Buffalo announces 128GB BDXL Blu-ray drives

Posted on 25 Oct 2010 at 14:33

Peripherals specialist Buffalo Technology has announced the first Blu-ray burners for PCs compatible with the new high-capacity BDXL disc format.

The new drives - an external USB model called the BRXL-6U2 and an internal SATA model called the BRXL-6FBS-B - will be backwards compatible with standard Blu-ray discs, DVD-R and -RW, DVD+R and +RW, and CD-R and -RW format media.

The main feature, however, is the support for the new Blu-ray BDXL format, which stores a massive 128GB per disc - a significant boost over standard Blu-ray media. Although several companies have promised home theatre hardware which offers BDXL compatibility, including several models from Sony, Buffalo claims that its new drives are the world's first to add support for the format to existing PC hardware.

Both models will feature the same speed and compatibility, with the full-size externally-mounted unit requiring both a USB connection for data and a mains connection for its 12V power supply. Buffalo has yet to confirm plans for a more portable, USB-powered version - but given the power draw of the current model is rated at 30W, it's unlikely to appear any time soon.

Sadly, the company has yet to announce availability or pricing for either of the drives - but with BDXL still in its infancy, you can expect to pay a significant premium to make use of the new, high-capacity format.

Author: Gareth Halfacree

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