Model: Sony BWU-500S 12x Blu-ray Disc Writer
Manufacturer: Sony Optiarc
Provided By: Sony Optiarc America
When it comes to consumer electronics, there are few names as well known as Sony. 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 winter, Sony introduced its first 12x Blu-ray Disc writer, the BWU-500S. Featuring some of the fastest BD reading and writing speeds available, this Serial ATA equipped drive is capable of 12x BD-R, 8x BD-R DL and 2x BD-RE writing speeds and a maximum BD-ROM read speed of 8x. The BWU-500S is also backwards compatible with all major CD and DVD formats and includes features like an 8MB buffer, Power-Burn buffer underrun protection and 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 Sony's new Blu-ray Disc writer has to offer. To give you an idea of what to expect, we'll take an in-depth look at the BWU-500S's features and then see how it compares to some of the Blu-ray Disc writers from Lite-On, LG and Plextor. Does the BWU-500S have what it takes? Is it the fastest Blu-ray Disc writer around? Keep reading to find out.
