Sony Press Release 12/10/04

SONY UNVEILS INDUSTRY’S FIRST DVD BURNER THAT COMBINES STAND-ALONE AND COMPUTER-ATTACHED DVD VIDEO RECORDING

New DVDirect Burner Enables Users to Transfer Home Videos Directly from Camcorders to DVD Discs with or without a Computer

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 12, 2004 - Sony is unlocking new levels of home video enjoyment with the world’s first DVD burner capable of stand-alone, real-time DVD recording, as well as computer-attached burning.

Sony’s new DVDirect (pronounced DVD Direct) device can connect directly to a camcorder or VCR for transferring tape-based video footage to DVD for playback on most home DVD players and PC DVD-ROM drives.

Camcorder sales continue to soar, marking a significant opportunity for the DVDirect device to help camcorder owners transfer home movies onto DVD without the complexity of using a computer. This allows DVD recording to be extended to a broader group of consumers who might otherwise consider the task too daunting.

The DVDirect burner can also be attached to a PC, and comes with the necessary software for advanced DVD video authoring projects, as well as the creation of data, music, and video DVDs and CDs.

“Preserving precious moments onto DVD has never been easier than with the DVDirect burner,” said Robert DeMoulin, marketing manager for branded storage products in Sony Electronics’ IT Products Division. “Users can simply connect their camcorder to the recorder, hit the record button, and out comes a DVD disc that they can pop into their home DVD player. Meanwhile, computer-savvy users can attach the DVDirect device to a PC to perform all of the common tasks characteristic of computer-attached burners.”

I now have US pricing:

MR-500i Estimated Street Price: $499.99 (U.S.)

MR-100 Estimated Street Price: $249.99(U.S.)

Olympus Japan Press Release 13/10/04

The information contained in this news release applies only to the Japanese market

Olympus Enters Portable HDD Music Player Market With New m:robe Brand Products

- New m:robe MR-500i motion music player offers fusion of music and imagest
- New MR-100 HDD music player offers compact music playback

Olympus Imaging Corporation (President: Hiroshi Komiya) is pleased to announce its entry into the portable hard disk drive music player business with the introduction of m:robe brand products that offer a totally new way of enjoying music. The first m:robe series products to be offered are MR-500i and MR-100 HDD music players. With these and other m:robe series products to be released in the future, Olympus is offering consumers a new music-oriented lifestyle and a convenient new way to carry their favorite music and images with them wherever they go.

The m:robe brand derives its name from the fact that m:robe products can be carried anywhere, anytime, allowing users to “robe” themselves in their favorite music wherever they go. It will be aggressively promoted by Olympus as a new brand of HDD music player. White is used as the signature color for m:robe products to evoke the timeless beauty of white porcelainware that sets off the beauty of the items it contains. The m:robe also features touch-screen / touchpad operation and a user-friendly GUI that provides visual and emotional feedback in response to user input.

Different kinds of digital cameras are often classified into different categories, such as “prosumer” and “point and shoot”. If you’re new to the world of photography, understanding what these categories actually mean can be difficult. Photoxels have a comprehensive guide to the various industry cliches that you might encounter.

”“The Point-and-Shoot (P&S) market segment typically wants a digital camera that takes good pictures without having to fiddle with any settings. In fact, the simpler the operation, the better. Point-and-shoot digital cameras tend to be compact and ultra compact, and can therefore be easily carried anywhere.”

Website: Photoxels - Digital Camera Categories

US website Rocky Mountain News has an insightful interview with national sales director of Pentax, David Woodward, about the role that Pentax hopes to play in the industry-wide move from film to digital. Unfortunately Pentax still seem to be using their awful ““The official digital camera of the Internet” corporate nonsense…

”“I have worked here 26 years,” said David Woodward, national sales director of Pentax Imaging Co. “It’s a very exciting time to be here. We are at a ground-floor opportunity to expand our digital camera business.”

Woodward said half of Pentax Imaging’s total revenues come from digital camera sales. Historically, Pentax has ranked as a top seller of 35 mm film cameras. Today, Pentax is among the top 10 sellers of digital cameras, but it lost some ground by not jumping on the digital bandwagon when it became clear that was where the future of photography was headed.”

Website: Rocky Mountain News - Pentax plays digital catch-up with passion

Delkin Devices Inc. Press Release 11/10/04

DELKIN’S PORTABLE BURNAWAY COMBINES A CD BURNER, CARD READER & DVD PLAYER IN ONE DEVICE FOR A SRP £199.99

Delkin Devices Inc is now shipping the BurnAway portable combo media player.

