CD-DVDs have updated their test comparing the Pioneer A07 vs NEC ND-2500A. You can read the review in English here.

CD-DVDs.net have just done some preview tests on the new 8x DVD writers from Pioneer and NEC. From the specs you can see both drives write to DVD-R & DVD+R disks at 8 speed and re-write -RW & +RW at 4 speed. The Pioneer 107 also reads DVD-RAM disks.

Following on the heels of the EVD (enhanced versatile disc) movement, the Opto-electronics & Systems Laboratories (OES) under the Taiwan government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is developing a new DVD standard, tentatively called FVD (finalized versatile disc), according to OES deputy director Huang Der-ray.

Norwegian police have said they will not appeal a landmark DVD piracy case for a second time, marking a final victory for a 20-year-old hacker and a defeat for Hollywood.

Chinese optical drive makers have delayed the release of EVD (enhanced versatile disc) players, China's self-developed DVD format, for one month, according to the Chinese newspaper Nanfang Metropolitan Daily. The companies planned to offer EVD players at the end of November, but none has done so yet. One manufacturer may offer products in early 2004 with others following in the middle of the year.

SACD and DVD-Audio discs were far from the rage this holiday season, as consumers focused their spending on digital cameras, videogames, DTV and DVD-Video. The reasons for the stunning audio formats not taking off are many, but one of the most noteworthy is the fact the discs are marketed to 50-plus-year-old baby boomers.

Computer makers are placing big bets on consumer electronics in Las Vegas this week, banking on new products to boost sales and make inroads in what is already a highly competitive sector. They are hoping the gamble will pay off big at the giant Consumer Electronics Show in glitzy Las Vegas, where they will display their widest offering yet of products targeting that market: televisions, music players and handheld devices.

Sneaking a camcorder into a movie theater will soon be a crime in California under a new law designed to protect the copyrights of rthe film industry.

The competition between recordable DVD formats will only increase when the first 'plus' dual-layer disc is released, say industry observers. One side of the ongoing recordable DVD format battle is expected to be first with products that nearly double the amount of data held on one disc. But that victory looks unlikely to end the feud.

Prices for DVD recorder-use chipsets, including a servo IC and an integrated MPEG-2 single chip, have fallen to about US$35 (£20), compared to about US$40-45 (£23-£25) in the late third quarter of this year, sources at major international DVD chip suppliers said.

Philips, a long-time advocate of the DVD+RW standard, expects to start providing DVD recorder-use chipsets supporting the DVD-Dual format in early 2004 at the earliest, according to sources.

Many of Taiwan's optical disc drive manufacturers, in light of increasing OEM orders for DVD burners, plan to gradually decrease OEM production of combo drive models.

A little light hearted note to take us into Christmas: a website has published an informative guide to buying digital media products for teenagers, aimed at clueless parents. This is more complicated than it seems in our broadband connected world.

Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reports that Sony's recently launched PSX - essentially a PlayStation 2 with additional hard drive and DVD recording features - has proved an instant success.

Norway's most famous computer whiz has recieved an early Christmas present. An appeals court in Oslo upheld Jon Lech Johansen's earlier acquittal on all counts of alleged copyright violations.

The main Taiwanese producers of optical disc drives anticipate a further drop in the OEM price of 8x DVD Dual burners in the first quarter of 2004 due to increased supply from Japanese and South Korean competitors.

TEAC Europe have launched a new 8x DVD writer named DV-W58G. The new drive supports 8x/4x DVD+R/RW, 4x/2x DVD-R/RW and 40x/24x CD-R/RW and is currently listed for about €180 (£126).

'Finding Nemo' was released on video and DVD in the US on November 4. But it won't be available in the UK until March 18, next year. And that, says Blockbuster president and ceo Nigel Travis, creates opportunities for piracy.

NEC has demonstrated for the first time a prototype optical disc drive that uses a single optical head to read DVDs and discs recorded in a blue-laser format that is awaiting final approval as the next-generation DVD standard.

Global demand next year could reach 11 billion to 12 billion units for CD-R discs and 1.5 billion units for DVD-R/+R discs, Ritek CEO Gordon Yeh predicted yesterday. Ritek is the world's largest optical storage disc maker.