Sony Announces External 100 GB Blu-ray Burner
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Sony just announced an external Blu-ray writer that is compatible with 100 GB BD XL discs.
The device does not require a separate power adapter, but needs a dual USB 2.0 connection (Y-cable) to be functional.
According to Sony, the BDX-S600U can read and write CDs, DVDs, DVD-RAM, Blu-ray (25 GB, 50 GB) and BD XL (BD-R XL) media. The write speed is 8x for DVDs, 6x for single- and dual-layer BD-R and 4x for BD-R XL discs. the data read speed is 24x for CDs, 8x for DVDs and 6x for Blu-ray media.
Street prices for the BDX-S600U range from about $160 to $220.
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39 Comments
Comment from the forums
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dragonsqrrl Would've been nice if they simply used a USB 3.0 port. The standard supports higher Wattage and probably could've powered this drive off a single connection.Reply -
Dacatak Now if only BD-R XL discs weren't $50+ per disc this would actually make for a viable long-term backup solution over regular magnetic media, which in theory should reliably retain recorded data for as long as the organic dye-layer on discs would, depending on the quality of the dye.Reply
I'm still waiting for that mDisc format which etches the data pits onto an inorganic composite layer, quite literally setting it in stone. -
lockhrt999 4x(16 min) for BD-R XL ? Holy Shit that's super fast. It's almost writing at 6-7 GB data per min.Reply
At highest speed, USB 2.0 can spit out the data at 480Mbps = 60MBps. And two of them means 120MBps. So 120 x 60 = 7GB (that's double of USB controller's pick bandwidth).
So writing at that speed is not possible unless you plug USB cables to separate USB controllers. This is certainly not viable for laptops. -
josh1200 alyoshkaI really wonder who will be using this other than Pirates.....Reply
Because Pirates are going to spend all the money they saved by buying a BD XL disk. -
saturnus dragonsqrrlWould've been nice if they simply used a USB 3.0 port. The standard supports higher Wattage and probably could've powered this drive off a single connection.Reply
Probably true but not that many laptops and other portable equipment has USB 3 ports, yet. So a Y-power is probably a good idea for Sony for the burner to be viable for as large a market segment as possible.