Pioneer Unviles First 12x Blu-Ray Writer BDR-205

Blu-ray players are becoming more and common on many notebook and desktop computers as most systems support HD content. What we still don't see a whole lot of on computers are internal Blu-ray writers. Pioneer has unveiled the first 12x speed Blu-ray burner for desktop computers today.

The burner is called the BDR-205 and it is an internal 5.25-inch drive. The drive is designed to be integrated into computers by system builders or users looking to upgrade to Blu-ray writing capability. The high capacity of Blu-ray discs also makes the drive a viable backup medium.

The writer can burn Blu-ray media at 12x write speeds, can write to DVD at 16x speed and CD media at 40x. Pioneer will begin shipping the new drive in October for $249. It wasn't so long ago that this drive would have carried a price tag five times that amount. The drive connects via SATA.