The BurnAway is a versatile mobile CD burner that combines a number of today’s most popular digital electronic devices in one unit.

The BurnAway features a Slim Type DVD/CD-R/RW Drive, and works as a memory card reader, a digital slideshow player that shows photographs on TV and a DVD/MP3/CD player.

The unit operates independently of a computer and can be a lifesaver for traveling photographers looking for a quick and easy way to burn the contents of their memory card to a CD-R. Two built-in memory card slots support CompactFlash (I&II), Microdrives, SD, MMC, SmartMedia, Memory Stick and MS PRO. The BurnAway also supports XD cards with an adapter (not included).

New high-resolution cameras need additional memory to accommodate larger file sizes, making the BurnAway a perfect solution for quickly clearing memory cards on the go so you can keep shooting.

Rumours are circulating that Apple will introduce a colour version of the iPOD in the next couple of months which will have a colour screen and a video-out port so that you can carry your photo collection around with you (found via gizmodo).

“After three years of being synonymous with “digital music player,” Apple’s iPod will widen its horizons and gain photo-viewing capabilities within the next 30 to 60 days, highly reliable sources tell Think Secret.

The new iPod, which will sit at the top of Apple’s fourth-generation line-up, will pack Toshiba’s new 60GB 1.8-inch hard drive, a 2-inch color liquid crystal display, iPhoto synchronization, audio/video-out capabilities, and will sell for $499.”

Website: Think Secret - 60GB iPod to pack photo-viewing features

Belkin Press Release 08/10/04

Belkin Wireless Pre-N Networking Products Hit Store Shelves; First Wi-Fi Certified Wireless Pre-N Products Available in Retail Stores
 
COMPTON, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Oct. 8, 2004—Belkin Wireless Pre-N Networking products will be available in major retail outlets starting October 24, 2004. Belkin’s Pre-N line consists of a Wireless Router (F5D8230-4) and Wireless Notebook Network Card (F5D8010) and guarantee 800% wider coverage and 600% faster speeds than all other wireless products on the market today. The products are certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance for their interoperability with existing Wi-Fi technologies including 802.11b and 802.11g.

Powered by Airgo Network’s True MIMO(TM) technology, Belkin’s Pre-N products improve wireless reliability and performance, and enable users to work with high-bandwidth applications, such as audio and video streaming.

Epson UK Press Release 08/10/04

The Epson P-2000 Multimedia Storage Viewer allows users to store and preview digital photos, movies and music.  The 3.8 inch Photo Fine display provides outstanding definition for unsurpassed picture quality.

October 2004 - The Epson P-2000 Photo Viewer is the latest digital imaging accessory that enables you to save your photos from your digital camera memory card and view them on the 3.8 inch Photo Fine display.  The bright vivid displays found in Epson Photo Fine products make them suitable for use under most lighting conditions.  Whether you are indoors or outdoors, you?ll be able to enjoy viewing your photos from the Epson P-2000.

The key features of the Epson P-2000 include a 3.8 inch VGA (640x480) high definition Photo Fine display that offers a resolution of 212 pixels per inch (ppi).  You can store and view your photo albums, create slide shows and connect to your photo printer, computer or TV.  The Epson P-2000 is approximately twice as fast as its predecessor when viewing photos and has a battery life of up to three hours.

In addition to the quality photo viewing capabilities, the Epson P-2000 provides support for digital camera and camcorder movies and music files.  You can add music files to your slide shows for a fun and lively presentation of your images.  Also included is a 40 GB hard disk drive, so it can double up as a portable storage unit for any PC or Mac files.

D-Link Press Release 08/10/04

PREPARE TO WELCOME THE FUTURE INTO YOUR LIVING ROOM !

D-LINK LAUNCHES NEW WIRELESS MEDIA PLAYER ACROSS EUROPE

London, 8 October 2004 - D-Link, the true leading global manufacturer of broadband, wireless, and networking hardware for Home and Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) environments today announced the D-Link Wireless Media Player that distributes digital music, video and photos stored on PCs to play and view on a television and/or stereo system.

The Wireless Media Player (DSM-320) enhances the usability of both a home network and a home entertainment centre by creating a seamless connection between computers and consumer electronics. The DSM-320 is a product for the digital home; a product segment that D-Link believes is set to grow rapidly in the next few years. D-Link’s media player supports all the most widely used standards, such as MP3, JPEG, MPEG, Xvid and QuickTime, for streaming video and audio on home networks.

