New USB-Powered Blu-ray Drive From Samsung Announced

A slim, sleek new external Blu-ray drive has been announced by Samsung.  The SE-406A is the perfect portable companion too, as it doesn't need a mains power cord, instead drawing everything it needs from the USB cable.

The drive plays standard and 3D Blu-ray discs, plus it can read/write DVD discs.  It comes bundled with CyberLink's TrueTheater software and can convert 2D material into 3D.  Of course, to view 3D content you're going to need a compatible screen and a pair of glasses. 

Samsung have added 'Buffer Under Run' technology to the writer, which prevents errors when data transfer speeds get too high, while the drive supports 8x DVD-RAM and DVD+RW recording, and 6x DVD+R Dual Layer, DVD-R Dual Layer and DVD-RW recording.  On the playback side, it's happy with BD-R and most rewriteable DVD and CD formats.

Available in black or white, the SE-406 is compatible with both Windows and OS X, and will go on sale in the USA next month with a retail price of $150.  That's a good price for a 3D capable USB-powered drive, and this could work well in HTPC setups, especially as it can easily be transported to another computer in the house when needed.

New Sony Vaio F Laptop Get 3D Blu-ray Drive

The latest Sony Vaio F Series laptop announced during CES 2011 has been made available as a pre-order, complete with a March release date for the UK.  What makes it special is the addition not just of a regular Blu-ray drive, but of a 3D Blu-ray drive!

Running Windows 7 Home Premium, the F Series has an 2Ghz Intel Core i7 quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM and a 640GB hard drive.  The laptop uses an Nvidia GeForce GT540M graphics card with 1GB of memory, and the screen measures 16" and has a resolution of 1920 x 1200, so full HD won't be a problem.

A pair of active steroscopic 3D glasses come with the laptop, and Sony have handily built the transmitter into the screen's frame, so it won't get lost, broken or both.  A button converts 2D content to 3D too.  An HDMI-out lets you plug the laptop into a big screen, where provided it's 3D, we assume you'll be able to display 3D content too.  Other features include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, a memory card slot and USB 3.0.

All this wonderful tech doesn't come cheap though, as the VPCF21Z1E F Series laptop is priced at £1799 as a pre-order via Sony themselves.

Speedy New Plextor External Blu-ray Burner Coming to Europe

The Plextor PX-LB9850UE is the latest external Blu-ray drive to hit the European market, and it has been designed for anyone wanting to burn a lot of data in the quickest time possible.  To this end, the Plextor has the ability to write single-layer Blu-ray discs at 12x and dual-layers at 8x speeds.

Of course, it's all very well the drive having these high speeds, but what about getting the data into the drive itself?  Aside from an eSATA port, the Plextor supports USB 3.0 too, which although isn't that common right now, will be in the near future.  The USB port downgrades to USB 2.0 if your PC doesn't use the newest version.

The drive also uses LightScribe technology for creating professional looking images for your discs, plus CyberLink BD software is included in the box.  The Plextor's piano-black finish makes it relatively attractive for an external Blu-ray drive too!

Expect to find the PX-LB9850UE on the shelves later this month, when it will retail for £179.

(source: Gizmag)

Portable LaCie Slim Blu-ray Out Now

Backup and storage experts LaCie have launched their first portable Blu-ray drive, the LaCie Slim, which joins their existing portable DVD-R options.  Just how portable is it?  Well, it weighs 320 grams  - about three times the weight of a moden smartphone - and measures a mini 13 x 15 x 2.5cm, so fitting it into a decent sized laptop bag shouldn't be a problem.

It's powered via a USB 2.0 cable and will read and write most Blu-ray, DVD and CD discs including dual layer types, writing at speeds of 4x and 6x for BD-Rs.  It's compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems and comes with Cyberlink Blu-ray Disc Suite software.

The LaCie Slim's square design won't be winning any beauty competitions, but its small size is a big bonus, as is its ability to read and write BD discs on the move - a relatively unusual feature.  The USB power makes all this possible, but LaCie do point out that USB transfer speeds may affect performance.

The LaCie Slim is available in the USA for $264.99, and the UK for £229.90, direct from LaCie themselves.

New Sony Blu-ray Drives Ready for Anything!

Sony Optiarc are preparing two new Blu-ray drives, one for retail and the other for OEM use, which we can see finding a home in many a HTPC build.  The BWU-500S will be the model number to look out for if you're searching for one to buy, while the BD-5300S will be the code for the OEM model. 

The 500S will play Blu-ray and DVD, plus it will write to BD-R discs at a decent 12x speed, while dual-layer BD-R's will have to make do with an 8x speed.  The press release states that a 25GB disc will burn in about 10 minutes, which sounds fast to us!  The burner will also handle all types of recordable DVD and CD media too, so it's versatile little thing.

The reason we say the 500S may be good for HTPC use is becuase the drive will play 3D Blu-ray discs, plus it's a standard 5.25" drive with a SATA interface and comes bundled with Cyberlink's Media Suite 8 software too.  Sony will be releasing these two in the USA this month, but haven't provided information on a future international launch.  Pricing is also unknown at this point. 

 

Hitachi to Launch SSD/Blu-ray Hybrid

The HyDrive is the latest product from Hitachi, and it's a really interesting little device.  It's a Blu-ray drive which also plays and records CD and DVD discs, plus there is either a 32GB or 64GB solid-state drive hidden away inside the casing, making it a handy all-in-one drive for small laptops or netbooks.  The idea is to store your OS and programs on the SSD, which is faster than a standard hard drive, or for it to be used in conjunction with a regular HD.

Hitachi has partnered with ASUS and AMD with a view to installing the HyDrive in future PCs, and ASUS have apparently selected the HyDrive to debut on their Eee Top all-in-one computer.  This is likely to be later on in the year though, so it will be LG 's Moneual PC range which will have the honour of being first to market with the HyDrive. 

