Sony will next month ship what it claims is the world's first external DVD recorder that can also operate without a host computer.

Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates tomorrow will officially launch the latest version of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 operating system, complete with extensions that play or record video, music and other media.

Kazaa, once a top nemesis of record companies and movie studios, appears to have lost its role as the world's most popular file-swapping software, network watchers have said.

Sony's PSX home media systems have experienced a major sales boost following heavy price cuts at the end of summer, with the hybrid DVD recorder and games console units topping the DVD recorder sales charts for the end of September.

Retail prices of 16x DVD DL (single-sided double-layer) burners last week dropped to NT$3,500 (£58) for some local brands in Taiwan, NT$3,700-3,900 (£61-£64) for Hitachi-LG Data Storage (HLDS) and Toshiba-Samsung Storage Technology (TSST) models and NT$4,000 (£66) for Pioneer and Sony units, according to sources in the local retail channel.

DVD legend Flash has been busy again - this time testing the latest Dual Layer (DL) media from Verbatim. Click to read his Verbatim Dual Layer media review.

Sony has once again reiterated its plan to ship PlayStation Portable (PSP) in Japan by the end of the year and in Europe and the US during Q1 2005.

The release of several affordable CD and DVD disc printers has resulted in a host of new printable discs coming to the market. Bulkpaq are the latest company to boost their range of printable media. The new Bulkpaq 4x DVD-R full face printable is due to be launched in the European, Middle Eastern and African markets next week. The disc is a direct replacement for the Bulkpaq 4x printable, which was reviewed here. Bulkpaq have also launched a 4 speed +R printable.

Several major European brands are preparing for the launch of 16x DVD media. Releases of DVD+Rs, capable of recording data at 21 MByte/s, are planned within a few weeks.

The DVD officionados over at disQworld - the webs biggest and busiest DVD forums website - have been running the rule over the new 8x printable surface discs from volume producer Bulkpaq. You can read their comments in our Bulkpaq 8x Printable review.

DVD Burning Guru Flash has posted in his latest review which looks at the new Datawrite Classic 8x Speed DVD+R. He seems impressed, concluding "This is another great classic disc from Datawrite who seem to be going from strength to strength with their superb quality media that is compatible over a wide range of DVD writers". Click to read the full Datawrite Classic 8x DVD+R review.

A businessman claims to be losing £70,000 a year because illegal copies of his videos and DVDs are being traded on internet site eBay. Keith Bowen, 57, who owns a company called Nite Out promotions, buys the rights to racing events, from horse races to fun pig races, and adds graphics and commentary. He then sells the package to pubs, clubs and charity event organisers.

Sony and other technology companies working to launch the next generation of DVD format, Blu-ray Disc, are planning to develop a smaller (8cm) version of the disc, Sony have said.

The British music industry is to sue 28 internet users it says are illegally swapping music online. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) says it is targeting "major uploaders" - those who make music available to share free with others.

The BBC demoed an early version of an open source codec it hopes will give proprietary video technology a serious run for its money at the LinuxWorld exhibition today.

Our resident DVD Guru flash is very busy lately: he has been sampling all the latest media from Datawrite and has produced for us a review on it. The media is 8x printable DVD-R and is manufactured by CMC Magnetics. Click to read the full Datawrite 8x Review.

Pioneer has disclosed the availability of five new hard drive DVD recorders.

Ritek has succeeded in developing advanced dyes for making DVD+R DL (single-sided, double-layer) discs, becoming the second company to develop the dye after Japan-based Mitsubishi Chemical, according to company spokesman Eric Ai.

More than 70 companies from the consumer electronics (CE), information technology (IT), media and software industries have held the first official meeting of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA). The BDA supports the continued development and promotion of the Blu-ray Disc (BD) format.

Xbox 2 may make use of the HD-DVD format, if some Japanese electronics giants have their way. At the CEATEC Japan technology exhibition, now ongoing just outside of Tokyo, a manager at NEC revealed that his company is working to get Microsoft to use the format in the successor console to Xbox.