“The new wireless media player gives consumers access to more content than ever before in the area where they congregate the most, the living room,” said Kevin Wen, European President of D-Link. “Now a family can view a catalogued library of digital photos on their TV or listen to pre-set configured MP3s in surround sound stereo, all of which represent the next step in the evolution and convergence of the CE and PC for the digital home. The look and functionality of the media player is coherent with that of other entertainment devices such as DVD players and therefore removes technology barriers for the customer,? concludes Wen.

Samsung Press Release 06/10/04

Samsung Heralds the Video Communication Age; Samsung Electronics In London to Showcase World-Leading Product Portfolio
 
LONDON—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Oct. 6, 2004—In the surroundings of the world famous British Museum, ‘creating the future together’ was the clear message as Samsung Electronics showcased a range of new products that will lead the ‘Video Communication Age.’

At the Global Roadshow 2004, attendees saw the breadth of Samsung’s digital offering and reviewed the company’s latest mobile handsets, digital TVs, home entertainment systems and other examples of design-led, technologically innovative products. In his speech, Mr. Jong-Yong Yun, Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics, described the advent of the Video Communication Age and how it would bring about a fundamental change in the way people connect with each other.

EIZO Press Release

EIZO Introduces ColorEdge CG220 LCD Monitor at Photokina 2004

22.2-inch wide screen monitor covers Adobe? RGB color space

Cologne, Germany, September 28, 2004 - Eizo Nanao Corporation (“EIZO”) is unveiling its ColorEdge CG220 LCD monitor featuring 100% support for the Adobe RGB color space at Photokina 2004, one of the world’s leading trade fairs for the photographic and imaging sectors. The wide color gamut of the ColorEdge CG220 provides a vast range of displayable colors compared to conventional monitors, which typically cover the smaller sRGB color space. To ensure suitability for complex imaging tasks and color management, EIZO has equipped the ColorEdge CG220 with several features such as improved rendering of dark grayscale tones, emulation of the color characteristics of other monitors, and black level adjustment. The CG220 and other EIZO ColorEdge products are on display at Photokina 2004 in Hall 10.1 Booth B048.

With the shift to a digital workflow where colors checks are conducted on screen rather than with printed color proofs, the ColorEdge CG220’s support for the Adobe RGB color space helps professionals in graphic design, photography and printing shorten production time and reduce costs. Unlike conventional monitors, which are limited to displaying the sRGB color space, the ColorEdge CG220 can display almost all the colors in an ISO-coated color space used in printing, including a broad range of emerald greens and cyans. As a result, all color checks can be carried out on screen before printing begins without worrying about color loss.

The 22.2-inch screen has a 1920 x 1200 native resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio. This wide screen enables the full display of two A4 pages of an application like Adobe Photoshop and its tool palette without any overlap.

Sandisk Press Release 29/09/04

SANDISK INTRODUCES EXTREME III, WORLD’S FASTEST, HIGHEST PERFORMING FLASH MEMORY CARD

Extreme III Product Line Based On SanDisk’s New ESP Technology, A Major Technological Breakthrough

COLOGNE, GERMANY, SEPT. 29, 2004 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today introduced the world’s fastest flash memory cards - the SanDisk Extreme III line of CompactFlash , SD and Memory Stick PRO digital film cards. The CompactFlash and SD cards have minimum write and read speeds of 20 megabytes per second (MB/sec.).* Memory Stick PRO has minimum write and read speeds of 18 MB/sec.* The SanDisk Extreme III cards, which range in capacity between one and four gigabytes (GB), have essentially double the performance speeds of SanDisk?s predecessor Extreme product line which currently has the fastest working cards in many of today?s leading digital single lens reflex (SLR) cameras.**

The SanDisk Extreme III product line was introduced at a SanDisk press conference at the Photokina imaging show where SanDisk is demonstrating products in Hall 1.2, Aisle A, Booth 059.

Sandisk Press Release 29/09/04

SANDISK LEAPFROGS COMPETITION - QUADRUPLES TOP CAPACITY OF ITS HIGH-SPEED ULTRA II FLASH MEMORY CARDS

New Cards Include World’s First 8-Gigabyte (GB) Type I High Speed CompactFlash Card

COLOGNE, GERMANY, Sep. 29, 2004 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) announced today that is has quadrupled the capacity of its high-speed SanDisk Ultra II line of flash memory cards that includes the development of a new 8GB CompactFlash Type I card. The top end SanDisk Ultra II Memory Stick PRO and SD cards now boast 4GB and 2GB of capacity respectively. The announcement was made at the Photokina trade show where SanDisk is demonstrating products in Hall 1.2, aisle A, Booth 059.

