Samsung SE-S084D claims to be world's thinnest external DVD drive, SH-B123 the fastest Blu-ray drive

Oh Samsung, always setting world records. At an intimate (though slightly awkward) press conference yesterday, Samsung pulled the wraps off its newest SE-S084 external DVD as well as its 12x SH-B123 Blu-ray drives. The former is pretty much your standard external 24x CD-ROM / 8x DVD-ROM peripheral, except it's only 17mm thick. Samsung is claiming it's the world's thinnest, but in all honesty, we weren't all that blown away by its slimness. We have an HP drive sitting right here that looks to have very comparable dimensions, but at .5 pounds it was incredibly light in hand -- we actually thought the model on display was a dummy at first. Available in seven colors that apparently match Samsung's netbook line up, the drive should be available just about now for $69.99.

On the total opposite end is Sammy's new 12x SH-B123, which it's claiming to be the world's fastest BD-ROM/DVD writer. The player packs DVD up-scaling technology and uses an aerodynamic design for lowering acoustic spinning noise. There's no pricing details on the SH-B123 yet though it should hit stores in July. Until then, there's a bunch of shots of both the new drives below and full PR after the break. %Gallery-95168% %Gallery-95169%

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Samsung Launches New Blu-ray Drive Combo with the World's Fastest 12X Read Performance
SAN JOSE, Calif. - (Business Wire) Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, announced today its new Blu-ray disc (BD) Combo, the SH-B123 optical disk drive (ODD), which reads BD-ROMs at the world's fastest speed of up to 12X, CDs at up to 48X, and DVDs at a maximum speed of 16X. With Samsung's new internal Blu-ray drive, users can watch HD movies on their PCs as well as record HD camcorder movies and HDTV broadcasting on DVDs with Samsung's Cyberlink Powerproducer software provided in the BD combo package.

"As market demand and adoption of BDs, HDTVs and digital broadcasting accelerate, so has consumer interest in watching Blu-ray movies on personal computers," said John Suh, Director of Samsung Semiconductor Inc. Optical Disc Drive Division Sales Team. "Samsung's new BD combo drives can read BD discs, and read and write CD/DVD discs, providing consumers with a broad choice of HD movie sources on their computers."

With Samsung's Cyberlink Trutheater technology, consumers can upscale DVD resolution movies to full HD resolution. PCs can be verified if they are Blu-ray enabled by activating the Cyberlink BD advisor, also available in the package and via the Cyberlink homepage.

The new BD combo guarantees high reliability in BD play performance by utilizing two lenses and a two laser diode structure, which provide stable BD read, and DVD and CD read/ write performance. SACT (Spherical Abberation Compensation Technology) improves the quality of the read function on BD drives if the protective layer does not have a uniform thickness. In addition, PSCT (Precision Step Control Technology) optimizes position control for the optical pick-up feature that requires small track pitch of BD drives. Samsung's Firmware Live Update ensures users that they always have the latest BD drive firmware version.

Samsung's BD drive, designed with an edgier look that sets it apart from conventional ODDs, features a chic mirror front door, blue LED and high-tech front bezel of the internal BD. The light and tiny casing not only reduces internal heat, but also contributes to low CO2 emissions by improving loading efficiency.

Like all the other Samsung ODDs, the BD drive is eco-friendly. The new drive features Aerodynamic Frame Design for low acoustic noise and it operates at a low-power consumption level that averages 25 percent lower power compared to comparable drives in the market. Moreover, the lead time is greatly improved, reducing the overall timeline 17 percent to 37 percent over previous models. The SH-B123 BD Combo is manufactured with lead-free soldering technology. The drives are compliant to international environmental regulations that restrict the use of materials such as Pb, Cd, Cr+6, Hg, PBBs and PBDE.

The BD Combo provides a variety of speeds across different data media types including: 12X BD-ROM read, 8x BD R/RE/DL read, 48X CD-ROM, 40X CD-RW, 16X DVD±R recording, 12X DVD-RAM recording, 8X DVD±R Dual Layer recording, 8X DVD+RW recording and 6X DVD-RW recording.

Samsung's new BD combo, the SH-B123, is available worldwide in July 2010.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2009 consolidated sales of US$116.8 billion. Employing approximately 188,000 people in 185 offices across 65 countries, the company consists of eight independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

Samsung and the stylized Samsung are trademarks and service marks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Samsung Ships Slim External DVD Writer for Laptop and Netbook Markets
SAN JOSE, Calif. - (Business Wire) Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, announced today its new slim external DVD writer, the SE-S084D optical disk drive (ODD), is now available worldwide.

Featuring a sleek design with a stylish metallic centerline, the SE-S084D won an iF Product Award Design, which is one of the world's top three leading design awards, sponsored out of Hannover, Germany. The SE-S084D features a rounded shape and is available in seven colors. Its compact size is 20 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter than conventional DVD writers to accommodate today's active mobile lifestyle.

"With a more compact footprint and lighter weight than competitive offerings, the new external DVD writer delivers high performance with a USB power source to eliminate electrical outlet requirements. As an eco-friendly product, the DVD writer is manufactured with lead-free soldering technology. The drive is also compliant to international environmental regulations that limit the use of materials such as Pb, Cd, Cr+6, Hg, PBBs and PBDE," said John Suh, Director of Samsung Semiconductor Inc. Optical Disc Drive Division Sales Team.

The SE-S084D DVD writer is engineered to be compatible with all major operating systems, including Win7 and Mac OS. The new DVD writer features Buffer Under Run technology to prevent errors that result from writing speeds that exceed data transfer speeds, while also enabling PC multi-tasking.

The external drive provides a variety of speeds across different data media types including: 24X CD-ROM, 24X CD-RW, 8X DVD±R recording, 5X DVD-RAM recording, 6X DVD+R Dual Layer recording, 6X DVD-R Dual Layer recording, 8X DVD+RW recording and 6X DVD-RW recording.

The SE-S084D is available worldwide at online retail outlets with a MSRP starting at US$69.99