OWC Intros 8x External Quad Interface BD Burner

If you're thinking that this one sounds familiar, it's because it is. Other World Computing just announced last October that it would be selling a quad interface external Blu-ray drive, and while its 4x BD-R burn speed was fine for most, those with time that's extraordinarily precious may long for something quicker.

Now, there's the 8x version of the same drive, designed to cut those Blu-ray Disc burn times down by half while burning blank DVDs at up to 16x and blank CDs at up to 32x. This drive can write to an empty Blu-ray Disc at speeds of up to 2GB per minute, but the trick will be finding 8x capable media that you can afford. Just as before, this unit includes FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0 and eSATA interface options, ensuring that you can plug into just about any machine you come across.



The BDR-203X is available to order now for $399.99, and that includes all connection cables and two 25GB BD-R discs. Those who need a little help on the software end can select the $479.99 bundle, which includes the full retail version of Roxio Toast 10 Titanium.

OWC ANNOUNCES FASTER MERCURY PRO 8X BLU-RAY DRIVES WITH FIREWIRE 800/400, USB2, ESATA“QUAD INTERFACE”


Only “Quad Interface” Blu-ray Drives on the Market
TWICE AS FAST as Previous Mercury Pro Blu-Ray Solutions

 
Write/Burn Blu-Ray up to 8X speed, DVDs up to 16X and CDs up to 32X speed

February 24, 2009, Woodstock, IL -- Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading Mac and PC technology company, announced today its newest OWC Mercury Pro™ Blu-ray/SuperDrive “Quad Interface” External Drive solutions featuring super-fast 8X Blu-ray write speeds of up to 2GB per minute.  The Mercury Pro Blu-ray “Quad Interface” External Drives are the only Blu-ray burners on the market that provide the flexibility of a “Quad Interface” of FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, & eSATA interfaces for Plug & Play compatibility with both Windows and Macintosh systems.

Burn 50,000 JPEG Images, 17,500 MP3 Songs, or 25 DVD Movies on a Single Disc!

Available immediately priced starting at $399.99, the Mercury Pro Blu-ray External Drives are ideal for consumers with large amounts of High-Definition or other video, photos, music, and data files that they want to author, archive, or retrieve using a single disk.  With twice the Blu-ray burn speed over earlier Mercury Pro models, the new Mercury Pro Blu-ray External Drives are capable of burning 50GB of data  -- equal to 50,000 JPEG images, 17,500 MP3 songs, 25 DVD quality movies, or just under four hours of High Definition video -- onto a single disc as quickly as 30 minutes.  Additionally, Mercury Pro Blu-ray drives read and/or write virtually all optical media, including DVD-RAM, DVD Dual-Layer R/RW, DVD R/RW, and CD-R/RW, as well as Blu-ray.

Pricing for OWC Mercury Pro Blu-ray “Quad Interface” External Drive solutions:

    * OWC Mercury Pro “Quad Interface” External Drive (Model BDR-203X):  $399.99. Writes and reads Blu-ray up to 8X, 16X DVD, and 32X CD Burn Speeds.  Includes all connection cables and two 25GB BD-R discs

    * OWC Mercury Pro “Quad Interface” External Drive (Model BDR-203XT) with Roxio software:  $479.99. Writes and reads Blu-ray up to 8X, 16X DVD, and 32X CD Burn Speeds.  Includes all connection cables, two 25GB BD-R discs, and full retail version of Roxio Toast 10 Titanium.

“With Blu-ray write speeds twice as fast as the previous OWC models, as well as the ability to read/write DVDs and CDs, these new OWC Mercury Pro Blu-ray External Drive solutions give anyone with digital entertainment and general data files the ability to dramatically reduce the time and amount of media required to create general use and archive discs,” said Larry O’Connor, CEO, OWC.

The OWC Mercury Pro Blu-ray “Quad Interface” External Drive solutions have been fully tested for compatibility with most Apple and Windows built-in and third party DVD/CD tools and players, including Apple iTunes, Apple Disc Burner, Apple iDVD 5, Apple DVD Studio Pro, EMC Retrospect Express, NTI DragonBurn, Roxio Toast, Roxio Easy Media Creator, and Nero Burning.

For more information on the OWC Mercury Pro Blu-ray external drive solutions, visit:

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/optical-drives/

About Other World Computing (OWC)

Other World Computing (OWC) has been providing quality hardware products and support to the computer industry since 1988.  The Illinois based company operates the popular e-commerce portal www.MacSales.com, which features one of the largest online catalogs of computer and iPod enhancement products, including Mercury, Neptune, and NewerTech® acceleration, storage, and FireWire® product lines.

OWC is a Premiere Level Apple Developer Connection member and provides extensive US-based technical support for Macintosh users around the world.  OWC is also a strategic partner with Axiotron and exclusive US distributor of the award winning Axiotron Modbook™.

OWC is the winner of numerous awards, including Computerworld Magazine’s Top Green-IT Companies for 2008, BizRate’s Gold Circle of Excellence for 2008, and the 2008 “Business Champion Award” from McHenry County Economic Development Corporation.  The company’s management umbrella includes leading Internet Service Providers www.fastermac.net and www.owc.net and is the leading technology employer as ranked by the McHenry County Business Journal.  For more information, see www.otherworldcomputing.com or www.macsales.com.
Tags:  Blu-ray, OWC, Burner