Sony BDX-S500U Portable 6x Blu-ray Disc Writer

As one of the biggest names in the consumer electronics industry, Sony doesn't need much of an introduction. For more than 50 years, this Japanese company has lead the way, producing innovative products for the audio, video and computer markets. Sony is no stranger to the optical storage industry either. From the development of the first compact disc standards to the introduction of the first dual format DVD writer, Sony has played a major role in much of the technology used today.

Sony has also been one of the driving forces behind the Blu-ray Disc format. The company offers a wide range of Blu-ray products, including a series of drives for the the portable and desktop computer markets. This fall, Sony announced its new slim external Blu-ray Disc writer, the BDX-S500U. This stylish and compact drive is capable of 6x BD-R, 4x BD-R DL and 2x BD-RE writing speeds and a maximum BD-ROM read speed of 6x. The BDX-S500U is also backwards compatible with all major CD and DVD formats and includes features like a 6MB buffer and a USB 2.0 interface. To top it all off, the drive comes with CyberLink's Media Suite 8 which includes software capable of playing back Blu-ray movies in 3D.

Needless to say, this is only a taste of what the BDX-S500U has to offer. To give you an idea of what to expect from Sony's portable Blu-ray Disc writer, we'll take a look at some of  the drive's features and then put it through its paces to see how it performs. Is the BDX-S500U the best choice for the person on the go? Read on as we find out.