I don’t often tout other companies products, and I rarely discuss products not related to the duplication field, but I came across a product recently called the BeatRoute which blew me away! It’s a Bluetooth enabled stereo speaker which connects to any Bluetooth enable smartphone or PC so that the listener can hear wireless crystal clear music or communications without using a docking station. I saw a demonstration in person and knew this was going to be a monster idea, especially for the holidays. I don’t work for the company, but I would highly recommend that you check out their website to learn more about this new gadget. Go to: store.beatroute.com/ or click on the below link. They have a pretty cool little animated video at the bottom of the below link – check it out and share with your friends – you’ll thank me later!

http://store.beatroute.com/Bluetooth-Speakers/c1/p1/Phoenix-Bluetooth-Stereo-Speaker-with-Microphone/product_info.html

I read an article today, “Blu-ray Replication Shortfall in Q4?”, by Chris Tribbey, which discussed the potential shortfall in the availability of replicated Blu-ray discs during the business shopping quarter of the year, Q4. In the article, Jim Bottoms, director and co-founder of Futuresource Consulting, was paraphrased as stating that within 2011, the North American Blu-ray Disc replication infrastructure likely will hit capacity. Bottoms said, “There were major capacity shortages in Q4 of 2010,” he said, pointing to data showing a 60% year-over-year increase in Blu-ray production in 2010. “People are talking about new investment, but nothing has been approved yet. It needs to happen soon for it to help Q4.”

Even the major replication studios echo the notion that the Blu-ray replication needs will continue to increase as stated by Cinram CEO Steve Brown, “Consumer adoption of Blu-ray has been fabulous domestically and internationally,” he said. “In 2010 Cinram had a substantial increase in capacity — a 25% jump from the previous year. We’re fully committed to the format and increasing our capacity in 2011.”

What this says to me is that the adoption of the Blu-ray format is increasing rapidly and the infrastructure to meet the demand may not be able to keep pace. Even though the major studios are always going to find a replication source to produce their products, smaller operations will most likely have to find an alternative Blu-ray disc production method. Most likely minimum quantities are going to increase making it impossible for the common company/person to utilize replication for their Blu-ray titles. Fortunately, Blu-ray duplication is just as reliable and accepted by Blu-ray players as replication, so there is an alternative. Those people who need reproduction of their Blu-ray content but do not have the volume or the funds to utilize replication, can easily adopt duplication as a reliable and actually more convenient alternative.

Every so often the Earth reminds us that ultimately we are but inhabitants on this planet and that we should not take anything for granted, especially our ability to control our environment. The Earthquakes that have taken place in Japan since Friday, March 11, 2011 have cause tremendous devastation in terms of loss of life, damage to property/infrastructure and commerce.

It is a tremendous tragedy that so many people lost their lives or lost loved ones from either the earthquake or the tsunami that followed. Then on top of that there’s the loss of personal property and livelihoods that will linger for who knows how long. But some may feel sad for the plight of people that live thousands of miles away from them and have no connection with. So they may not see how their lives will be affected.

However, based on multiple news feeds that have been coming in, show that there will be a bigger effect on our wallets in the coming days. Many of the high-end components for a majority of the technological gadgets that many of us use on a regular basis are still produced in Japan. Things for items like cell phones, cars, Blu-ray products, etc. are still manufactured in Japan and all industry is affected by the natural disasters and the subsequent human disasters that have taken place in its wake.

So, there’s no question that the shortages of these products will have an impact on the products made around the world and soon there will be price increases on many items that we have taken for granted as readily available. Even though it’s a foregone conclusion that most of the world’s CE products come from China or Taiwan, many of the key components still come from technological giants like Japan. So this event that has paralyzed a country, will spread to touch many other nations across the globe. The world is flat, as the saying goes, and the positive and negative effects are felt across every nation sooner or later.