Pioneer Japan sent out a press release this morning, announcing its new 8x Blu-ray Disc writer, the BDR-S03J. The drive features 8x BD-R, 8x BD-R DL and 2x BD-RE writing speeds as well as a maximum BD-ROM read speed of 8x. The BDR-S03J also sports a new dust-free design as well as  support for Pioneer's PURE READ and PowerRead technology. The BDR-S03J will ship in early January and is expected to be priced at 38,000 Yen ($399US).
pioneer bdr-s03j.jpg
Writing Speeds:
BD-R: 8x
BD-R DL: 8x
BD-RE: 2x
BD-RE DL: 2x
DVD±R: 16x
DVD±R DL: 8x
DVD+RW: 8x
DVD-RW: 6x
DVD-RAM: 5x
CD-R: 32x
CD-RW: 24x

Buffer: 4MB
Read Speeds:
BD-ROM: 8x
BD-R: 8x
BD-R DL: 8x
BD-RE: 2x
DVD-ROM (Single): 16x Max
DVD-ROM (Dual): 8x Max
DVD±R: 16x Max
DVD±RW: 12x Max
DVD±R DL: 12x Max
DVD-RAM: 5x Max
CD-ROM: 40x Max
CD-R: 32x Max
CD-RW: 24x Max