Sony Announces External 100 GB Blu-ray Burner

News
By Douglas Perry
published

Sony just announced an external Blu-ray writer that is compatible with 100 GB BD XL discs.

The device does not require a separate power adapter, but needs a dual USB 2.0 connection (Y-cable) to be functional.

According to Sony, the BDX-S600U can read and write CDs, DVDs, DVD-RAM, Blu-ray (25 GB, 50 GB) and BD XL (BD-R XL) media. The write speed is 8x for DVDs, 6x for single- and dual-layer BD-R and 4x for BD-R XL discs. the data read speed is 24x for CDs, 8x for DVDs and 6x for Blu-ray media.

Street prices for the BDX-S600U range from about $160 to $220. 

Douglas Perry
39 Comments Comment from the forums
  • dragonsqrrl
    Would've been nice if they simply used a USB 3.0 port. The standard supports higher Wattage and probably could've powered this drive off a single connection.
    Reply
  • Randomacts
    It can probably be powered off a single USB 2.0 Power port *The red ones*
    Reply
  • amk-aka-Phantom
    ZOMG, BLURAY!!!11

    ... you guys still use this garbage? :D
    Reply
  • Dacatak
    Now if only BD-R XL discs weren't $50+ per disc this would actually make for a viable long-term backup solution over regular magnetic media, which in theory should reliably retain recorded data for as long as the organic dye-layer on discs would, depending on the quality of the dye.

    I'm still waiting for that mDisc format which etches the data pits onto an inorganic composite layer, quite literally setting it in stone.
    Reply
  • lockhrt999
    4x(16 min) for BD-R XL ? Holy Shit that's super fast. It's almost writing at 6-7 GB data per min.
    At highest speed, USB 2.0 can spit out the data at 480Mbps = 60MBps. And two of them means 120MBps. So 120 x 60 = 7GB (that's double of USB controller's pick bandwidth).
    So writing at that speed is not possible unless you plug USB cables to separate USB controllers. This is certainly not viable for laptops.
    Reply
  • theconsolegamer
    BD XL for the PS4.
    Reply
  • alyoshka
    I really wonder who will be using this other than Pirates.....
    Reply
  • josh1200
    alyoshkaI really wonder who will be using this other than Pirates.....
    Because Pirates are going to spend all the money they saved by buying a BD XL disk.
    Reply
  • lpedraja2002
    I wonder how much time does a 100gb Blu-ray disc takes to burn?
    Reply
  • saturnus
    dragonsqrrlWould've been nice if they simply used a USB 3.0 port. The standard supports higher Wattage and probably could've powered this drive off a single connection.
    Probably true but not that many laptops and other portable equipment has USB 3 ports, yet. So a Y-power is probably a good idea for Sony for the burner to be viable for as large a market segment as possible.
    Reply