AMEX Portable Blu-ray Drive for Mac - Blu-ray Forum

CptGreedle · 10-16-2008, 04:33 PM

You saw the announcemnt... https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1939
Take a look at the website... http://www.amexdigital.com/Press_Rel...ti%20Drive.htm

Looks great.

So what software will run this on the Mac?
I know Adobe Cs4 will support BD authoring on Mac and PC... but what about data?

Elandyll · 10-16-2008, 04:37 PM

It might help push Apple to release official support of Blu Ray on OSX, and hopefully include it (with the increased pressure from Adobe) in DVD Studio Pro.

dadkins · 10-16-2008, 04:55 PM

System requirement
Intel® Core 2 Duo CPU or better
NVIDIA GF9000 or about
USB interface
2GB of RAM or more
Operating System: Windows XP & Vista and Mac OSX

Mac or PC I see... cool!

prerich · 10-16-2008, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dadkins

System requirement
Intel® Core 2 Duo CPU or better
NVIDIA GF9000 or about
USB interface
2GB of RAM or more
Operating System: Windows XP & Vista and Mac OSX

Mac or PC I see... cool!

Yeah, I see under the system requirements - another BD for PC - very cool!

CptGreedle · 10-16-2008, 05:05 PM

I agree. This is a great product cause the price is right at less that $300, and size is great for portability, and the compatibility is great since it runs on pc and mac!
Software is an issue... but I assume they will have drivers for it. I also know there is other software out there to burn to BD discs... but I'll have to look at what... I thought toast did but I need to check on that...

Also Adobe CS4 is coming out this year and will fully support BD authoring on Mac and PC. The timing just couldn't be better! I think this will be the Christmas gift for me this year... if not.. than maybe an after Christmas sale? If I can wait that long....

CptGreedle · 10-16-2008, 05:12 PM

According to the Blu-ray.com announcement, the drive is available now!
Anyone know where this drive can be obtained?

dadkins · 10-16-2008, 05:39 PM

Blu-ray article states $289, AMEX website states $269...

Did a little searching, no signs of where to get one ATM. :-\

CptGreedle · 10-16-2008, 05:56 PM

Actually the site lists both prices.... odd.. at the top it says $269 but at the bottom it says $289.

I will keep my eyes open for it either way. Perhaps if it is indeed out, there will be sales on Black Friday...

dadkins · 10-16-2008, 06:00 PM

Hell yeah!

Not only is it a BD burner, it's in a USB enclosure! ... and it's SMALL!
I'd like one just for another BD burner!
The whole portable thing is even more choice!

allstar780 · 10-16-2008, 11:38 PM

I'm so happy about this! This will fit nicely in my laptop case and the design matches the new 15 inch pro i'll be getting

rmckenna19 · 10-19-2008, 01:13 AM

I really, really want to buy this. But I was reading on a tech site that there isn't software that can play encrypted (most commercial movies) blu-ray discs. So I kinda wonder, whether or not AMEX has software for the Mac that can, or if this is just some kind of lame ploy just for a data burner, and not a player.

JadedRaverLA · 10-25-2008, 03:07 AM

Several things everyone should know (I've emailed both their marketing and engineering departments trying to solidify information):

There's two models (the original press release was wrong):

The BD-combo drive is $289. The BD-burner is $389. Both are available in both black and white color and use notebook-sized drives in an external enclosure connecting to a USB2 port on any recent Mac/PC. Officially, they "are available" though no company in the US or Europe is currently offering them for sale. I haven't been able to get a more specific response regarding when you may be able to actually buy one -- or even who the US distributor is.

As for "Mac compatible," they are as far as burning or reading data is concerned, but until a Mac player is released, you can't play any commercial movie within OS X. You can certainly use the drive within BootCamp to play back BDs using a software player within Windows XP or Vista, but that's it for now. They have a list of "compatible" programs for both OS X and Windows, but only the Windows programs can actually play Blu-ray movies.

I'm trying to get a unit from them for review (I've offered to pay them to keep it), so I'll let you know if I get any further. They are a Hong Kong company so there's a major language barrier in effect, and it really doesn't seem like there's drives sitting in a warehouse anywhere yet just waiting to ship out.

If I'm able to get one from them or one of their SE Asia distributors, I'll definitely post a review, a how-to of getting movie playback working in Windows under BootCamp, and a review of the new 15" MBPs. Lack of Blu-ray aside (a travesty), they really are pretty amazing machines. Sure, its twice the cost of a comparably-equipped PC notebook, but its stylish as hell and far more portable than any PC notebook in its class, and has a touchpad to kill for, so... I'm happy.

jianhuang · 10-25-2008, 07:43 AM

$289 is impossible, it is Hong kong company, manufactured in Shenzhen China, the inside slotloading drive must be Panasonic UJ-225. this drive can not get such cheap price even buy from Panasonic factory !

JadedRaverLA · 10-25-2008, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jianhuang

$289 is impossible, it is Hong kong company, manufactured in Shenzhen China, the inside slotloading drive must be Panasonic UJ-225. this drive can not get such cheap price even buy from Panasonic factory !

