Optical disc drive specialist Lite-On shipped its internal DVD Writer drives featuring the LabelTag Technology. The Lite-On iHAS524 is touted by the company to be a high-speed burner with speeds of 24x for DVD+R/DVD-R discs, 12x for double-layer DVD+R/DVD-R, 8x for DVD+RW, and 6x for DVD-RW. The center of attraction is its LabelTag Technology, which inscribes labels onto the data-side of single-layer DVDs or CDs. The labeling is quick and easy since it's done while burning the discs. It features the SATA interface, and comes with Nero 8 OEM bundled. It is priced at 49 EUR.

Optical drive specialist Lite-On is released a new Blu Ray drive, the iHOS104, which started shipping this week. At US $69.99, the drive provides reading Blu Ray discs at 4x speed, 8x for DVD-ROM, and 32x for CD-ROM. It supports reading known sub-formats of the media. The drive packs 2 MB of cache, and uses a standard SATA interface. It comes with a copy of Cyberlink TrueTheater software.

Sony-Optiarc, a subsidiary of Sony, is preparing the new AD-7240S DVD-Writer drive that is built to write DVDs at 24X. The drive rivals Lite-On, which is already out with a drive that burns DVDs this fast. The drive has a standard-sized internal form factor, and uses the SATA interface. It features adaptive self-tuning and burns media at the following speeds: Up to 24X for single-layer DVD-R/+R; 12X for dual-layer DVD-R/+R, DVD-RAM, and DVD-R9; 48X and 32X for CD writing and re-writing respectively. The drive will reach retail by next month.

Influenced by the release of NEC's 24x SOC chip, optical drive maker Lite-On announced the upcoming release of three faster internal DVD writers. Capable of recording compatible blank DVD±R media at up to 24x speeds, the new models will be offered in both PATA/SATA interfaces, and with all of Lite-On's latest technologies. All drives will include Lite-On's new SmartErase technology that permanently erases all the sensitive and confidential data on discs.
The entry-level iHAS324 24x burner has a SATA interface and will be available in mid-March. The iHAP424 has a PATA interface and adds LightScribe labeling capabilities. It is also slated to ship in March. Last but not least, the iHAS624 returns to SATA and has the LabelTag capability in addition to LightScribe. With LabelTag users can create label tags on the data side of any blank recordable media. The remaining and not labeled space of the disc can still be written with data. The iHAS624 is expected to ship in mid-May.

Lite-On announces today that it will launch a new 4X Blu-ray Disc Writer in Europe. The DH-4B1S is the successor of the widely appreciated LH-2B1S, one of the first Blu-ray drives on the market. The DH-4B1S can write BD-R media at 4X, a 50% speed increase and time saving compared to its predecessor.

DigiTimes reported today that Lite-On Technology has announced plans to sell its Digital Display business unit to Taiwan's Wistron for NT $9.2 billion (US $302.17 million). The purchase will mostly involve inventory, equipment, intellectual property, and personnel. No land or manufacturing plants are included with this deal. Wistron, which specializes in system assembly, expects this action to strengthen its existing line of LCD TVs and increase Wistron's presence in the display industry. On the other hand, Lite-On said after the sale of its Digital Display business unit, the company will concentrate on its core businesses and improving profitability. The company also added that it intends to increase its share in the power supply (PSU) market and actively enter into the LED backlighting business. The transaction is expected to complete in the third quarter of 2008.

Lite-On has unveiled its Moldable Mouse that can be molded to any shape users prefer. It is made of non-toxic lightweight modeling clay, covered with nylon and polyurethane blend fabric, and can be shaped to fit any hand. Once molded, it keeps its shape until you are ready to reshape again. The stick-on buttons and scroll-wheel can be added to any location you like, and the device communicates via RFID. The Moldable Mouse is still in the concept stage, but it has already won a Red Dot design award. If it makes it to production, it will be good news for lefties, carpal-tunnelers and Gadget Lab editors alike.

Good news for American Blu-ray fans. Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions (PLDS) USA has announced that the DH-4O1S Blu-ray BD-ROM SATA drive will be available through retail outlets in the U.S. in late November at a suggested list price of $199.99. The new Lite-On DH-4O1S is the perfect all-in-one disc reading device for most popular media formats including Blu-ray Disc, DVD and CD discs. It reads BD-R/RE/ROM, Single-layer or Double-layer media at 4X maximum. Single Layer DVD ±R or DVD-ROM can be read at 12X max, while Double Layer DVD±R and Single Layer DVD±RW can be read at 8X max. CD-R/RW/ROM has a maximum read speed of 32X. The DH-4O1S BD-ROM retail pack comes with an extra silver bezel to match some computers, and a SATA cable for easy connection. Also included in the package is the latest Cyberlink Power DVD software for playback of Blu-ray disc media, DVD, or CD multi-media content.

Lite-On IT, the largest Taiwan-based maker of optical disc drives (ODDs), expanded its monthly production capacity starting in the second quarter of 2007 from five million ODDs to six million units by the end of September. According to Lite-On's plans, the additional production capacity will be allocated for production of half-height (H/H) burners used in desktop PCs and slim-type models used in notebook PCs as well as DVD-ROM drives for game consoles to meet fast growing global demand. Lite-On IT has dedicated the additional monthly capacity to production of the internal DVD-ROM drive of the Xbox 360, adding that Lite-On IT's monthly shipment volume of H/H burners has reached 2.5-3.0 million units since the third quarter of this year.

Lite-On To Drop Blu-Ray Recorder's Price By 15%

Lite-On a leading manufacturer of optical drives is about to drop the price of the LH-2B1S by 15% in a attempt to improve sales along with support of BlueRay in Europe. In Europe the LH-2B1S retails for €649 ($895/£437), Lite-On said. But it expects that to fall €100 to €539 ($757/£370), "in the near future". The increasing supply of blue-laser diodes used in Blu-ray Disc read/write heads which have been rather rare over the last 12 months is the main reason for this price drop. Lite-On released the LH-2B1S in June 2006 and it can write BD-R and BD-RE media at 2x along with CD and DVD optical media.

This week Lite-On IT Corporation and Royal Philips Electronics announced that the joint venture between the two companies will officially take shape on May 1 of this year. The joint venture between the two companies will focus on the manufacturing and marketing of optical storage drives. Under the new agreement between Lite-On and Philips, the new venture will be called Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions (PLDS). The European Commission has fully approved of the new venture as of April 2.

PLDS will be effective in Europe from 1st of May 2007. Lite-On IT BV, the European head office of Lite-On IT Corporation, will continue to provide the same service to its customers under the new flag of PLDS. The company will handle sales, marketing, service, finance and logistics of Optical Disc Drives (ODD). PLDS will continue to sell ODD under the brand names Lite-On and HP

Lite-On is about to ship next month what it claims to be the world's first 20x DVD writer with SATA interface. The LH-20A1S can handle all the major DVD and CD recordable and rewriteable formats, including dual-layer media. The drive comes with 1.5Gbps SATA interface, compatible with boards that support both that and the 3Gbps SATA II specification. Lite-on said the LH-20A1S will ship mid-February for around £32.