The long-awaited  compendium of all things Blu-ray is finally out! Written by our Chairman Jim Taylor, and the equally-knowledgable Michael Zink, Charles Crawford, and Christen Armbrust, this is the newest must-have volume!  You can buy this and other great DVD books on our DVDA Bookshelf  - we have many available there.  (A purchase from our DVDA bookshelf helps defray our hosting costs, as our site is an Amazon affiliate). 

Congratulations to all the talented authors for their hard work on this book!

UK Members and friends can connect to Amazon.co.uk using this link 
then search Books for ASIN 0071590927.
Note - U.K. release date listed as 30 December 2008

EU Members & friends can connect to Amazon.de using this link  
then search Books for ASIN 0071590927.
Note - DE release date listed as 1 December 2008

Simple BDMV on DVD authoring method demonstrated, discussed

A complete Mac-based end-to end workflow that allows for the creation of simple BD titles for BD-R, and short BDMV titles to be distributed on burned red-laser DVD media was demonstrated Weds, July 23rd, 2008 at the LAFCPUG meeting at Barnsdall Art Park in Hollywood, and discussed on the Digital Production Buzz live broadcast Thursday, July 24 .

DVDA President Bruce Nazarian demonstrated the titles, and workflow, at LAFCPUG,  and discussed the workflow with with 'Production Buzz' hosts Larry Jordan and Michael Horton  (the podcast is archived on their website)

The information is based on the DVDA's continuing research into making BD authoring and production more accessible for mainstream, non-Hollywood applications.  Initial work into this format was conducted by DVDA Directors Chip Eberhart (in Chicago), and Miguel Clarke in Germany. The Macintosh workflow was researched and created by Bruce Nazarian.

The LAFCPUG presentation was videotaped, and is available on DVD from LAFCPUG . 

A PDF of the Presentation is now available for download from the DVDA PUBLIC file area (link at left)

X-PROTECT blue(TM): A new innovative & comprehensive copy protection for Blu-ray Disc released by X-PROTECT stops piracy on the new high definition format.  

 
Newport Beach, CA (June 9, 2008) – Blu-ray Disc has won the format
war and is now the defined standard for the next generation high
definition home-movie. X-PROTECT is announcing its latest addition to
its proven and established product line-up, X-PROTECT blueTM, a
comprehensive copy protection solution for Blu-ray Disc. X-PROTECT
will show the first production samples immediately to interested
parties and will be ready for mass-implementation in Q3 of this year. 

(Click Read more for full press release) 

Mark Ashkinos, President of Screamervision , a DVDA Small Business member, offers his observations on the current state of Blu-ray. An excerpt:

..."Where is the compelling reason to switch to Blu-ray? Sure you’ll want put your HD content on a Blu-ray disc, but is it so compelling that the small independent content owners will be able to pay the exhorbant fees to make Blu-ray discs?"...

Click Read More to see the complete editorial, and if you'd like to offer your own opinion, take the DVDA's Blu-ray survey