LG has stepped up the game and brought 3 new Blu-ray Burners that can write up to 6x speeds. This throws them ahead of the game since many manufacturers (LaCie, Plextor, LiteOn) are still releasing 4x burners. The new LG Blu-ray burners are: BE06, GBC-H20L and GBW-H20L. All three of them can read HD-DVD media at 3x, have SecurDisc capabilities, which provide data protection and content access control on all current optical formats, and LightScribe technology, a very cool feature that allows users to create direct-to-disc labels right from their drive.

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The BE06 is an external drive that can be connected to your computer by USB 2.0. The BE06 has a MRSP of $379.95. It is compatible with all BD, DVD and CD formats, reads 6x BD-R/2x BD-RE and records DVD+RW/-RW at 16x. Get the detailed specs of the new BE06 drive here!

Both the GBC-H20L and GBW-H20L are internal drives and will be priced at $199.95 and $279.95, respectively. The GBW-H20L handles 6 × BR-R writing and 2× BD-RE writing, along with 16× DVD burning and 40× CD burning. The GBC-H20L does all the above but does not to write to Blu-ray media.

“LG drives offer everyday users and professionals some of the fastest recording speeds in the industry,” said Marc Sorkin, senior marketing manager, for LG Electronics IT and Home Entertainment products. “With cutting-edge technologies such as SecurDisc and LightScribe, which make data transfer easier and safer, these drives meet consumers’ increasing demand for a compact storage option both in the office and at home.”

You can read the full press release here!

Popularity: 20% [?]

Plextor announced their new Blu-ray drive, the PX-B910SA. Differently from previous models such as the PX-B920SA and the PX-B300SA, the PX-B910SA no longer supports HD-DVD, a decision based on the death of the format earlier this year. Besides the HD-DVD capabilities, the new drive is pretty much the same as the PX-B920SA, being able to write BD Disks at 4x.

Plextor is a Japanese company that specializes on optical drives and introduced its first CD-ROM optical disk drive under the TEXEL brand name in 1989.

The PX-B910SA currently only scheduled to be released in Japan but it will probably arrive in Europe and the US later this year. Plextor has a suggested retail price of ¥45,000 (about US$430), much less than its predecessors.

Bellow you can find some specs of the PX-B910SA:

Software included

• WinDVD8
• DVD MovieFactory 5.5
• VideoStudio 11

Write

• BD-R SL, DL:4x
• BD-RE Sl, DL: 2x
• DVD+R/-R: 16x
• DVD+R/-R DL: 8x
• DVD-RW: 6x
• DVD+RW: 8x
• DVD-RAM :5x
• CD-R: 40x
• CD-RW:24x

Read

• BD-R SL, DL:4x
• BD-RE Sl, DL: 2x
• BD-ROM: 4x
• DVD+R/-R: 16x
• DVD+R/-R DL: 8x
• DVD-RW: 8x
• DVD+RW: 8x
• DVD-RAM :5x
• CD-R: 40x
• CD-RW:32x
• CD-ROM: 40x
• DVD-ROM SL: 16x
• DVD-ROM DL: 12x

Popularity: 14% [?]

Hitachi has released a pretty cool new toy! The DZ-WR90 is a Blu-ray burner that can save all your HD movies on the go…directly from your HD camcorder via a eSATA port. No need for the old buddy PC! Not sure how many people will actualy carry this around but… There is always a looney for everything.

The drive also works with DVD-R discs, and can support double-sided media although you’ll have to flip them yourself. Hitachi is claiming a Blu-ray disc will fit around 3 hours of full 1920 × 1080 footage and burn in 1.5hrs; alternatively, you can fit on up to six hours in 1440 × 1080 resolution. The downside from this gadget seems to be that you won’t be able to edit or fool around much with the videos, it will stay pretty much as recorded on the camcorder.

The DZ-WR90 will be released in Japan in mid-July but no pricing has been disclosed yet.

And it seems that learning how to read Japanese is the way to go…Look at picture to see the video flow, going from the image on your HDTV to the BD media.

Popularity: 14% [?]

The company stated that they want to release a 250mW blue laser diode for 6x recording as well as the first diode for 8x recorders in the next two years. Sharp has been an industry leader in this field since the early 80’s with the release of industry’s first infrared laser diode used in CDs.

During a technological briefing of its latest laser diodes developments in Japan, they showcased their latest High-Power Blue-Violet Laser Diode for Blu-Ray recorders, which are powerful enough to burn dual layer Blu-ray Discs at the 6x speed. Mass-production of two variations (GH04P25A4G and GH04P25A2G) of the diode will begin in April; the GH04P25A4G (3.3mm diameter) which will be used in lap-top Blu-ray drives and the GH04P25A2G (5.6mm diameter) which will be used in Desktop Blu-ray writers. Both have a power output of 250mW, which makes possible the 6x speed on dual-layer Blu-ray Discs (BD). Sharp also showcased a 8x powerful laser that will be able to burn single and dual layer Blu-ray discs at 8x, using a power output of 300mW. This one will be more likely to reach the mass production stage in 2009, followed by a 400mW device for multi-layer 8-12x recording in 2010.

We will be eagerly waiting!!

Popularity: 10% [?]