Blu-ray arrives
A 25GB Blu-ray disc can store 5.3 times more data than a DVD and 34 times more data than a CD on the same size disc so it is vital to choose a reliable disc with a protective coating to prevent data loss and playback issues.
How long will it take to record a 25GB Blu-ray disc?
It will take approximately 45 minutes to record a 25GB Blu-ray disc at 2x, this is similar to recording 5 DVD-R discs at 8x, one after the other.
How much data will a 25GB Blu-ray disc actually hold?
The disc manufacturers' definition of GB is 1,000,000,000 bytes (SI) but most computer operating systems including Windows use the 1,073,741,824 byte definition so the actual capacity available to the operating system will be 23.3GB.
Blu-ray Disc Recordable
- 25GB capacity. 5.3 times larger than DVD. 50GB dual layer
- 2x speed recording (72Mbit per second)
- Durabis2 coating protects disc surface from scratches, fingerprints and smudges
- More than 2 hours of recording time of HDTV footage
- Inorganic recording layer material for long lasting quality
Blu-ray Disc Rewritable
- 25GB capacity. 5.3 times larger than DVD. 50GB dual layer
- 2x speed recording (72Mbit per second)
- Durabis2 coating protects disc surface from scratches, fingerprints and smudges
- More than 2 hours of recording time of HDTV footage
- High rewritability with 10,000 times rewriting supported
What specification PC will I need?
If you intend to record data then any PC that supports 8x DVD recording will support 2x Blu-ray recording. If you intend to author, record and playback high definition (HD) video using the Blu-ray recorder you will need a high specification PC (minimum 3GHz processor with 512MB RAM) and graphics processor (i.e. Nvidia GeForce 6600).
Will the drive be backwards compatible, will it read and record DVDs and CDs?
The first generation of Blu-ray drives have two-way optics so they will read and record DVDs but not CDs. Later generations will have three-way or additional optics so they will also support CD's.
What recording software will I need?
To record data you can use Roxio Digital Media LE version 7 which is bundled with the drive or upgrade your current recording software to the latest version as soon as they add Blu-ray support. If you intend to author, record and playback high definition (HD) video using the Blu-ray recorder you will need a professional software package like Sonic Scenarist. Lower cost, consumer, Blu-ray authoring packages will become available later this year.