Sony unveiled today a second generation internal Blu-ray Disc drive which cuts down the amount of time it takes to burn a BD-R disc. The new BWU-200S, available as an aftermarket item for computer users, is priced at around $600.

The Sony BWU-200S is capable of 4X BD-R, which Sony says results in burning time to this Blu-Ray Disc format being cut by half. It also offers 16X DVD+R recording speeds. All in all, Sony has designed this drive to “record up to 50GB of data for random access storage and backup on BD-R (write once) or BD-RE (rewritable) discs, or up to 230 minutes of high-definition HDV 1080i video on a BD-R/RE 50GB disc. It also supports recording on standard single layer 4.7GB DVD+R/+RW/RAM discs, 8.5GB DVD+R double/dual layer discs, and CDs.”

Neato. The word is traveling fast across the blogosphere that Sharp Japan has announced two new Aquos Blu-ray players that push the limit on HDD size. There are two BD-HDW Blu-ray recorders in the product line-up, the BD-HDW15 and the BD-HDW20. Both units have HDMI output, a dual TV tuner so you can record two shows at the same time, Dolby DTS, a smart drive that can detect the differences between dual layer discs and single layer ones and compatibility with the company’s i-Link to make for smooth connections to other Sharp electronics. The HDW15 has 500GB of HDD space on it while the HDW20 ups it to a cool 1 terabyte of magnetized media. Supported media also include dual layer BD-R/RE discs apart from single layer discs.

Linksys has released some scant information about two new Media Center Extenders that they have slated for launch in November, designed to extend the reach of the digital media on your computer through the Windows Media Center.

One problem that a lot of people have with digital media, especially high-def movies, on their computer is having a way to get it out of the room with the computer an into their entertainment center. These extenders avoid having to have a dedicated computer in your entertainment room by streaming the content to your TV or home stereo.

Take a look at this super-portable DVD player concept designed by Yeon-shin Seung. The design looks similar to the ultra-portable CD player concept we say back in August but incorporates a flexible display screen that scrolls up which would be made he Sony full color flexible organic electroluminescent display material, according to the designer.

It starts out looking like a candy bar style phone and the top half swivels to expose a speaker, DVD controls and a place to turn the DVD. The screen then pulls up like a rolled up projector screen to provide the display. Pretty cool.

Aesthetics are not something people usually talk about when it comes to Hard Drives and portable storage devices, but would you rather have a clunky box sitting on your desk or a slick looking portable storage device like the LaCie devices pictured here? Designed by renowned designer Sam Hecht, this new line of machines do what they’re told and look good doing it.

The LaCie Little Disk line will provide a capacity of 30 to 250GB in 1.8 inch and 2.5 inch drives both of which support the USB 2.0 interface. Additionally the 2.5 inch version will be available with Firewire connectivity and a one-click synchronization and back up function. The drives are available now with prices starting at $90 USD.

LG has unveiled the second generation of its dual format HD disc player, letting one enjoy both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. The LG Super Blu Player (BH200) is priced at around $1,000 and should be available in October.

The LG BH200 supports HDi Web-connected interactivity available for HD DVDs and also includes BD-Java interactivity. It can output video up to 1080p, including upscaling of standard DVD to this resolution. It also supports a wide variety of audio formats, including MPEG-2, VC-1, H.264 video, MPEG1/2 audio, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, DTS and DTS-HD.

Harman Kardon today unveiled for European markets the Cinespecial 29, a two component home theatre system. It’s priced at €1,299 and should be available in October.

The Cinespecial 29 consists of the Harman Kardon DVD 29 DVD player and the AVR 350 A/V receiver in a new industrial design. The DVD 29 can play DVD Audio, supports HDMI and can upscale to 1080i. The AVR 350 has two HDMI 1.2a inputs, an automatic calibration system and offers expanded iPod integration.

LG has a new non-high def DVD burner that should hit the market within days, sporting a very slim and portable design. The LG Slim DVD burner is completely USB powered requiring no additional cables to run, helping you to conveniently burn discs and drain the battery from your notebook when you’re on the go.

