First Blu-ray disc drive won�t play Blu-ray movies

By Asher Moses on 11 August 2006

Report offensive comment

By clicking on the Submit button, you have deemed the user comment above as abusive or offensive. The message will be flagged and our editors will be alerted.

If you wish to be contacted, please complete the form below. Your details will be kept confidential.

News
Features
Oi!
Popular
Must read

Apple updates Leopard to 10.5.4

Apple has released Mac OS X 10.5.4, the fourth update to Leopard since it was released last October.
Whaddyareckon?: Human-gadget hybrids

In moments of gadget-related frustration, some calm themselves with a mantra: "Become one with the technology". But what if you really could become one with the technology?
Intel announces 4 Series desktop chipset family

Intel has four new desktop chipsets to show off from this year's Computex trade show in Taiwan.
Hey, look! Full-size systems from Asus

In addition to introducing its Eee Box SFF PC at Computex today along with adding WiMAX to its Eee PC minilaptop, Asus had its first gaming desktop on display along with its G70 gaming laptop.
Apple uncovers Sydney store for the first time

There can be absolutely no doubt about Apple's first official store in the southern hemisphere coming to Sydney, with a giant banner which was uncovered announcing the store on George Street today.
ASUS motherboard has instant-on version of Linux

ASUS is to embed a lightweight, instant-on version of Linux called "Splashtop" into all its motherboards, following good feedback from customers.
HP to launch fall line of teen PC products

HP's looking to sharpen up its image towards teens — and it's employing teens to do just that.
Dell announces major retail partnership with Officeworks

Dell has announced a major retail partnership with Officeworks, to sell 10 PC models across its 104 outlets.
Windows Vista: One year on

Craig Simms wades through the mess that is still Windows Vista.

More news »

Photos: Inside Apple's Sydney store

Apple took the wraps off its first Australian store today. Here is a sneak peek of what is inside the big glass walls.
Microsoft TechFest 2008: A glimpse into the future

Each year Microsoft holds its Techfest show, an exhibition of some of the research projects it's working on. CNET.com.au went to check out where the future lies.
Photos: Dissecting a dinosaur, the Commodore 64

Marvel at the machine that pioneered the person computer revolution; the Commodore 64. In this photo gallery we reveal the guts that gave the Commodore 64 its glory, why not nose in for some nostalgia?
Valentine's Day Gift Guide

Face it -- roses, chocolates, and yes, diamond rings, have been done before. If you really want to impress your sweetheart, surprise him or her with a tech present that will have them remembering you the whole year through.
Mock OS X: Five ways to make your PC more like a Mac

If you're suffering from envy of your Apple compadres, here's a few quick tips for tricking out Windows to look like your fruity friends.
What's in the air around Macworld

A day before Apple's CEO Steve Jobs is due to give his speech, we take some snaps around the Macworld conference in San Francisco.
Format wars: the tech that should have won

Did you love Laserdisc? Were you bonkers over Betamax? Do you cry yourself to sleep because BeOS never hit the big time? Fret no more -- superdork Captain Tech is here to travel back in time and save the format losers that should have triumphed.
Don't get burned by RAID Zero

To a computer nerd like myself, RAID refers not to a bug spray but to various ways of hooking together multiple hard disks.
Eco Friendly PCs

Rory Reid shares tips on how to have a greener PC, without resorting to paint.

More features »

Oi!: Brand Tags' clouds cut through marketing hype

CEOs and marketing types talk about improving or maintaining "brand values" all the time. But what do we really think of the companies that deliver us our modern existence? The site Brand Tags is attempting to find out.
Oi!: New ASUS Eee TV, desktop PC and monitor

ASUS has gone Eee crazy, and we're trembling with anticipation.
Oi!: Dell: Doing the right thing

Everyone's jumping on the environmental sustainability bus. Yay!
Oi!: HP: one billion pounds of recycling

HP has reached its goal six months early to recycle one billion pounds of electronics.
Oi!: Elgato integrates IceTV EPG for Macs

Australian television guide provider IceTV has integrated its subscription-based Australian electronic program guide (EPG) into Elgato's EyeTV software through an update released yesterday.

More oi! »

First Blu-ray disc drive won�t play Blu-ray movies

The first Blu-ray (BD) disc drive for desktop PCs is here, but be warned -- it won�t play commercial BD movies.
PCs now ready for Blu movies

Playback software supporting Blu-ray (BD) commercial movies, and video cards certified for High Definition Copy Protection (HDCP) are now readily available, which means BD disc drives can now be used to their full potential.
Verbatim fires blanks, nudges Blu-ray ahead

Verbatim today announced the immediate availability of blank BD-R and BD-RW Blu-ray media, joining TDK and Sony as the three manufacturers shipping blank Blu-ray discs to Australia at this point in time. In contrast, HD-DVD blanks are still yet to arrive.
Sony introduces US$200 Blu-ray player

Sony has dropped a Blu-ray player for US$200, as the format approaches the affordable point.
Canon wants you to burn video

Canon has introduced the DW-100 DVD burner to help simplify the process of archiving video recorded to hard-drive and flash-based camcorders.
DIY: How to burn an audio CD

CNET�s step-by-step guide to freeing all the music stored on your PC by burning your favourite playlists to a good old audio CD.
DVD burner shopping checklist

If you want bigger-than-CD capacity storage, DVDs are the next best choice. A single DVD can hold up to 4.7GB of data and prices of DVD writers are rapidly plummeting, making them more affordable than ever.
DIY: Create Your Own DVD Masterpiece

How to create DVDs from your digital video files using Sonic's MyDVD.
DVD burning 101

What are the different types of DVD storage media, and which ones can I use to burn DVDs on my computer that will play on my home DVD player?

Product finder

Latest reviews
Popular
Editors' choice

Sony DRX-S70U

Sony's slimline DRX-S70U drive is quite appealing for travellers or those with dud notebook drives -- as long as you've got space for the AC adaptor.
LG External Super Multi DVD-RW (GSA-E50L)

If your laptop doesn't have an optical drive or you need to replace your dud internal one, LG's latest offering is well worth the money.
Pioneer BDR-202BK

Pioneer's drive and bundle is excellent, but also expensive and clearly an early adopter's product.
Plextor PX-810SA DVD�RW

The Plextor PX-810SA internal CD/DVD burner is quick for both ripping and burning. We like it.
LaCie d2 external Blu-ray burner

The LaCie d2 Blu-ray burner offers good performance speeds, but it's still prohibitively expensive.

More reviews »

LG External Super Multi DVD-RW (GSA-E50L)

If your laptop doesn't have an optical drive or you need to replace your dud internal one, LG's latest offering is well worth the money.
Pioneer DVR-A07XL

Pioneer's DVR-A07 burner manages to top the field of current burners. Read our Australian review.
Pioneer DVR-A08XL

Like its predecessors, Pioneer's DVR-AO8XL is a solid and dependable dvd burner.
BenQ DW1620

This 16X double-layer drive is fast and affordable, but an 8X or 12X drive would be fast enough for most situations, and they're a better bargain, too.
Asus DRW-1604P

This drive handles double-layer media with aplomb, but its shortcomings make it a questionable choice.