Comments

john-beale wrote on 6/12/2009, 10:24 PM
I think the LG 8x burner BE08LU looks nice but it is an internal drive. In theory you could just put it in an external eSATA enclosure, but it is apparently longer than most internal drives, so it might not fit properly.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136164

LG is supposedly releasing an external version BH08LS later this year but it isn't out yet.
jdv group wrote on 6/13/2009, 1:42 PM
"Buffalo" advertise an external Blu Ray writer (BRHC-6316U2) BD-RE USB @ $195-277
I was curious whether anyone has used this drive or any experience with Buffalo
john-beale wrote on 6/13/2009, 3:23 PM
There aren't that many different manufacturers of Blu-Ray drives. Apparently, "Buffalo" is a reseller, they are just using re-branded LG drive, specifically an older model which is the LG GGW-H20N. See also:

http://forum.rpc1.org/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=45349

I think the H20N drive is a perfectly good choice. The only catch is if the Buffalo OEM model can be updated to the current firmware or not; and the forum post linked above suggests maybe not?
jdv group wrote on 6/14/2009, 11:11 AM
Hey thanks!
That was the information I was looking for and you have saved me a lot of aggravation. I will look into alternative choices of well known brand names.
Videoguys wrote on 6/14/2009, 4:41 PM
Pioneer BDR-203 Mega Bundle with External Enclosure $299

The BDR-203 Blu-ray Disc/DVD/CD Writer is the next generation Blu-ray Disc Writer from Pioneer. This BD/DVD/CD Writer will write up to 8x on BD-R (25Gbytes) and BD-R DL (50Gbytes) media. This writer allows users to test & author high-definition Blu-ray Disc content while also delivering the ability for high-capacity data storage. The BDR-203 can read BD-ROM and BD-ROM DL, read/write single and dual layer BD-R & BD-RE discs, read DVD-ROM, and read/write most DVD and CD recordable media formats.

The NexStar DX connects to your computer through USB 2.0, offering speeds up to 480Mbps and eliminating the need to open your system!

Verbatim Blu-ray Disc Bundle with 5 BD-R 25GB Discs and 1 BD-RE 25GB Disc

http://www.videoguys.com/Bundle/Pioneer+BDR-203+Mega+Bundle+with+External+Enclosure/59.aspx

Gary

Sab wrote on 6/14/2009, 7:02 PM
I got my Pioneer from Videoguys. Works great, fair price.

Mike
john-beale wrote on 6/14/2009, 7:08 PM
Incidentally, 1x speed on Blu-Ray is is 36 Mbps, so 8x is 288 Mbps. Although the raw USB2 datarate is 480 Mbps, you cannot achieve that as real user data throughput due to latencies, protocol overhead in USB transceiver chips, etc. According to hard drive manufacturers, the maximum real throughput of USB2 is somewhere around 264 Mbps.

Now, this may not have much real impact on a "8x" blu-ray burner because (1) that 8x is achieved only at the extreme disc edge and (2) most affordable BD-R media right now can only be burned at lower rates anyway. Still, there is at least a theoretical advantage to using a faster interface, like SATA.

Note: this doesn't argue against the Videoguys bundle linked above, because their Vantec NST-530SU enclosure offers both USB2 and eSATA so you can choose either one.

Further edit: it seems the BDR-203 can write BD-R faster than it can read. Writing: 6.81x avg. (14:48 minutes) Reading: 5.94x avg.
http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Reviews/Specific.aspx?ArticleId=25469&PageId=24
jdv group wrote on 6/15/2009, 9:03 AM
Thanks again everyone for your help. It looks like the BDR-203 is the way to go for me and as Gary mentioned I dont have to open the computer! I assume that since we are on this forum that it works well with Vegas pro 8c and either DVD 4.5 or 5.0?
Nostromo wrote on 6/20/2009, 12:57 PM
Anyone have any experience with the Le-Cie Blu-ray

http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=11218

What I like is its external and cross-platform, its also 8x writing. You can also get it for $390.00 @ B&H
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/602325-REG/LaCie_301856U_d2_Blu_ray_Drive.html