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BenQ's BW1000 Blu-ray Disc recorder for PCs hitting Japan: writes 50GBs for less
It's well past August but we're finally seeing the release of BenQ's Blu-ray Disc recorder for PCs. Well, in Japan anyway where this much heralded, dual-layer (50GB) SATA player/recorder built by Philips is set to hit before the month is up. Your ¥89,900 (about $760) -- reduced from the $1000 originally quoted -- buys you a trio of tricks: read/write BD, DVD, and CD media at speeds up to 2x BD-R/RE, 1x dual-layer BD-R/RE, 12x DVD+/-R, and 32x CD-R -- and that's just a smattering of media supported. Bundled PowerDVD 6 software allows you to play back studio Blu-ray Disc flicks at a full, 1920x1200 resolution under Vista, you know, just as long as your video card and monitor support HDCP. But then you know that by now, right? Expect to hear about these popping for the US and beyond any day now.[Via Impress]
LG's GBW-H10N Blu-ray burner headed to Taiwan
Watch out BenQ, because your fellow manufacturers over at LG also have a 3-in-1 Blu-ray burner poised for release, and not only does it write to BD-R discs at a blistering 4x speed, it's coming to market several weeks before you're getting your BW1000 out the door. In fact, LG's Taiwanese subsidiary is claiming that the GBW-H10N internal drive will hit Chinese shores in the next few days, and at only $923, it's something of a steal compared to dedicated players going for $1000 and up. Of course the BenQ model still holds a few key advantages over this unit, most significantly its ability to burn 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray discs as well as its faster write speeds for most recordable DVD and CD formats. So for now it looks like you'll have to decide whether speed or capacity is the more important attribute, but as HDBeat alludes to, more competition in the market means that at least a few next-generation devices will probably have all the features you're looking for.[Via HDBeat]
BenQ reveals price, release window for BW1000 Blu-ray burner
So we finally got some solid release deets on BenQ's anticipated BW1000 3-in-1 Blu-ray burner (also known as the "Trio): it'll be coming out in late August, and set you back 799 euros, or a little over $1,000. As you'll recall, that grand is buying you an internal drive that writes to BD-R discs at 2x speed, to DVDs between 4x and 12x, and to CDs at 32x speed, while obviously playing back Blu-ray content at full 1,920 x 1,080 resolution as well. You're also getting the usual suite of features designed to dampen vibration and ensure data integrity, which will come in especially handy for folks who can't afford to be wasting those initially-expensive next-gen discs. Keep in mind, though, that this model won't be the only option available to you by the time it hits stores, so make sure to check out the supported formats and features on competing units from Pioneer, Samsung, Panasonic and Philips before you lay down all that cash.[Via Yahoo]
BenQ officially unveils Trio Writer BW1000
We've gotten a few early tradeshow looks at this but BenQ has finally made it official, putting a price of €799 ($1,022 U.S.) on their BW1000 Blu-ray burner. The drive will ship at the end of August and is equipped with three lasers to write to CDs, DVDs and BDs. It's basically the same as the Panasonic LF-MB121JD, read and writing BD-Rs and BD-REs at 2x speed. They're also touting their Precision Tilt Control System, SolidBurn and WriteRight technologies to avoid coasters. At $20 per BD-R blank, that should be very reassuring.[Via CDRinfo]
Dual-layer Blu-ray, HD DVD-R drives, HDMI videocards and more @ Computex
While we're still awaiting official announcements, prices and exact release dates, PC Watch has a roundup of quite a few interesting high-def related products from the recent Computex exhibition. Asus displayed their dual-layer Blu-ray burner pictured above, but no model number or pricing information. BenQ also displayed internal and external versions of the BW1000 dual-layer Blu-ray drive they'll be launching later this year. Toshiba is in the lineup with their SD-L902A HD DVD-R drive, also no price or release date mentioned. Otherwise notable were a bevy of HDMI-equipped videocards and motherboards, including the Abit IL-80MV. HD DVD-RAM, HD DVD-R and -RW as well as BD-RE and -RE media was on hand from a variety of manufacturers like Optodisc, Prodisc and Ritek. While no specific dates were mentioned all should be available in the second half of this year.[Via CD Freaks]
Pics of BenQ's BW1000 3-in-1 Blu-ray burner
Finalized versions of Blu-ray hardware have been popping up all over the place lately, with Panasonic revealing the simple design of its DMP-BD10 player earlier this week, and now BenQ's BW1000 three-in-one burner shows up in both internal and external flavors, courtesy of AVING. In case you hadn't heard, the BW1000, or "Trio" (please don't sue, Palm, we promise we won't get confused), can read from/write to 25GB and 50GB Blu-ray discs, dual-layer DVD±R, and of course, the reliable old CD. Write speeds for BD-R and BD-RE discs are a bit pokey at 2x (but hey, what do you expect from new tech?), with DVDs clocking in at 12x (4x for DL, 8x/6x for DVD±RW), and CDs burning at a zippy 32x (24x for CD-RWs). Nothing new as far as pricing or availability goes, so just enjoy the pics, mkay?
