AMEX Digital Announces External Blu-ray Drive for Macs
AMEX Digital Announces External Blu-ray Drive for Macs
by , 4:10 PM EDT, October 16th, 2008
Steve Jobs has already said that Apple isn't going to go with Blu-ray for now, but those who just have to have it anyway, AMEX Digital has announced its USB external Portable Super Multi-Drive for Intel Macs.
The slot loading Blu-ray drive has the following features:
- Latest Technology can supports the 12cm and 8cm disc
- BD-RE/-R (SL) 2X Speed Writing / Reading
- BD-RE/-R (DL) 1X Speed Writing / 1.6X Speed Reading
- BD-ROM (SL / DL) 2X Speed Reading
- Writes DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL discs at up to 4x speed
- Writes DVD-R and DVD+R discs at up to 8x speed
- Writes DVD-RW discs at up to 6x speed and DVD+RW discs at up to 8x speed
- Reads DVDs at up to 8x speed
- Writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed
- Writes CD-RW discs at up to 16x speed
- Reads CDs at up to 24x speed
 AMEX Portable Super Multi Drive (black) |
|---|
The external drive is compatible with Macs with Intel Core 2 Duo or faster and Mac OS X. It is available in black or white and is priced at US$289.00.
A search for blank Blu-ray media, 50 GB, showed that the best current prices are about US$27 each.
Observer Comments
You'll have to wait a bit longer for FCP Studio (DVDSP) update in order to author Blu-ray content. If you have the money, though, you can do it right now with Adobe's Encore. If you have much less money, you can do it with Toast Titanium 9.
In other words, for ordinary consumers who want to transfer their HD stuff from those new AVCHD (or HDV) camcorders onto Blu-ray discs for grandma to watch on her new HDTV / BD combo, you can use iMovie 08 to transcode and edit, then Toast to author and burn. If the movie is shorter than an hour, ordinary DVD-DL will do. If it's longer, get this drive and Blu-ray blanks and you're good to go.
Quotevasic wrote:
In other words, for ordinary consumers who want to transfer their HD stuff from those new AVCHD (or HDV) camcorders onto Blu-ray discs for grandma to watch on her new HDTV / BD combo, you can use iMovie 08 to transcode and edit, then Toast to author and burn. If the movie is shorter than an hour, ordinary DVD-DL will do. If it's longer, get this drive and Blu-ray blanks and you're good to go.
If only it were that straightforward. Sadly, not all AVCHD cameras are created equal, and some just don't offer a file format compatible with iMovie. Canon HG 10? Yes. Sanyo Xacti? No. Sony? Depends on the model.
At last, JVC is producing a camera that offers a choice of capture codecs. This is getting somewhere. I hope it sets a trend.
Quotej.martellaro wrote:
I'm thinking that with USB 2 and therefore no HDCP, it might well be data only.
I've asked the vendor.
Doesn't the HDCP requirement hint a bit to the technology morass that SJ was taking about? I find it odd that you can watch DVD's via USB/firewire, but to support DRM, you need a special connector and/or a patch to your BR player etc. Not sure if the BR technology is all that - yes it is clearer, but on my 1080i set - the up-convert of a DVD is pretty nice to look at. And DVD's are soo much cheaper all the way around. (The player, the disks, the connection cabling/the TV sets it will work with..) http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/hdcp-1.html
I am with SJ on this one - I think I will wait and see.
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