The device measures only .84 inches thick and weighs less than a pound making it very portable, housing the ability to burn DVD+R / RW, DVD-R / RW, and DVD-RAM discs as fast as 8x. LG has two models of this slim burner coming out; the GSA-E50N will retail for about $122 and is the standard model. For $136 you can treat yourself to the GSA-E50L which adds LightScribe to the feature set, using the same DVD burning laser to let you burn labels …

DivX continues to gain traction as a format of popularity for use with consumer electronics devices. The company behind the name said today over 100 million DivX-certified devices had shipped worldwide.

DivX said over time it has partnered with CE brands like LG Electronics, Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Sony Electronics, Thomson and more. The 100 million devices represent over 2,500 individual product models including DVD players, DVD-recorders, portable DVD players, digital still cameras, mobile handsets and in-car devices.

Onkyo announced yesterday plans to shortly launch its first HD DVD player. The new DV-HD805 is priced at around $900 and should debut this fall.

The Onkyo DV-HD805, said its manufacturer, is one of the first HD DVD players to take advantage of high-bit-rate audio streaming via HDMI version 1.3a. This latest HDMI version also offers technology to reportedly improve color tones and achieve finer color gradation. You’ll also get support for lossless surround sound formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

Oppo Digital came out this week with a new universal DVD player with 7.1 channel audio and 1080p up-conversion. The Oppo DV-980H is available now for around $170.

The Oppo DV-980H is, according to Oppo, the “world’s first to offer 7.1-channel audio output and 1080p video up-conversion in a DVD player.” The player offers support for Dolby Digital Surround EX decoding and HDMI 1.2a output. Like many other DVD players on today’s market the DV-980H provides multiple HD output formats, including 1080p/1080i/720p/480p/480i. It is compatible with DVD-Audio/Video, SACD, DivX, WMV9, WMA, Kodak Picture CD and a variety of other formats.

Sony unveiled today three next-generation dual format DVD/CD recordable drives for computer users. The most interesting looking of these three drives is the slim, external DRX-S70U.

The Sony DRX-S70U ($130, September) is geared towards those who want a more stylish DVD burner sitting alongside their notebook PC. This burner supports both dual and double layer formats, offering 8X DVD+/-R, 4X DVD+/-R DL, 8X DVD+RW, 6X DVD-RW, 5X DVD-RAM, and 24X CD-R/RW recording speeds. It comes bundled with a full version of Nero 7 and sports a USB 2.0 interface.

Consumer electronics company Helios announced today a low cost DVD player which upscales both regular DVDs and also video files in a variety of formats. The new Helios H2000 is set to appear in August for $99.

The Helios H2000 upscales to 1080i resolution DVDs as well as MPEG-4, XviD, DivX and MPEG-2 via component, HDMI and VGA connectivity. The player can also output an unprocessed 480i/576i video signal and allow a TV or external video scaler to do the upscaling. It even includes support for the VobSub subtitle format in case you like to download and play foreign films.

In a major hit to HD DVD supporters, Blockbuster has decided to go with the rival Blu-ray high definition DVD format in 1,450 of its 1700 stores across the nation. This decision was made after a year of renting both the Blu-ray and HD DVD formats in their stores after which the video rental giant found that Blu-ray was preferred by its consumers over 70% of the time.

According to the announcement, the Blu-ray titles will still be offered for rent online but a vast majority of the physical stores will not be stocking them. Blockbuster found that it wasn’t the price that was driving the consumers decision as much as it was the content with big releases like Spiderman and Pirates of the Caribbean doing better than similar exclusive releases on HD DVD.

This decision by …

The Becker Vision Pro 7985 media player boasts a touchscreen interface along with DVD playback claimed by Becker to be the first of its kind in portable media players. The 7″ 16:9 TFT display will show up to four hours of continuous DVD playback, static images and MPEG-1 to MPEG-4, DIV-X, XVID, AVI and SVCD video which all can be played on your big screen as well with some A/V out jacks. A/V in lets you also watch and listen from other output devices such as a camcorder.

MP3 audio and the videos can be played back through media on an SD card, Memory Stick or a USB thumb drive along with a DVD or CD. The Vision Pro can also pick up DVB TV and radio stations with a built in tuner, and it also sports some built in speakers and a …