I'm assuming the burner is using the UJ-225, however, the pricing for the burner is actually $389. The combo drive is at $289 -- the original press release was incorrect, but it has since been updated on their site.

Sonny · 10-25-2008, 02:39 PM

Will my MacBook work? Its a Intel Core2duo 2.4GHz 4gigs of ram. Its the model rite before these new ones were announced just recently...so I think it might not be enough it does not have the graphics card like the Pro's & the newest MacBooks do. Does that take me out of the game? You guys know more about that stuff then me...Thanks for the help

Sonny · 10-25-2008, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonny

Will my MacBook work? Its a Intel Core2duo 2.4GHz 4gigs of ram. Its the model rite before these new ones were announced just recently...so I think it might not be enough it does not have the graphics card like the Pro's & the newest MacBooks do. Does that take me out of the game? You guys know more about that stuff then me...Thanks for the help

Can anyone help me,please? Thanks.

jianhuang · 10-26-2008, 09:57 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonny View Post
Will my MacBook work? Its a Intel Core2duo 2.4GHz 4gigs of ram. Its the model rite before these new ones were announced just recently...so I think it might not be enough it does not have the graphics card like the Pro's & the newest MacBooks do. Does that take me out of the game? You guys know more about that stuff then me...Thanks for the help

I can assemble one Panasonic UJ-220 with similar USB external case
for you. also 2XBR-RE . and tray load UJ-220 consume less USB power than slot load.

aygie · 10-26-2008, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Dear Lloyd,

Thanks a lot for your mail, The Blu-ray drives are coming at December.

If you have any question please feel free to let me know.

Have good day!

Thanks & Regards,
Kelvin So

An email i got form them the other day.

JadedRaverLA · 10-28-2008, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonny

Will my MacBook work? Its a Intel Core2duo 2.4GHz 4gigs of ram. Its the model rite before these new ones were announced just recently...so I think it might not be enough it does not have the graphics card like the Pro's & the newest MacBooks do. Does that take me out of the game? You guys know more about that stuff then me...Thanks for the help

Under Windows (via BootCamp) on the notebook's screen, you would be fine. To use an external screen you would need to connect via VGA as DVI wouldn't work due to HDCP issues (though there are "workarounds" they aren't appropriate to discuss here). You're correct that your video card isn't "ideal" for Blu-ray, but the more recent versions of PowerDVD support it for Blu-ray, and with that processor you should be fine.

As for playback under OS X, no software application exists yet, so there's really no way to know what the requirements will be once it does, though I wouldn't count on support for the Inter integrated graphics

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aygie

An email i got form them the other day.

I got a similar email and can confirm they are shooting for early December for both models -- still haven't heard anything about US retailers though.

aygie · 10-28-2008, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JadedRaverLA

Under Windows (via BootCamp) on the notebook's screen, you would be fine. To use an external screen you would need to connect via VGA as DVI wouldn't work due to HDCP issues (though there are "workarounds" they aren't appropriate to discuss here). You're correct that your video card isn't "ideal" for Blu-ray, but the more recent versions of PowerDVD support it for Blu-ray, and with that processor you should be fine.

As for playback under OS X, no software application exists yet, so there's really no way to know what the requirements will be once it does, though I wouldn't count on support for the Inter integrated graphics

I got a similar email and can confirm they are shooting for early December for both models -- still haven't heard anything about US retailers though.

Hey did you manage to get a new Mac?

10-16-2008, 04:33 PM	#1
CptGreedle Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Sworn super-hero now services Atlanta (and suburbs). Blu-ray collection:128 Blu-ray reviews:5	AMEX Portable Blu-ray Drive for Mac You saw the announcemnt... https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1939 Take a look at the website... http://www.amexdigital.com/Press_Rel...ti%20Drive.htm Looks great. So what software will run this on the Mac? I know Adobe Cs4 will support BD authoring on Mac and PC... but what about data?

10-19-2008, 01:13 AM	#11
rmckenna19 New Member Member since:Oct 2008	No Software as Far as I know I really, really want to buy this. But I was reading on a tech site that there isn't software that can play encrypted (most commercial movies) blu-ray discs. So I kinda wonder, whether or not AMEX has software for the Mac that can, or if this is just some kind of lame ploy just for a data burner, and not a player.

