Blu-ray drives finally ship for Mac

[Shadowself]

For those Mac fanatics among us:

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08...y_disc_burner/

[Psiweaver]

very interesting. I wonder how long till apple patches DVD studio PRO to support those drives and authoring.

[thunderhawk]

First Blu-Ray Drive for Macs Launches

Logitec, a well-known manufacturer of computer peripherals in Asia, has unveiled the world’s first Blu-ray disc drive that supports Mac OS X operating system, making it the first blue-laser drive for Apple Macintosh computers.

Logitec’s LBD-A2FU2/LBD-A2U2 drives, which are made by Panasonic, can playback, read, record and re-write DVDs (8x speed for DVD+R/-R/+RW, 6x for DVD-RW, 4x for DVD+R/-R DL, 5x for DVD-RAM) as well as playback, read and record single-layer 25GB Blu-Ray discs (at up to 2x) and dual-layer 50GB BDs, it also can playback and burn CDs (24x CD-R and 16x CD-RW). The device integrates 8MB buffer to allow burning without data interruption.

The LBD-A2FU2 supports both FireWire and USB 2.0 connection, while the model LBD-A2U2 only has USB 2.0 connectivity. Besides Mac OS X, the devices are bundled with software that works in Windows 2000/XP operating systems. According to Japanese web-site PC Watch, the A2U2 costs ¥121 800 ($1064), while the A2FU2 is priced at ¥138 600 ($1211).

lu-ray and HD DVD formats compete for replacing the DVD standard. HD DVD discs can store up to 15GB on a single layer and up to 30GB on two layers. Its competitor, Blu-ray, can store up to 27GB per single layer and up to 50GB on two layers, but Blu-ray discs are more expensive to produce. The HD DVD is pushed aggressively by Toshiba and NEC as well as being standardized at the DVD Forum, which represents over 230 consumer electronics, information technology, and content companies worldwide. Blu-ray is backed by Sony and Panasonic, which are among the world’s largest makers of electronics. Among Hollywood studios HD is supported by Warner Bros. Studios, New Line Cinema, Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures, whereas Sony Pictures, Walt Disney, Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox endorse Blu-ray.

Traditional single-layer DVDs allow consumers to watch movies in 720x480 (NTSC) or 720x576 (PAL) resolution with Dolby Digital audio. The blue-laser discs will provide consumers 1920x1080 resolution as well as DTS or Dolby Digital Plus audio along with some additional interactive features.

Source:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/storage/display/20060801234813.html