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Computers

Pioneer ships first BDXL Blu-ray optical drive

By Paul Ridden
December 21, 2010
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Pioneer has announced that it's started shipping the world's first optical personal computer drive capable of reading and writing to the new BDXL Blu-ray format
Pioneer has announced that it's started shipping the world's first optical personal computer drive capable of reading and writing to the new BDXL Blu-ray format
In addition to being compatible with BD-R XL and BD-RE XL triple layer (100GB) and BD-R XL quadruple layer (128GB) discs, the new drive will also read and write to most other formats

Pioneer has announced that it's started shipping the world's first optical personal computer drive capable of reading and writing to the new BDXL Blu-ray format. The integration of additional layers into Blu-ray discs offers a single quadruple-layer storage capacity of up to 128GB, and will likely see the new device head straight for media professionals who need to archive broadcast quality, high-definition video.

First announced on the company's Japanese site in October, the new optical drive more than doubles existing storage capacity and is compatible with BD-R XL and BD-RE XL triple-layer (100GB) and BD-R XL quadruple-layer (128GB) discs. It will also read and write to most other formats, including CD, DVD and standard Blu-ray.

Pioneer has included some proprietary recording and playback enhancement technologies with the Windows-based BDR-206MBK drive, and also bundled some CyberLink software in there. Early birds will also get one 100GB BD-R XL disc free of charge with each drive. It carries a suggested retail price of US$199 and is available direct from the company or via Fry's Electronics.

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ComputersBlu-rayPioneerPCData StorageBDXL
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Paul Ridden
While Paul is loath to reveal his age, he will admit to cutting his IT teeth on a TRS-80 (although he won't say which version). An obsessive fascination with computer technology blossomed from hobby into career before hopping over to France for 10 years, where he started work for New Atlas in 2009. Now back in his native Blighty, he serves as Managing Editor in Europe.
3 comments
Dana Lawton
The number of companies and people around the world that would be interested in this product must be miniscule.... what a total waste. There are many more ecomical ways to store video and data right now.
Kirill Belousov
Well to be honest it\'s not only good for video production it\'s also great deal for audio backups as well, since for example me personally can record about a 100Gb perproduction in a full month. Thus it\'s awesome. 8)))
Matt Rings
@Dana:

I remember back in 1981 from a technology review of the Seagate 5GB hard-drive: \"The typical user will never need 5GB of data capacity.\" LULZ.

Now, considering this new Blu-RayI could use one of these 128GB Blu-Ray burners in my HTPC computer to archive whole seasons to one disk for my favorite HD shows recorded from off the air. And $199 is a bargain! I think I spent that on my first CD burner about 16 years ago! LOL.

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