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Japanese Mac users get their first Blu-Ray

Written by Dave Horvath @ 02 Aug 2006 5:55 User comments (16)

Japanese Mac users get their first Blu-Ray The Japanese media specialist Logitec is ready to ship what appears to be the world's first OS-X compatible Blu-Ray player for Apple's Macintosh computer systems. The 2x Blu-Ray Disk drive can write to BD-R and BD-RE media allowing the handling of both 25Gb and 50Gb disks.
Logitec's new drive, the LBD-A2FU2/WM will also support current formats such as DVD-RAM, DVD±R/RW, dual-layer DVD±R and CD-R/RW. To top it off, Logitec has graced it's potential supporters with the ability to interface by either USB 2.0 or Firewire.

The drive will ship with the new version of Toast 7 Titanium and is expected to cost in the neighborhood of ¥132,000 ($1,148/£614/€899). No word yet on international shipping.

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16 user comments

12.8.2006 07:27

Wow... i never thought that macs would get Blu-ray first. the price tag isnt to bad either. the only dowside is the flight to get to japan might make it too expensive. lol

22.8.2006 09:15
DamonDash
Inactive

Bye Bye HD-DVD

32.8.2006 10:13

i dont know but 2x sounds real slow for 25-50gb disks well sounds like it might take a little to long.....

42.8.2006 10:22

they're not the first to get Blu-ray, just that logitec is the first to supply a drive for macs. you can't let those mac losers suffer too long I suppose....and remember 2X for Blu-ray speed is much faster, just like 2X for DVD is more data than 2X for CDROM.

52.8.2006 11:03

@djscoop- that makes a lot more sense.

62.8.2006 14:54
gogochar
Inactive

I'm just gonna wait until the DRM's cracked so I can buy both HD DVD and Blu-ray and just buy one Blu-ray player. :)

72.8.2006 17:50

Well we first need to see some HD DVD-Rs and BD-Rs drives, and media and compare the prices. Kind of like how current DVD+R discs are around $.50 a disc and DVD+R DL discs go about 1.50 to 2.50 a disc.

83.8.2006 03:28

play.com have had blue-ray burners and media for a while now,not cheap obviously but they are here! http://www.play.com/Search.aspx?searchtype=ELEC&searchstring=blueray&page=search&pa=search

93.8.2006 03:35

for me, which ever disks offer the best scratch resistance and read durability gets my money. the disk space capacity is not going to make a differnce, for HD movies anyway.

103.8.2006 03:58

anyone know if HD DVD and BR use a diffrent speed mesurement system,I now 2X CD is like half or 1/4 of 2X DVD,so are the enw formats faster than DVDs are use the same speed rateings? think about it 2X DVD write speed clears a whole DVD in what 1 hour? so 2X DVD speed at soemthing 4 times or bigger than a DVD......they have to use a new speed setup wouldnt they? I mean if a 16X clears a DVD in 10 min then at 16X a normal BR disc would finish in 50min 0-o BTW...what the hell dose RE(br re)stand for? re eit???...engrigsh LOL

113.8.2006 05:12

the sad point of this is that apple just sold thousands of their ibooks to schools all over the state of Maine in the USA but do you think one of thease units would have a blue ray no they went as cheap as they couls ... it would have been a great way to introduse them to the US market by putting them into the hands of future buyers and help an educational system who has bought them from them for the last 4 years.. in Maine all students in the 7th and 8th grade get a ibook to use for academics issued to them . this would have shown the world that they wanted to do whats right and it would have incouraged parents to buy them for their homes, with the dual format(bootstrap) tiger and XP can be run on the daul core units and with blueray this would have made an unstoppable incursion into mainstream life for families and busneiss.

123.8.2006 07:21

Remember that the purchase of Macs for schools in the US is subsidised by the government (and you thought Apple were such nice people selling you cheap computers!), so dont be suprised if corners are cut.

133.8.2006 09:21

Quote:
The drive will ship with the new version of Toast 7 Titanium and is expected to cost in the neighborhood of ¥132,000 ($1,148/£614/€899). No word yet on international shipping.
Quote:
Bye Bye HD-DVD
Yes - with a price tag of $1,148.00 for the drive alone and $15 -$25 for each blank single layer disc - this will really mean the death of HD-DVD.

143.8.2006 09:25

Sting for HD-DVD ouch! Mac's often get the lastest first but Windows will soon follow just watch

163.8.2006 14:21
johnodd4
Inactive

allthough this sounds great one problem is that macs own dvd player software doesn't recognize blu ray so even if you purchase this drive you are still screwed when you want to watch a blu ray dvd disk

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