Pioneer Said to Have First R/W BDXL Blu-Ray Drive

Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. announced its professional, high definition BDXL internal Blu-ray Disc drive.

The Pioneer BDR-206MBK,
BDXL writer for Windows-based personal computers, is the first drive to
read and write using the new multi-layer recordable Blu-ray Disc
format. BDXL more than doubles the current maximum Blu-ray Disc storage
capacity and is ideal for various commercial uses such as video and
broadcast archiving and storage, capturing and playback of high
definition programming or data archiving needs. The BDR-206MBK also
enhances recording accuracy and further limits artificial noise for
quality playback.

By integrating additional layers to traditional Blu-ray Discs, BDXL
offers up to 128 GB of storage capacity on a quadruple layer disc. The
BDR-206MBK drive allows users to read/write BD-R XL and BD-RE XL triple
layer (100GB) and BD-R XL quadruple layer (128GB) discs. Additionally,
the drive can play back and record on virtually all disc formats
including CD, DVD, and Blu-ray Disc. The drive comes bundled with
CyberLink software to support BDXL and is ready for use out of the box.
For a limited time, Pioneer is including a piece of BD-R XL 100GB media
for free with each drive.

Further enhancing the user experience, Pioneer has incorporated
proprietary technologies to improve recording and playback quality. Its Limit Equalizer
technology improves RF signals generated when reading data from Blu-ray
Discs and enables improved playback capability. Along with a new,
airtight structure that helps keep the drive quiet and protects against
contaminants and dust particles, the Disc Vibration Stabilizer feature
helps protect the disc from warping during the writing process,
resulting in a higher quality written disc.

The BDR-206MBK is available for a suggested retail price of $199. The BDXL drive can be purchased at Fry’s Electronics and at www.pioneerelectronics.com.