Buffalo outs first 12X Blu-ray burner with USB 3
updated 09:50 am EST, Thu November 26, 2009
Buffalo claims fastest Blu-ray recorder
Buffalo on Thursday set a minor milestone by launching what should be the fastest Blu-ray burner to date. At 12X even with dual-layer discs, the BR-X1216U3 ties with Pioneer for a 50 percent speed boost over 8X drives but is unique for supporting USB 3.0. The 5Gbps interface theoretically lets it transfer data faster than USB 2.0; Buffalo says the drive is backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 but is limited to writing at 7X using the older standard.
At full speed, a near-full 25GB Blu-ray disc can write in 11 minutes, the company says. The drive can record low-cost Blu-ray LTH (Low-to-High) discs at 6X and rewritable BD-RE discs at 2X. DVDs write at 16X for single-layer discs and 8X for dual-layer.
Buffalo plans to ship the new drive at the end of December to its Japanese audience at a price equivalent to $451. The firm's products are regularly exported to the US, but no details have been given for an international release. [via Akihabara]
