2x/2x/2x BD, 8x/8x/8x DVD+RW, 8x/6x/8x DVD-RW, 4x DVD±RW DL, 32x/16x/24x CD-RW - MPN: BWU100A
Strengths: Versatility, massive storage capabilities for an optical disc
Weakness: Too new to be mainstream, thus still pricey
The burner itself is rather expensive, and the discs themselves are much pricier than blank DVDs. However, comparing $/gb cost vs. DL DVDs, blank Blu-ray discs are cheaper. I anticipate that by the end of 2008, blank Blu-rays will make this burner more economical than using hard drives for data storage.
Playback of commercial Blu-ray discs requires software that is freely available on the internet (just Google "free Blu-ray movie player"). It does not require any additional hardware provided that your video card & monitor already support the hi-def format (HDCP-compliant video card is a requirement). So, yeah, that's a bit of extra leg work, but it's nothing too excessive. You'll also need a current generation cpu. (All of which you almost certainly have if you're considering dropping $300+ on an optical drive.)
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TopStrengths: writes up tp 50 GB
Weakness: none
If you have HD camcorder you gotta have this Blu Ray Writer. It really works, I am not sure why others had problem with it but it worked out of the box. This is one bad DVD writer that can deliver.
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TopStrengths: IDE, zero damage discs
Weakness: slower
I purchase this bluray burner 1 year and half for burnning bluray movies and play them to my sony PS3. It haven't failed burning any bluray discs (I always use only Sony brand). In addtion, I burned discs of different brands (DVD-R and CD-R) for regular movies and music. I did not have any complain. Nowadays, you can get bluray burner of SATA insted of IDE connection. Its IDE connect became this burner slower; however, not all PCs support SATA.
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TopStrengths: Capacity plus R/W/RW capability.
Weakness: Lacks SACD playback and HD-DVD read/write capability for ultimate universal DVD/CD solution for PCs.
Bought for mass storage archiving and Media Center PC playback of BLU-Ray DVD video discs. PC equipped with E6400 Duo 2 Core processor and ATI Radeon X1950 XT video card (incl. HDTV Wonder for over-the-air HD broadcasts). Word of caution to the uninitiated, full HD playback (720p / 1080i) of BLU-Ray video discs requires HDCP compliant video graphics card and monitor. Installing on dual boot system with Windows XP Media Center 2005 and Windows XP Pro 64-Bit. Windows Vista Premium or Ultimate editions may be a better match. Blank media expensive on a per disc basis, but better than dual layer DVD on a $/GB basis.
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TopStrengths: Lots of storage and plays home blu-ray movies if you have a fast computer and new video card
Weakness: Drive was expensive. Discs are expensive. Need a fast computer and video card. Cant play commercial DVDs without software that is not included
If you don't need the 25gb/50gb of storage, you may be better of sticking with DVD burner for now until media lowers to a reasonable price. 20-25 a disc is a little too pricy and home blu-ray movies don't look that much better on my 26" monitor.
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THE GOOD: Supports all major optical-media types; non-Blu-ray task speeds are acceptable; extensive software package. THE BAD: Still very expensive; IDE-only; slow to rip commercial Blu-ray discs; finicky with media brands. THE BOTTOM LINE: The Sony BWU-100A Blu-ray burner is still priced out of range for most users, but if you have $700 to spare, its a good choice for its range of media support...
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TestSeek.com has collected 15 expert reviews for Sony BWU-100A and the average expert rating is 69 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use TestSeek.com to find all ratings, product awards and conclusions.
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Not yet...
Strengths: high def capability and a good cover color
Weakness: too pricey and too slow to be a mainstream burner yet.
I bought it because I am a new tech-loving person.
However, I cannot recommend this to other people. First of all, format war hasn't been done yet. Secondly, it is too expansive. I think about 150-200 bucks would be ok price. Thirdly, its driver and softwares are so buggy and this burner is too slow. Wait about a couple of years, then we might get a good HD burner.
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