Initially, the drive will come in a 12.7mm chassis, cutting down the amount of casings it will fit into, but there are plans for a 9.5mm version in 2011.  There are no firm price details for the unit as yet, but according to itproportal.com, Hitachi expects an additional $200 to be added to the cost of your computer if you tick the HyDrive box.

Sharp Announce New Blu-ray Recorder LCD TVs

Blu-ray drives being built-in to a TV is nothing new, as we've seen examples from most major manufacturers since the release of the format.  Sharp aren't newcomers either, but this new range does add something new to the mi;, as the Blu-ray drive is a recorder too.  This makes complete sense of course, and negates the need for any separate units.

The new Sharp Aquos DX3 models come in four sizes, a 52", a 46", a 40" and a 32".  The Blu-ray drive is a side-loader and is BD-Live enabled, while on the recording side, Sharp say 36 hours of 1080p material can be stored on a dual-layer Blu-ray disc.  All but the 32" model display full-HD 1080p, it making do instead with 720p, and it also gets only two HDMI ports while the larger sets get three. All models have a 2m:1 contrast level and an Ethernet port though.

Currently, Japanese Sharp fans can expect the 32DX3 to launch at the end of May, with the larger displays coming at the beginning of June.  There are no pricing details to accompany the release dates, nor is there any news on an international release.

Sony's Mean Green Blu-ray Machine!

We wonder how many people who order Sony's new E series laptops will select the retina-searing green colour?  Yes, it looks great in the promo pictures, but could you imagine working on it?  It won't just be the screen causing eye-strain anymore!  Odd colour scheme choices aside, these new computers have an impressive feature list, including a standard Blu-ray drive.

Joining the Vaio E series will be two new models featuring a 14" and 17" screen.  The  backlit LED 14" version will have a 1600x900 screen resolution with a widescreen 16x9 aspect ratio, while the larger 17" version will bump the resolution up to 1920x1080 for full HD.  The pair will have 500GB hard drives, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, four USB ports and will use an ATi Mobility Radeon 5000 graphics card.  Quick access buttons will take you directly into a media player for ease of use, plus an HDMI port will let you connect the laptop to your HDTV.

The 14" Vaio will be using an Intel Core i3 processor, but the 17" Vaio will pack a more serious Core i5 chip instead, while Windows 7 will be pre-installed on both machines.  The green colour will be joined by pink, blue, white and according to Pocket-Lint, an exclusive black edition in the UK.  Prices vary from £700-£800 for the 14" model and £700-£900 for the larger 17" Vaio, and you'll be able to get your hands on them from May.

Viewsonic VOT550 Media Centre - Blu-ray Mac Mini Alternative?

We had a brief look at the Amex Digital BD-UG1 Blu-ray add-on for the Mac Mini a week or so back, a product which gave the Mac HD disc abilities at a cost of some dollars and the need to install another OS.  However, those who are looking for a Blu-ray equipped mini computer to hide away under their TV and forget about should take a close look at the Viewsonic VOT550, which although flawed, does a few things better than the Mac Mini.

The piano black casing will look great alongside the majority of LCD or plasma TVs and the complete absence of any superfluous controls keeps the style on the right side of cool.  Inside is an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2Ghz processor with 4GB of RAM to keep things moving briskly on, while the latest Windows 7 operating system keeps things simple - well, simpler for Blu-ray than OS X anyway.  A 500GB hard drive takes care of storage.

Connectivity wise is where the Viewsonic is let down, as there is no HDMI socket.  Yes, we know, it's a big problem but at least there is a DVI-I to slightly make up for it.  There is a total of six USB 2.0 ports, two at the front and four at the rear, along with an S/PDIF connection ready to connect to your AV receiver.  Wi-Fi is built-in, an Ethernet connection is present and if you dig deep enough in the box you'll find a remote control too.

The Viewsonic VOT550 is a tempting package if you can get past having to use a DVI to HDMI plug, however the US price of $950 and UK cost of £690 is a little steep considering a Playstation 3 is considerably less.  But, if space is at a premium and you need to have the PC side of things up and running on your HDTV, the VOT550 may be worth a closer look.

Blu-ray for Your Mac Mini is Here...Sort of

Many of us moaned about Apple's lack of Blu-ray love during the announcement of their latest iMac updates, which resulted in Mac users still being unable to take advantage of not only disc-based HD playback, but extensive backup potential too.  There is now however, a solution, albeit a rather roundabout one. 

First of all, we need to look back at the recent update of another Apple product, the Mac Mini.  Their tiny computer has always looked like a perfect HTPC candidate, and these new, faster machines with more memory are their best yet, especially with a Mini DisplayPort output just itching to have an HDMI adaptor plugged in to it!  So, you've got your Mac Mini sitting next to your TV, the SuperDrive happy to spin DVD's and a hard drive or two for your video files.  Now how about Blu-ray?

Thanks to Amex Digital, this is now possible, but it will take a bit of fiddling.  The BD-UG1 is a replacement drive for your existing SuperDrive and will play and burn Blu-ray discs, while of course still handling DVD writing and CD playing.  Provided your Mac Mini - or even your iMac - has an NVIDIA GeForce 9300M graphics card or better, this is your passport to HD nirvana.

Well, almost.  The trouble begins when you realise that OS X doesn't support Blu-ray, so you'll have to be running Bootcamp and a Windows OS for example, to play with your Blu-ray drive.  It's not the end of the world, but many use OS X so they don't have to use Windows, so this type of setup doesn't even become an option.  The Amex Digital kit retails a $199, so it's a similar price to a standalone player if you're thinking HTPC anyway.

Has anyone installed this in their Mac Mini?  If so, let us know your thoughts.