Our resident burning guru Flash has contacted us with this news - errr - flash. "Just recieved my Sony burner and it had firmware 1.0a. I burnt to a Datawrite Red Princo 4x disc and after 10% the burn dropped down to 2x speed and the burn took 30 minutes, I upgraded the firmware to the latest version and did the same burn. This time it took 15 mins to burn the same disc and files: the latest firmware 1.0c enables 4x writing to Princo media." The firmare is available for free download here. Installation instructions can be found at the Sony website: sony.storagesupport.com.

321 Studios is pushing ahead with new DVD-copying software despite an imminent ruling on its legality under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The software house are preparing to launch six new applications, including an enhanced version of DVD copying software that is the subject of a US court case brought under the controversial DMCA.

Sony have said they will replace their own DVD+RW discs that were included in its DVD/CD rewriteable drive DRU-500AX and DVD/CD rewriteable drive DRX-500ULX free of charge worldwide. This will mean replacing some 18,000 DPW47L1 discs as some of them may not be able to record information or have data read off them because the disks' memory layer may oxidize after a certain period of time. Owners of the drives should contact their local Sony sales center.

Thanks to strong sales of CD-R and DVD discs, all three first-tier Taiwanese optical storage disc makers - Ritek, CMC Magnetics (CMC) and Prodisc Technology - in June experienced the highest monthly revenues they have seen since late 2001.

Korean manufacturer LG Electronics is showing off a 71-inch plasma display panel (PDP) using a system on a chip to improve digit TV programme quality. The 71-inch TV was shown off in Korea yesterday, and pips its competitor Samsung which boasted a 70-inch PDP monitor earlier this year.

Hoping to capture more of the growing flat-panel LCD TV market, Philips Semiconductors has rolled out a new generation motion compensation and estimation IC, designed to improve LCD picture quality.

Poikosoft have released the newest verion upgrade of their popular CD ripper, burner and format converter. With plenty of features and great usability, Easy CD-DA Extractor supports plug-ins that allow you to rip directly into mp3 or any other format that your Windows' CODECs allow. It also has CDDB (FreeDB) support with a submit capability. Easy CD-DA has an advanced "Error recovery & repair"-mode that helps to get perfect rips from damaged discs. Click here for download.

Ahead Software have released the Nero changelog for there latest version - Nero 5.5.10.42. Nothing huge in this one as Ahead Software is preparing for the Nero 6 launch. Click here for download.

InterVideo has juiced up their DVD backup software DVD Copy. It is now capable of compressing a DVD-9 on a single DVD-5. With Intervideo's Bitrate Balance Profile the bitrate of the backup follows the original bitrate, so you'll get the highest bitrates in the places it's most needed.

Following its patent litigation against MediaTek in the US, VIA Technologies has again brought its competitor to court over the same cause in Taiwan. In addition, VIA has added the name of Lite-On IT, a client of MediaTek, to the suit filed in the US, VIA have said in a press release.

This week, Gateway introduced a wireless DVD product that connects your PC in your home office to your television, allowing you to show digital photos and listen to downloaded music or videos anywhere in your house.

Malaysia's plan to forcibly cut prices of film and music discs to curb piracy won't work, and tougher penalties for crooks are the only solution, a senior U.S. trade official has said.

This autumn, Pioneer will launch a new line of DVD recorders featuring TiVo's personal video recorder technology. Almost certain to cause anxiety among Hollywood studios and network broadcasters, the new recorders will combine TiVo's versatile recording and operating features, and give consumers the choice of archiving their recordings on magnetic hard disks or DVD-R/RW optical disks.

Sony have released details of their RDR-GX3 budget DVD-R/RW and DVD+RW video recorder. The recorder is expected to cost around £450.00 and is due in September 2003.

Iran to become a major world CD producer.

A group of hackers claims to have publicly posted software that defeats all Xbox security measures, after failing to win concessions from Microsoft.

IT managers are bracing themselves for a flood of web defacement attacks this weekend as vandals take part in this year's run of The Defacers' Challenge.

Sanyo Electric will start selling key components for DVD recorders to outside companies, by the end of the year.

Hitachi Maxell announced a series of Blue Ray discs based on blue REIDISUKURIRAITA format Ver.1.0. The new discs offer an 23GB capacity which means that they can hold up to 2-hours of high definition video. Availability in the market is expected by 25th of August, at an estimated street price of 25 EUR.

Investors are scrambling to buy Taiwan's loss-making computer compact disk makers amid signs of a turnaround in the US$2 billion industry after last year's deep slump.