Pioneer have released a new official version of their firmware for the A05/105. The new firmware is claimed to give DVD-R/RW writability and playability improvement, DVD-Dual Layer playability improvement and CD-R/RW writability improvement. You can download the new firmware here.

A research team has unveiled a new system to turbocharge the Internet, claiming to be able to achieve speeds so high an entire movie can be downloaded in mere seconds. The team is already talking to Microsoft and Disney to look into using the system to deliver high-quality video over the Web.

Korean electronics giant Samsung has launched a massive 40-inch LCD display which will go head-to-head with plasma screens, the traditional kings of the wall-mounted flat-screen world.

The Japanese giant behind the Panasonic brand name is to test a movie rental system that combines DVD discs with file downloads. Besides Matsushita, Nikkei Business News said the trial will involve four other companies -- networking equipment provider Oki Electric, software maker Japan Wave, Internet cafe operator InterPia and systems developer PFU.

Denon have announced that the PAL version of their DVD-2900 universal DVD-Audio/SACD player will be the only machine capable of delivering ‘legal’ PAL progressive video. The DVD-2900 brings Denon’s audiophile and videophile performance features to a price point that most enthusiasts can afford. Many of the technologies and construction elements developed for the flagship DVD-A1 have been used in the 2900, which will go on sale in the U.K. with a recommended retail price of just £850.

Thanks to Flash we a have a review which tries to answer that vital question.

In the home of the future, Michael Dell will be perched in front of a personal computer while Goran Lindahl, chairman of Sony in Europe, will be slumped on a sofa in front of the television. This high-tech odd couple disagree on whether the PC or a games console, such as Sony’s new PlayStation (the PSX), will form the heart of home entertainment.

A legal dispute that threatened to derail Gateway's groundbreaking plan to load music on its computers has been quietly resolved amid growing interest in such offerings by rival PC makers, executives and analysts said.

Three small companies that manufacture technologies that filter out the sex, gore and violence from DVD movies are hoping to avoid a protracted legal fight with Hollywood. ClearPlay, Family Shield Technologies and Trilogy Studios have filed a motion in the United States District Court in Denver to dismiss claims that their products infringe on the copyrights of motion pictures.

Ulead Systems and ADS Tech completed a worldwide agreement to include VideoStudio 7 SE DVD, Ulead video editing software, with its recently announced DVD Xpress. DVD Xpress, a compact, USB 2.0 external MGEP-2 capture device bundled with VideoStudio 7 SE DVD, enables consumers to easily capture video and create DVD movies in minutes.

The Salerno Finance Police have wrapped up the case of a true colossus of video and audio piracy in Salerno, Italy. The racket involved the fabrication and under-the-counter sale of counterfeit copies of popular DVDs in stores throughout the country.

The recent patent infringement lawsuit that Taiwan-based IC designer VIA Technologies filed against MediaTek is not expected to directly impact the optical storage drive industry in the near future, according to local optical drive manufacturers.

A number of Japanese magazines are reporting that Microsoft is moving ahead with plans to release a redesigned Xbox, dubbed "Xbox 1.5", which will come in a significantly smaller case than the original model.

Building upon a successful campaign in the Japanese market, Matsushita (the people behind the Panasonic brand name) is launching one of their largest-ever global campaigns, for the new DIGA DVD recorder. The campaign's aim is to promote the Panasonic DVD recorder DIGA series and DVD-RAM format as global standards.

Although demand for DVD discs is expected to continue to grow, first-tier Taiwanese optical storage disc makers said they would not consider a price jump before the end of this year, according to the companies.

All the three first-tier optical storage disc makers in Taiwan – CMC Magnetics (CMC), Ritek and Prodisc – have reported high capacity utilization rates for their DVD disc production. The companies, currently selling 4x DVD discs at prices of US$1.20-1.50, said gross margins for the discs in general have been maintained at about 40-50%.(Our Industry insider says it may be as high as 80-90%)

Demand for DVD discs has been surging over the past months thanks to the growth of the DVD drive market. Further increase is also expected as many optical storage drive makers are scheduled to launch new recordable DVD products later this year.

Both CMC and Ritek said they were satisfied with the current profit margins and would not consider a price hike on their DVD products before the year-end. Prodisc said it would follow suit on its competitors’ decisions. Further price jumps may run the risk of discouraging consumers, said the companies, which are consistently expanding their DVD disc capacities.

According to Ritek, the company expects to double its monthly DVD disc production to 20 million units by year-end. CMC and Prodisc also expect to significantly expand their monthly DVD output during the same period.

It is possible that 4x DVD disc prices may go down after 8x discs and drives are introduced in the second half of this year, according to Ritek. CMC, however, said it could not foresee any price-cut on its DVD products before year-end

It's getting crowded on DVD to DVD±R market -- we already have DVD X Copy, DVD X Copy XPRESS, DVD2One, DVD Shrink, Pinnacle Instant Copy and now Intervideo (the maker of WinDVD) has released their own product, DVD Copy. The product's main difference to its competitors is probably the support for non-DVD±R formats -- program can encode videos to DivX, VCD and SVCD formats. DVD Copy also includes an integrated burning engine (although it is not revealed from which company) and re-authoring support for DVD±Rs.

Last September Hewlett-Packard launched a new style of personal computer that added the functions of a TV, VCR and music jukebox. Now more and more PC makers are taking to Microsoft's all-in-one entertainment-focused PC. HP doesn't break out sales figures on the machine, but it seems it has been surprised with the sales performance of the machine at retail--and others want in on the action.

A US court has ruled that video games should receive the same protection - in terms of freedom of speech - as literature and works of art. The federal appeals court panel has struck down a law that restricted children's access to violent video games, giving the software the same free-speech protection as that for works of art.

Press Release: AverMedia announces affordable DVD creation with its newly released DVD EZMaker USB 2.0. At just $89.99 (£55), the palm-sized unit captures full-resolution (720 x 480) video to both CD and DVD burners in real-time through a USB 2.0 port.

Press Release: Adaptec have announced the availability of VideOh! DVD Media Center, a comprehensive solution that enables consumers to convert their existing home PC into a media center. With Adaptec VideOh! DVD Media Center, home-PC users can easily create, control, store and enjoy digital content, including TV shows, home movies and photos. Users can choose television programs they want to watch from a free online programming guide, record, pause, rewind and replay live TV and edit and burn shows to high-quality DVDs or video CDs -- using their existing PC.