Microsoft has started implementing features in upgrades to Windows XP which specifically prevent users of pirated keys from upgrading parts of the operating system.

Rumours abound after a slide from a non disclosure agreement (NDA) presentation that will be Microsoft launching three versions of the Xbox 2, one of which is a fully functioning PC.

TiVo boxes are in many ways a perfect target for gadget hobbyists, providing both the means and motive to create some high-powered enhancements. The devices use mostly off-the-shelf computer components and run the open-source Linux operating system, making it easy for curious tinkerers to try out their skills. In addition, TiVo has intentionally left many tantalizing features out of its boxes due to concerns over potential copyright violations.

China's exports of DVD players decreased 20%-30% in the third quarter of this year, due to an investigation of patent infringement by the US International Trade Commission (ITC) under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which is specifically designed to protect international intellectual properties, according to Taiwan makers of optical-disc drives (ODDs).

Press Release: Sharp have announced the introduction into the Japanese market of a new Blu-ray Disc Recorder with Hard Drive/DVD. The new BD-HD100 can record and play back high-definition pictures to/from the built-in hard drive and Blu-ray Discs with exactly the same high resolution seen in digital Hi-Vision (HDTV) broadcast images.

Japanese hardware maker Pioneer has developed a technique which will allow optical drives to store 500GB of data. That's according to the Nikkei Business Daily, which reported that the technique will use ultraviolet lasers, which emit shorter wavelength rays than blue lasers.

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has doubled the bounty it will pay to people who shop their employers for using illegally pirated software, taking the upper limit to £20,000 until the end of the year.

Thanks to DVD swami Flash we have a review of the new 8x DVD-R from Datawrite featuring their new Mitsubishi manufactured dye. You can read why Flash rates these as 9 out of 10 and believes that "this disc is a nice addition to the Datawrite range" by clicking here.

Thanks to the independent members of disQworld we have a review of the new printable 8x DVD-R from Datawrite. The folks over ther seem very impressed with the new CMC manufactured discs. Click here for the review.

Shuttle have unveiled their new Media Center PC, the snappily titled SB775G5 XPC. It comes in the new G5 case and supports Intel LGA775 chips. It is based on the i875P chipset, and sports AGP8X, ECC DDR400 and SATA RAID. For I/O it has about everything you could ever care about, from USB to SPDIF.

Eyetop is selling the new Eyetop DVD player which comes connected to goggles that have a small screen at the bottom of the right eye. The goggles also have earphones.

A new study by TDG Research suggests that nearly one in four consumer electronics devices will include networked DVD functionality by 2010.

Futean International, a subsidiary of Ritek, is currently establishing a plant in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province (China), to produce CD-R and DVD-R/+R discs specifically for sale in China under the Ritek brand, according to Yung-nam Chang, the president of Futean.

Press Release: Poweredcom, Toshiba and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) have announced that they will start trial operation of a new DVD content distribution service, "Hikari de DVD," that delivers video to DVD recorders in the home via a high capacity fiber-optic broadband network.

The FVD (forward versatile disc) format – Taiwan’s self-developed red-laser high-definition DVD format – has won support from manufacturers of optical drives in China, and the first FVD players will be launched in Taiwan and China by the end of this month, according to Der-ray Huang, the chairman of Taiwan’s Advanced Optical Storage Research Alliance (AOSRA).

Boffins at Japanese tech company Pioneer have made a next-generation optical disk out of corn starch. Pioneer believes corn starch disks will be good for the environment as it is totally biodegradable when buried underground and is loved by bacteria everywhere.

Philips is planning to reduce its CD-R royalty charge from US$0.045 to US$0.035 per disc, according to the company’s web site. However, producers of optical discs have not responded favorably to the decrease in royalty charges since it is smaller than they expected.

European consumers want music not video or games on their portable gadgets. According to Jupiter Research only a lowly five per cent of people would like a music player which could also play films.

A video game fan upset over a failed disc drive in his Xbox video game console has sued Microsoft on behalf of all Xbox owners across the United States.

DVD writing speeds have approached their maximum speed of 16x, leaving little room for companies to gain a market advantage by increasing their drive speeds. Companies not burdened by excessive royalty payments will have a competitive advantage in the market. For many ODD makers, royalty payments account for as much as 20% of their total production costs.