Estimates suggest that 50% of all DVDs sold in 2005 will have an inkjet printable surface. This has resulted in several product launches this week of new DVD discs. The most notable one being Datawrite with their new TransPrint Printable Surface DVD-R.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a preliminary study of the potential lifespan of CD-Rs and DVD-Rs. A good starting point for deciding what type of media to purchase to keep those backups and photos kicking around longer.

Lewisham police had a result on sunday when they accidentally stumbled on a Pirate DVD factory. Officers stumbled across the haul when they turned up to make an unrelated arrest at a flat in Manor Park Parade in Lee. As well as confiscating 4000 bootleg DVD’s they also seized The movie copying equipment including DVD burners and a laptop set up to make counterfeit copies of the latest Hollywood hits from Meet The Fockers to Million Dollar Baby.

Elpida has licensed a technology that applies the same technique used in rewriteable optical discs to non-volatile memory chips.

Japan's Optware Corp. and five partners - CMC Magnetics, FUJI, Nippon Paint, Optware, Pulstec and TOAGOSEI - have announced that they would form the Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) Alliance to accelerate development and standardization of the HVD system.

According to our friends at Discwrite.co.uk Datawrite have sneakily adopted the new TransPrint technology on their new range of Full Face Silver (Hub) Printable 8X DVD-R. TransPrint is a new process which involves spraying the disc with a thin film of clear lacquer. The results are, according to some industry watchdogs, greatly better than standard printable surfaces, which use the conventional method of applying an inkjet friendly surface. The cost of the process has been the main factor in most brands not adopting this technology.

According to our friends at Discwrite.co.uk Tuff disc have already released their new range of discs to the market. The new range of highly durable discs, which are reputedly 40 times more scratch resistant and 20 times more dust resistant than standard DVD media, was originally scheduled to be released in Europe on the 10th of February. A quick trawl round the Internet shows that the range is already available from some online retailers. The disc is available in both DVD and CD format. No doubt Tuffdisc will be making some of this product available to our resident DVD guru Flash to test.

Mitsubishi, a Japanese maker of electronic products, said fiscal third-quarter profit rose 55 percent because of increased demand for DVD recorders, factory equipment and rear-projection televisions.

OEM quotes for DVD players recently rose from US$30-32 (£15-£17) to an average level of US$35 (£19), according to Taiwan-based optical disc drive (ODD) makers. This was the first jump in pricing since a steady decline in OEM price levels from US$55-60 (£29-£32) that started in 2002, said the makers.

Once a leading earner that helped lift electronics manufacturers out of a period of financial stagnation, DVD recorders have degenerated into little more than a burden as the companies slog through a drawn-out price war.

Our latest contributor, share trading guru MinTeD, has asked me to publish a quick apology. Due to pressure of work he hasn’t been able to reply to any of the dozens of emails he received about the investment/stock market column he has started writing for us.

Sony has now released the specs of the upcoming DRU-720A, the newest Sony burner that supports 16X DVD+/-R writing speeds...

Nero announced today that it has partnered with LightScribe to bring the Direct Disc Labeling technology to Nero’s vast community of users.

Pioneer have reported that because of severe price competition its third-quarter net profits had fallen 80 percent, to 1.79 billion yen (£9.2 million), with sales down .09 percent from the previous year.

ITV, the UK’s biggest commercial TV operator, launched its anticipated assault on the online DVD rental market today through its tie-up with Video Island.

The Pioneer US website is carrying information about a recommended firmware update. The site says: "Version 1.09 improves the writing quality on +RW discs during buffer underrun conditions and improves writing quality on DVD+R DL and CD recordable media" and in big red letters, "(RECOMMENDED UPDATE)". You can download them from the Pioneer website.

The Blu-Ray Association have said that games giants Electronic Arts and Vivendi would both support its DVD format. The next generation of DVDs will hold high-definition video and sound.

ASRock, a subsidiary of ASUSTeK Computers that produces entry-level PC components, recently expressed interest in manufacturing of affordable graphics cards targeting customers in budget.

Undoubtedly the next revolution in home entertainment will be high-definition, which gives incredible, 3D-like pictures and surround sound. The DVD disks and the gear to play them will not be out for another year or so, and there at are still a number of issues to be sorted out.

Sony Europe has announced the launch of a new portable DVD player for 2005 – The Sony MV-700HR. Sporting a new portable concept, different from current laptop syles, the Sony screen faces out, taking up less space and provides a convenient new way to watch movies on the go.