BIOS: Technology Means Business

After much hype and delay, consumers, professional videographers and filmmakers can store, record and experience the highest capacity of high-definition video available - from capture to playback.

Sony’s first internal Blue-ray drive (BWU-100A) features an IDE (ATA/ATAPI) interface and standard 5.25-inch form factor for installation inside a Windows-based PC. Be careful though, as the faceplate may be too large to fit inside your enclosure. The wholly-black drive (Best Current Price: £499/$629) supports an impressive 50GB of data on BD-R (write once) or BD-RE (rewritable) discs, the equivalent of 4 hours of high-definition video using HDV 1080i. In terms of speed, the BWU-100A is capable of burning a full 25GB disc in about 50 minutes.

For personal content captured on a HDV camcorder, Sony’s BWU-100A is optimised for keeping your video in its native HDV 1080i for playback on regular DVD players compatible with the BD-AV format and PCs with Blu-Ray drives installed. The BWU-100A also supports recording of standard single layer 4.7GB DVD+R/+RW/RAM discs, 8.5GB DVD+R Double/Dual Layer Discs, and CDs, making it a versatile workhorse. In fact, the total list of supported media is amazing: BD-ROM, BD-AV, BD-R, BD-RE, DVD-R/-R DL/-RW, DVD+R/DVD+R DL/+RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, CD-DA, CD-ROM (XA), CD Extra, Video CD, Photo CD, and CD Text.

The drive isn't quite as fast at DVD burning as a dedicated DVD recordable drive, but its speed is worth noting: Write (BD-R 50GB/25GB) 2x CLV, Write (BD-RE 50GB/25GB) 2x CLV, Write (DVD-R) 4x CLV, 6x to 8x Z-CLV, Write (DVD-R DL) 4x CLV, Write (DVD-RW) 6x CLV, Write (DVD+R) 6x to 8x Z-CLV, Write (DVD+R DL) 4x CLV, Write (DVD+RW) 6x to 8x Z-CLV, Write (DVD-RAM) 5x Z-CLV, Write (CD-R) 12x to 24x Z-CLV, Write (CD-RW) 12x to 16x Z-CLV, Read (BD-ROM) 2x, Read (DVD-ROM) 8x, and Read (CD-ROM) 32x.

Other technical niceties include a sustained data transfer rate of 9MB/s (2x BD-ROM), 10.8MB/s (8x DVD-ROM), and 4.6MB/s (32x CD-ROM). It has an average access time of 210ms (BD-ROM), 170ms (DVD-ROM), and 160ms (CD-ROM), while the burst transfer rate is 66.6MB/s Ultra DMA Mode 4, 33.3MB/s Ultra DMA Mode 2, and 16.6MB/s Multiword DMA Mode 2. Finally, the drive has an 8MB memory buffer and draws 1.1A max (+5V DC), 2.2A max (+12V DC) power.

The BWU-100A comes bundled with the CyberLink’s BD Solution, which provides a low-end but useful solution for capturing, authoring, editing and burning high-definition personal content captured by a HDV 1080i format camcorder onto BD discs. Video can also be ‘down-converted’ to standard-definition resolution for burning onto DVDs. The CyberLink PowerDVD software that is presently bundled with the drive can play back Blu-ray Discs that you record with the BWU-100A (BDAV format BD-RE discs), and even traditional DVD video discs. However, playing commercial Blu-ray Disc content (BD-ROMs) requires your PC to become part of a secure playback environment because the content is protected with AACS copy protection.

The BWU-100A is capable of playing back commercial Blu-ray Disc movies (also known as BD-ROMs), however an upgrade to the CyberLink PowerDVD software is required to make it BD-ROM compatible. Additionally, hardware upgrades to your PC may be required for full BD-ROM support. Thankfully, Sony has started to provide a free upgrade to the CyberLink PowerDVD software which provides BD-ROM compatibility.

However, high-definition playback isn’t that simple and you need other hardware ingredients in order to play back Blu-ray movies. These include a graphics card capable of handling HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection), a display with an HDCP-capable DVI or HDMI input, and a video card driver capable of handling Blu-ray playback (such as nVidia’s 93.71 drivers). If you don’t have a video card/display/video driver combination capable of handling HDCP, then you won’t get Blu-ray playback. Some BD-ROMs may restrict video output to be standard definition or even prohibit analogue video output at all. It is strongly recommended that digital HDCP-compliant environment be implemented for optimum compatibility and viewing quality.

If your system ticks all these boxes, Sony’s BWU-100A represents a significant leap in storage technology. The BWU-100A offers relatively mediocre Blu-ray recording performance, but it’s really a tool for content authoring. It is suitable for high-end home-theatre systems, too, but the price will deter most movie buffs. Overall Sony has created a typically well-mannered product that covers all the bases - CD burning, DVD recording and Blu-ray movie playback, as well as Blu-ray disc recording. The downside? It’s pricey (expect similar drives to cost half as much in a year or so) and there’s still the pesky Blu-ray versus HD-DVD question, which may take several more years to iron out. For enthusiasts looking for Blu-ray playback on the PC, it's a good start. [7.5]

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