Tag Archives: OpticalDrive

Your old PC’s DVD drive might earn you $10

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The PC you had a decade ago might be a clunker in comparison to what you have now, but it might just make you a little extra money. In the wake of a class action settlement with major optical disc drive makers over price fixing, Americans can now cl...

Sony getting out of PC optical drive business due to ‘fierce competition’

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Sony getting out of PC optical drive business thanks to 'fierce competition'

It's being reported that Sony is closing Optiarc Inc., its company subsidiary that manufactures optical disc drives for PCs. Officials are quoted as saying that "fierce competition" forced prices down, causing the business to operate at a loss despite controlling roughly 15 percent of the market. Operations will be wound up by March of next year, with around 400 employees being offered early retirement and others being moved to other parts of the business. Don't worry about the future of your Blu-Ray and DVD player just yet though -- the company will continue to manufacture both as part of its Device Solutions Division.

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Sony getting out of PC optical drive business due to 'fierce competition' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 05:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AV Watch (Translated)  |  sourceJapan Times, Asahi Shimbun  | Email this | Comments

Toshiba / Samsung joint venture hit with lawsuit by LG over DVD+RW/RAM patents

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LG Electronics has found itself at the center of quite a few patent lawsuits in recent years (both as a plaintiff and defendant), and it's now kicked yet another one off. As Bloomberg reports, LG has today filed suit against Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology, alleging that the Toshiba / Samsung joint venture violated a number of patents related to DVD+RW and DVD-RAM technology. In the complaint, LG further alleges that TSST is knowingly infringing on the patents as they were previously licensed to Toshiba itself (and TSST as an affiliate company) as part of a deal that expired in 2010. LG is asking for a jury trial to sort things out, and demanding that TSSC pay "no less than a reasonable royalty" along with some unspecified damages. You can find the complaint in full at the link below.

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Toshiba / Samsung joint venture hit with lawsuit by LG over DVD+RW/RAM patents originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 15:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBloomberg, LG v. TSST complaint (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

New York artist fashions dead drop from dying hardware, mounts DVD burner in city wall

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New York artist fashions dead drop from dying hardware, mounts DVD burner in city wall

The optical drive may be making its exit in the world of personal computing, but at least it seems to still have a place in artistic architecture. Aram Bartholl -- the man behind New York City's infamous USB dead drops -- has installed a DVD burner into the side of the Museum of the Moving Image to promote HOT, an art exhibition described as "a group show about video that is not video." Passersby who pop in a blank DVD-R will be rewarded with a digital copy of the show and the satisfaction of finally having something to do with their aging stash of unused optical media. Just how do you install PC hardware in a museum wall? Drill an enormous hole, of course -- check out a video of the installation for yourself after the break.

Continue reading New York artist fashions dead drop from dying hardware, mounts DVD burner in city wall

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New York artist fashions dead drop from dying hardware, mounts DVD burner in city wall originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PSFK  |  sourceAram Bartholl  | Email this | Comments

ASUS teases mystery product on its Facebook page (update: it’s a 3D Blu-ray writer!)

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What's this? ASUS is teasing a mystery product shrouded in shadows on its Facebook page. From the looks of it, the piano-black hardware is mounted vertically onto a brushed metal cantilevered stand that just oozes style. Our vague, uninformed reckonings make us wonder if it's not an art-deco styled EeeBox, a desktop PC you'd be ashamed to hide under your desk, or the prettiest router we've ever seen. Either way, we'll keep our eyes peeled and in the meantime, you can cast your own idle speculation into the comments below.

Update: Ah, and here it is: the SBW-06C2X-U 3D Blu-ray writer that supports 6X Blu-ray writing speed! Thanks, Kiran.

ASUS teases mystery product on its Facebook page (update: it's a 3D Blu-ray writer!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 08:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceASUS (Facebook)  | Email this | Comments