW H10N - can write to DVDs at up to 12X speed, but perhaps more impressively, can write Blu-ray discs at a speed of 4X.

By 2008, prices for Blu-ray Disc (BD) drives will drop 50% from current levels amid aggressive development by various related brands and makers, according to Shuji Minami, general manager, product business group of Sony NEC Optiarc.

Fans of the PlayStation Portable have been waiting patiently for a big system update for some time now -- versions 2.81 and 2.82 were just security updates and nothing else exciting. But the wait for the next big PSP update is finally over, as Sony Computer Entertainment finally released the long-awaited PSP version 3.00 via its Network Update feature.

Toshiba has been forced to put back the UK release of its HD-E1 and HD-XE1 HD DVD players thanks to what it called a "minor reliability issue" with one of the machines' internal components. Due to ship this month, the HD-E1 will now arrive in December.

A Sheffield man has won a refund from Dell for not installing Microsoft's Windows XP on a laptop he bought from the PC giant.

PC World has been admonished by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for advertising a product which is illegal to use in the UK. An advert for an FM transmitter cannot be repeated in the same form, the ASA said.

Ritek, the second largest producer of optical discs in Taiwan, has signed an ODM contract with Japan-based Hitachi Maxell for the exclusive production of DVD and CD-R discs, with an annual order value estimated at NT$8.0 billion (US$244 million) and shipments to begin next quarter, according to the Chinese-language Economic Daily News.

Toshiba today announced the launch of its second-generation HD DVD players in the Japanese market. The company will roll out two new players, the HD-XF2 and HD-XA2, from late December.

Microsoft said that supposedly pirated copies of its new Vista computer operating system "will be of limited value" to those who use them.

Hitachi Maxell this week plans to demonstrate a 300GB version of a holographic optical disc that will be available to select customers in the entertainment industry beginning next month.

Microsoft's Zune music player has gone on sale in the US, hoping to make a dent in the success of Apple's iPod.

Consumers who can't decide between the two warring formats for high-definition DVD players might want to wait till next year. That's when a new universal chip from a band of engineers in Massachusetts, will allow electronics firms to make a single player to handle both types of disk -- HD-DVD and Blu-ray.

Lite-On has released the fastest DVD Writer in the world: 20X Super AllWrite Drive LH-20A1P. It only takes around 5 minutes to backup 4.7 GB data on an excellent single layer 16X DVD+R or DVD-R media at 20X maximum.

A former prisoner at the forefront of prison law advocacy has overturned a TV licensing conviction on appeal. John Hirst said he used his television only for watching videos, DVDs and CCTV footage of his own house but was found "technically guilty".

NeoDigits today announced that its HELIOS H4000 HD Upscaling DVD Player is now locally available all over the US and Europe.

Microsoft co-president Jim Allchin has stated that Windows Vista's new security features are so strong that antivirus software is no longer necessary.

Sonic today announced that Nintendo has chosen Sonic CinePlayer CE DVD Navigator to bring high-quality DVD movie viewing to a future version of the company's Wii gaming console.

Rumors have been circulating for many months that Apple is in the process of developing the "iPhone" - a combination phone and iPod.

Disc makers have indicated demand has been warming up for DVD+R/-R DL (single-sided double-layer) discs following the increased availability of a modding hack that allows for the playing of pirated games on Xbox 360 consoles.

Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3), due this month, will not ship with Linux pre-installed, as suggested in March by CEO Ken Kuturagi. However, TerraSoft CEO Kai Staats says his company's Yellow Dog Linux is installable by "anybody who knows how to use a keyboard, mouse, and browser,".