10-25-2008, 03:07 AM	#12
JadedRaverLA Power Member Member since:Apr 2007 Blu-ray reviews:2	Several things everyone should know (I've emailed both their marketing and engineering departments trying to solidify information): There's two models (the original press release was wrong): The BD-combo drive is $289. The BD-burner is $389. Both are available in both black and white color and use notebook-sized drives in an external enclosure connecting to a USB2 port on any recent Mac/PC. Officially, they "are available" though no company in the US or Europe is currently offering them for sale. I haven't been able to get a more specific response regarding when you may be able to actually buy one -- or even who the US distributor is. As for "Mac compatible," they are as far as burning or reading data is concerned, but until a Mac player is released, you can't play any commercial movie within OS X. You can certainly use the drive within BootCamp to play back BDs using a software player within Windows XP or Vista, but that's it for now. They have a list of "compatible" programs for both OS X and Windows, but only the Windows programs can actually play Blu-ray movies. I'm trying to get a unit from them for review (I've offered to pay them to keep it), so I'll let you know if I get any further. They are a Hong Kong company so there's a major language barrier in effect, and it really doesn't seem like there's drives sitting in a warehouse anywhere yet just waiting to ship out. If I'm able to get one from them or one of their SE Asia distributors, I'll definitely post a review, a how-to of getting movie playback working in Windows under BootCamp, and a review of the new 15" MBPs. Lack of Blu-ray aside (a travesty), they really are pretty amazing machines. Sure, its twice the cost of a comparably-equipped PC notebook, but its stylish as hell and far more portable than any PC notebook in its class, and has a touchpad to kill for, so... I'm happy. Last edited by JadedRaverLA; 10-25-2008 at 03:14 AM.

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10-16-2008, 04:37 PM	#2
Elandyll Blu-ray Knight Member since:Aug 2007 Location:MD Blu-ray collection:188 Trading Score:1	It might help push Apple to release official support of Blu Ray on OSX, and hopefully include it (with the increased pressure from Adobe) in DVD Studio Pro.

10-16-2008, 04:55 PM	#3
dadkins Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jan 2007 Location:Hercules, CA Blu-ray collection:35 Blu-ray reviews:2	System requirement Intel® Core 2 Duo CPU or better NVIDIA GF9000 or about USB interface 2GB of RAM or more Operating System: Windows XP & Vista and Mac OSX Mac or PC I see... cool!

10-16-2008, 05:05 PM	#5
CptGreedle Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Sworn super-hero now services Atlanta (and suburbs). Blu-ray collection:128 Blu-ray reviews:5	I agree. This is a great product cause the price is right at less that $300, and size is great for portability, and the compatibility is great since it runs on pc and mac! Software is an issue... but I assume they will have drivers for it. I also know there is other software out there to burn to BD discs... but I'll have to look at what... I thought toast did but I need to check on that... Also Adobe CS4 is coming out this year and will fully support BD authoring on Mac and PC. The timing just couldn't be better! I think this will be the Christmas gift for me this year... if not.. than maybe an after Christmas sale? If I can wait that long....

10-16-2008, 05:12 PM	#6
CptGreedle Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Sworn super-hero now services Atlanta (and suburbs). Blu-ray collection:128 Blu-ray reviews:5	According to the Blu-ray.com announcement, the drive is available now! Anyone know where this drive can be obtained?

10-16-2008, 05:39 PM	#7
dadkins Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jan 2007 Location:Hercules, CA Blu-ray collection:35 Blu-ray reviews:2	Blu-ray article states $289, AMEX website states $269... Did a little searching, no signs of where to get one ATM. :-\

10-16-2008, 05:56 PM	#8
CptGreedle Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Sworn super-hero now services Atlanta (and suburbs). Blu-ray collection:128 Blu-ray reviews:5	Actually the site lists both prices.... odd.. at the top it says $269 but at the bottom it says $289. I will keep my eyes open for it either way. Perhaps if it is indeed out, there will be sales on Black Friday...

10-16-2008, 06:00 PM	#9
dadkins Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jan 2007 Location:Hercules, CA Blu-ray collection:35 Blu-ray reviews:2	Hell yeah! Not only is it a BD burner, it's in a USB enclosure! ... and it's SMALL! I'd like one just for another BD burner! The whole portable thing is even more choice!

10-16-2008, 11:38 PM	#10
allstar780 Special Member Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Mar 2008 Location:Grande Prairie, Alberta Home Theater Gallery:15 Blu-ray collection:115 Blu-ray reviews:2	I'm so happy about this! This will fit nicely in my laptop case and the design matches the new 15 inch pro i'll be getting

10-25-2008, 07:43 AM	#13
jianhuang Member Member since:Sep 2008	$289 is impossible, it is Hong kong company, manufactured in Shenzhen China, the inside slotloading drive must be Panasonic UJ-225. this drive can not get such cheap price even buy from Panasonic factory !

10-25-2008, 02:39 PM	#15
Sonny Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Aug 2007 Home Theater Gallery:8 Blu-ray reviews:6 Trading Score:1	Will my MacBook work? Its a Intel Core2duo 2.4GHz 4gigs of ram. Its the model rite before these new ones were announced just recently...so I think it might not be enough it does not have the graphics card like the Pro's & the newest MacBooks do. Does that take me out of the game? You guys know more about that stuff then me...Thanks for the help

10-26-2008, 09:57 AM	#17
jianhuang Member Member since:Sep 2008	Quote: Originally Posted by Sonny View Post Will my MacBook work? Its a Intel Core2duo 2.4GHz 4gigs of ram. Its the model rite before these new ones were announced just recently...so I think it might not be enough it does not have the graphics card like the Pro's & the newest MacBooks do. Does that take me out of the game? You guys know more about that stuff then me...Thanks for the help I can assemble one Panasonic UJ-220 with similar USB external case for you. also 2XBR-RE . and tray load UJ-220 consume less USB power than slot load.

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