12. Plextor PX-B900A

As the most expensive drive in this group today, you'd expect a lot of value-added from this offering. In some ways, you'd be satisfied, but in others perhaps a little disappointed. When it comes to performance, there's nothing truly special or exceptional here: 2X read and write speeds for single- and double-layer Blu-ray media, 8X write for single-layer DVD±R (except for DVD-RW which is 6X), 4X for DVD±R dual-layer, 5X for DVD-RAM, 24X for writing CD-R, and 16X for writing CD-RW. On the reading side, for DVD it's 8X and 32X for CD. As with other more expensive drives in this group, this unit also features an 8 MB data buffer for Blu-ray media.

According to some sources, this Plextor offering is just a repackaged Panasonic SW-5582.

The Ulead Video Suite is bundled with this drive for burning video, music, images, data and camcorder video to Blu-ray discs, conventional DVDs, or CDs. It also allows you to edit audio, video, and photos, as well as to back up your system. You'll also find the WinDVD Blu-ray Disc player included. Alas, you must use different versions of the same software for conventional DVDs and Blu-ray media. Future firmware upgrades should, however, come from Plextor, a company whose drives and drivers usually get high marks for quality and performance. Hopefully, this means more value will be added in the future.

For more details on this drive, consult the PX-B900A product page. Given the high price for this drive, unless the bundled items are especially compelling, we'd have to recommend either the LG or Panasonic units instead - at least until promised firmware upgrades may show substantial new functionality or improved performance. In talking with sources at Plextor, they also indicated that there may very well be a combo/hybrid drive in the offing, but we could not get details about timing, features or price.

Sony BWU-100A

As with the Blu-ray player and the Playstation 3, we expect to see things from Sony that indicate their understanding of Blu-ray economics, and what it takes to make a new would-be standard succeed. To some extent the BWU-100A succeeds in meeting this objective, and to some extent it frustrates its own no-doubt laudable objectives. On the plus side, performance test reports give this drive an edge over other similar offerings, such as the Pioneer BDR-101A, when burning conventional media - but you'd expect a product that ships later to outdo the first one to market in any case. The converse, however, holds true when these devices write to Blu-ray media instead.

The Sony unit offers enticements and a few setbacks at the low end of the price range.

The software bundle included with the BDU-100A includes the CyberLink DVD Suite, which comes with a version of PowerDVD 6, and a coupon that may be used to download a Blu-ray capable version of PowerDVD. (Presumably this means PowerDVD Ultra, with its support for Blu-ray and HD-DVD content). You also get PowerProducer, PowerDirector, Power2Go, PowerBackup, Medi@Show, InstantBurn, and LabelPrint as part of this package (which retails for $30-50).

The media performance for this drive follows what should by now be a familiar pattern for Blu-ray drives: 2X read and write for double- and single-layer Blu-ray media, DVD±R write speeds of 8X, DVD±RW write speeds of 2X to 8X (depending on the tests run), and 8X read speeds for most DVD formats, except 5X for DVD-RAM, and 4X for dual-layer DVD media. For CDs, write speeds vary from 8X to 24X for CD-R, 4X to 16X for CD-RW, and 32X when reading such media. Buffer sizes are also familiar: 8 MB for Blu-ray media, and 2 MB for DVD and CD media. The drive handles almost all CD, DVD, and Blu-ray media types, and is subject to no serious limitations in this regard.

As Blu-ray PC drives go, the Sony unit is certainly acceptable, and includes a nice software bundle as well, but it's a middle-of-the-road product at somewhat of a premium price. For more information about this unit, please visit the vendor page for the BWU-100A.