Strengths:Versatility, massive storage capabilities for an optical disc
Weaknesses:Too new to be mainstream, thus still pricey
Posted Feb 29, 2008 - 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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