Each SanDisk Ultra II card features a minimum write speed of 9 megabytes per second (MB/sec.) and a minimum read speed of 10MB/sec.* (Results based on testing with the popular HDBENCH benchmark software; actual results in digital cameras will vary by camera model.) The Ultra II cards are primarily targeted at serious photographers with 4-megapixel or higher resolution digital cameras that require fast, high capacity digital film cards to quickly shoot many high resolution images.

Sandisk Press Release 29/09/04

Low-Cost “Consumable” Cards Will Be Distributed Where Film and Processing Are Offered

COLOGNE, GERMANY, Sept. 29, 2004 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today announced that it is introducing its Shoot & Store line of budget-priced flash memory cards in Europe through a variety of stores that offer film and processing services. The announcement was made during a press conference at Photokina 2004, where SanDisk is exhibiting at Hall 1.2, Aisle A, Booth 059 of the Cologne Exhibition Center.

The cards, which are rewritable and function just like standard cards, are offered in capacities of 32 megabytes (MB), which holds up to 50 photos, and 64MB, which holds up to 100 photos, when used at a resolution setting of 1 megapixel*. Shoot & Store is aimed at consumers who want the convenience of leaving their flash cards with professional photo finishers—as they were accustomed to doing with traditional analog film—or who don’t have time or inclination to download their images to a computer or burn them to a disk. The line is sold in four formats: CompactFlash, SD, Memory Stick PRO and xD-Picture Card.

Sandisk Press Release 29/09/04

SanDisk introduces three new memory card readers - transfer photos, video, music and data quickly and easily

Multi-Card Readers Support Wide Range of Card Formats; Feature Transfer Button To Automatically Move Photos To Your Computer

COLOGNE, GERMANY , Sep. 29, 2004 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today introduced three high-speed card readers, the SanDisk ImageMate 12-in-1, ImageMate 5-in-1 and ImageMate CompactFlash (CF) readers. Ideal for owners of digital cameras and other consumer electronics devices, each new reader includes a one-step transfer button and software for the PC to simplify the most common tasks that people want to do with their photos - transfer them to the hard drive, rename files and email them. The ImageMate readers are designed to quickly transfer pictures, digital video, music or any type of data to a computer via a high-speed USB 2.0 port.

For easier image organizing, sharing and viewing, each reader is bundled with Adobe ? Photoshop ? Album 2.0 Starter Edition software. SanDisk announced the new line of ImageMate card readers at Photokina where SanDisk is demonstrating products in Hall 1.2, aisle A, Booth #059. 

Sandisk Press Release 29/09/04

SANDISK UNVEILS NEW DIGITAL PHOTO TV PLAYER THAT ALSO DISPLAYS VIDEO CLIPS AND DOUBLES AS AN MP3 MUSIC JUKEBOX

Versatile and Easy-to-Use SanDisk Photo Album Will Be Sold For $49.99 This Holiday Season

COLOGNE, GERMANY, Sept. 29, 2004 - SanDisk Corporation today introduced the SanDisk Photo Album, a compact, sleek and easy-to-use device that lets consumers display digital still pictures or video clips on their TV sets and even attach soundtracks to slide shows. Using any one of eight flash memory card formats as well as portable USB flash drives, the unit also enables consumers to play MP3 music files on their home audio systems. The media player was launched at a SanDisk press conference during the Photokina 2004 imaging trade show, where the company is exhibiting products in Hall 1.2, Aisle A, Booth 059 of the Cologne Exhibition Center.

The SanDisk Photo Album (SPA) allows consumers to bypass their computers entirely when storing, organizing and viewing images from a digital camera. Rather than having friends or family crowding around a small PC monitor, a user can attach the SanDisk Photo Album to any television set that has an audio/video input, then show larger-than-life images and video clips. The device comes with a remote control that allows for multiple functions. With a suggested retail price of US $49.99( approximately ?46 excluding VAT ), the SanDisk Photo Album will be sold worldwide through consumer electronics and photo retailers.

