It looks like the head honcho, Ian over at CDRLabs, has just posted their review of the Pioneer Blu-ray writer, the BDR-101A. The Pioneer drive can also be used to play Blu-ray disc movie titles along with our familiar DVD media, which it can utilize at 8x for DVD±R, 4x DVD±RW, 2.4x DVD+R DL and 2x for DVD-R DL, with a maximum DVD read speed of 8x.
| What's in the box?:
The BDR-101A performed as expected throughout most of our tests. While it took a considerable amount of time, the drive had no problems writing to BD-R and BD-RE media. With a maximum read speed of only 2x, the BDR-101A took just as long to read the discs back. Considering its specs, the BDR-101A also turned in some fairly good times when writing to DVD±R and DVD±RW media. However, there were a few cases where the writing quality could have been better. Reading DVD's wasn't a problem for the BDR-101 either. In our tests, it was able to read single layer data DVD's and DVD±R media at 8x. |
For a cool 1000 dollars and no CD support, we have to wonder who is going to spring for one of these. But, it's the newest gadget on the block, so those with a lot of money may wish to snag one of these puppies. At least you can use it to view Blu-ray movies, after you get some software to play it back with that is. At it's 2x Blu-ray burning speed, this drive can fill a 25 gigabyte disc in about 45 minutes. These added capabilities seem to provide a better deal for a home theater that is built around a PC than a simple player that is going to set you back about the same cost.
So, if you want to know what an unbiased, scientific look at one of these drives reveals, head on over the 'Labs and take a look at Ian's findings! As always, if there is something else you would like to know or if have any comments, feel free to visit the CDRLabs Forums.
Source: CDRLabs
