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Sony Unveils 4X Blu-ray Disc Writer
By Shane Sturgeon
Publisher & Chief Technologist
Posted on October 9, 2007
Category: HD DVD & Blu-ray
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SONY UNVEILS 4X BLU-RAY DISC WRITER DRIVE

Cuts Burning Time in Half from Previous Model


Sony BWU-200SSAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 9, 2007 - Sony Electronics today announced its second generation internal Blu-ray Disc™ (BD) writer drive for the computer aftermarket, which boasts 4X BD-R and 16X DVD+R recording speeds.

The new BWU-200S model cuts BD-R burning time by half compared to the first generation model, allowing for a full 50GB BD-R disc to be recorded in about 45 minutes. It also features improved DVD burning speeds, making it a multi-format combo burner that eliminates the need for more than one drive in a system.

The drive comes with CyberLink BD Solution software that provides a comprehensive application for capturing, authoring, editing, burning and viewing high-definition personal content captured in the native HDV 1080i format from an HDV camcorder. In addition, the software supports recording on DVDs and CDs, as well as playback of DVDs recorded in the AVCHD format.

The BWU-200S drive can record up to 50GB of data for random access storage and backup on BD-R (write once) or BD-RE (rewritable) discs, or up to 230 minutes of high-definition HDV 1080i video on a BD-R/RE 50GB disc. It also supports recording on standard single layer 4.7GB DVD+R/+RW/RAM discs, 8.5GB DVD+R double/dual layer discs, and CDs.

The internal drive features a Serial ATA (SATA) interface and standard 5.25-inch form-factor for easy installation inside a desktop PC with Microsoft® Windows® XP or Windows Vista® software.

"Consumers and professional videographers alike can enjoy the huge storage capacity to record and experience high-definition video with our Blu-ray Disc drive," said Bob DeMoulin, marketing manager for branded storage products in Sony Electronics' IT Products Division.

The new drive is supported by Adobe® Encore® CS3 that now comes bundled with Adobe Premiere® Pro CS3 software, providing video production professionals with another option for outputting high-definition video on a Blu-ray Disc with MPEG-2 or H.264 compression.

"Advanced optical storage technologies, such as Blu-ray Disc technology with its vast capacity compared to DVD technology, will be key enablers for next generation PC applications like HD personal video content and high-definition TV recording," said Wolfgang Schlichting, research director for removable storage at IDC. "Sony's many innovations in optical storage have prepared the company to be a leader in the Blu-ray Disc writable market."


Availability and Pricing

The BWU-200S drive will be available directly from Sony at sonystyle.com next month for about $600. Pre-orders are now being accepted.

Posted by Shane Sturgeon, October 9, 2007 02:05 PM

Reader Commentary

See Forum Topic: Sony Unveils 4X Blu-ray Disc Writer (2 replies)
Oct 11, 5:39am
I do all of my HDTV editing on a custom made laptop and although Sony offers it's own laptops with bluray drives, none seems to be available separately. Cute. But dumb marketing.....if you really wanna promote your blu ray format, I would think......
Oct 13, 9:52am
I would be surprised if either side of the HD camp made drives commonly available for quite a while. After all they might be vulnerable to pirating - at a level that might have real impact. I don't remember hearing if the HD codes are cracked but it i
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About Shane Sturgeon

Shane Sturgeon is the Co-Publisher and Chief Technologist of HDTV Magazine, an industry publication with HDTV roots going back to 1984, when Dale Cripps founded The HDTV Newsletter. Today, HDTV Magazine is a leading online resource for HDTV news and information and captures the eyes and imaginations of over 3 million visitors annually. Mr. Sturgeon has a background in information technology and has served in various consulting capacities for Fortune 500 companies such as J.P. Morgan Chase, Verizon Communications, Proctor & Gamble and Nationwide Insurance. He has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Wright State University.