Buffalo announces USB 3.0 external 12x Blu-ray burner

Buffalo Technology has announced that they are currently producing the MediaStation 12x External USB 3.0 Blu-ray Writer. The 12x write speed and compatibility with the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 standard will make this the fastest Blu-ray writer available on the market.

This new MediaStation BR3D-12U3 will also be backwards compatible with USB 2.0 although the maximum read speed for a USB 2.0 connection is limited to 8x. It will include the CyberLink Blu-ray 3D Ready Media Suite which enables full HD and Blu-ray 3D playback and supports 2D to 3D DVD conversion and DVD upscaling, to allow for viewing and recording of DVDs in near-HD quality.

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Media formats supported by the drive are BD-R SL at 8x read / 12x write, DVD+/-R SL at 16x read / 16x write  and CD-R at 40x read / 40x write speeds. PowerDirector, Power2Go, PowerBackup, PowerProducer, and MediaShow will all be bundled in the retail package.

The external casing measures 6.3" x 2" x 8.7" and weighs less than three pounds. Buffalo is touting that this new MediaStation will be simple to set up as it will not require driver setup in order to get started using it.

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Ralph Spagnola, VP of sales at Buffalo states that, “an ever increasing focus on interaction between consumers and their content,” is what is driving the evolution of digital media products. "By combining unsurpassed speeds, 3D support and video upscaling, our new MediaStation writer delivers the performance required for an unrivaled consumer Blu-ray experience at home," Spagnola said regarding the product launch.

The MediaStation BR3D-12U3 12x External USB 3.0 Blu-ray Writer is set to ship to the US later this month, and will retail for $349.99. That price will include a one year limited warranty and tech support.

You’ll need a motherboard with USB 3.0 chipset support in order to take advantage of the 12x Blu-ray write speeds .  As we wrote earlier this month, Intel motherboards will not support the USB 3.0 standard until at least 2012. Other manufacturers, however, are currently selling compatible motherboards, including Asus, ASRock, and Gigabyte, with more announcements expected from others in the near future.

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