Lexar Media, Inc. 27/09/04

Lexar and Kodak Expand Flash Memory Card Offering With the Introduction of KODAK xD-Picture Cards

COLOGNE, Germany, September 29, 2004—Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: LEXR), and Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK), announced today the continued expansion of KODAK flash memory cards with the introduction of KODAK xD-Picture Cards. The addition of the xD-Picture Card continues the companies’ commitment to offer consumers a range of popular digital media formats. Lexar will distribute and market KODAK xD-Picture Cards through both Lexar and Kodak’s global retail distribution channels beginning in the fourth quarter of 2004.

“Retailers and distributors worldwide are eager to begin offering KODAK xD-Picture Cards to more fully meet the consumer demand spurred by the popularity of digital photography,” said Bobby Billman, vice president of marketing, Lexar. “With this addition to the KODAK memory card line, we are offering a wider variety of products that people trust for capturing and preserving their memories - hallmarks of Kodak.”

Lexar Media, Inc. 27/09/04

Lexar Introduces First Professional Card Readers With Innovative Stackable Design for Concurrent Downloads

COLOGNE, Germany, September 27, 2004—Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: LEXR), a leading marketer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media and accessories, today at Photokina (Hall 1.2, B-058) introduced two new Professional CompactFlashTM Readers designed to address professional photographers’ need for almost instantaneous data transfer and an improved project workflow. Built with material similar to a digital camera, with a unique industrial design of hardened plastic and rubber over mold, the new card readers can be easily stacked and daisy-chained together for concurrent download of images. In addition, the new card readers support Lexar’s ActiveMemory? System for improved photography workflow.

Delivering image read and write speeds in excess of 10MB per second, Lexar’s new CompactFlash Readers are available in USB 2.0 and Firewire formats. The Firewire units can be daisy-chained together directly, while up to four USB 2.0 units can be connected to execute simultaneous downloads via a 4-port USB hub. The firmware of both card readers can be upgradeable for possible future enhancements.

The Mamiya ZD digital SLR that I reported yesterday has now been officially unveiled - all 22 megapixels of it!

Mamiya Press Release 28/09/04

Mamiya Lens-interchangeable Digital SLR Camera & Mamiya Digital Back

We are very proud to announce development of a lens-interchangeable digital SLR camera “Mamiya ZD” and a digital back “Mamiya ZD Back”.

Mamiya ZD:
Type: Lens-Interchangeable Digital SLR AF/AE Camera
Features: 36x48 mm 22 million pixel CCD, Mamiya 645AF Lenses compatible

Mamiya ZD Back:
Type: Digital Back
Features: 36x48mm 22 million pixel CCD, Compatible with Mamiya 645AFD & Mamiya RZ67Pro-IID

Since 1940, Mamiya has been pursuing to design and realize high images quality, high reliability and ease of use. Mamiya cameras ever produced have been well received by professional photographers and advanced amateurs, and that has made Mamiya the leader in high-end imaging. Inheriting the high quality, in order to meet the needs of digital photographers, the Mamiya ZD and Mamiya ZD Back are being created.

Panasonic Press Release 28/09/04

Panasonic Introduces PRO HIGH SPEED Series SD Memory Cards With a 20MB/s Speed, Double the Speed of Panasonic’s Super High Speed Series SD Memory Cards

SECAUCUS, N.J., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire - FirstCall/—Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., (NYSE:MC) best known for its Panasonic brand products, today announced it will introduce “PRO HIGH SPEED Series” 1GB* and 512MB* SD Memory Cards this Fall that doubled the internal data transfer rates. These two SD Memory Cards use Panasonic’s new LSI architecture and proprietary high-speed technology to achieve a data transfer speed of up to 20MB/s(1). The new memory cards will feature distinctive, newly-designed labels and packaging.

Sale of the memory cards worldwide is scheduled to begin in October. In the United States, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the 1GB SD memory Card will be $249.99, and $119.99 for the 512MB SD Memory Card.

New Product Feature Outline
The new PRO HIGH SPEED Series SD Memory Card can achieve data transfer speeds of up to 20MB/s for an SD Memory Card when used with SD products that comply with a newly upgraded interface. Panasonic will also simultaneously launch a Cardbus compatible PC Card Adaptor as a host device to enable high- speed data transfer.

The name PRO HIGH SPEED indicates that the cards provide high-level performance compatible with the standard demanded by video professionals. The basic construction of the PRO HIGH SPEED Series card is employed in the recording medium (P2 Card) used by the Panasonic professional camera DVCPRO P2 system, which delivers the exceptional tapeless video capture performance and durability required by video professionals. The fact that this professional camera has been adopted by more than 40 leading TV broadcasters and tested at the recent Athens Olympics shows its reliability of both the camera and media.