HD Gathers Momentum as Pioneer Launches its Second Generation Blu-ray Disc writer

Press release

HD Gathers Momentum as Pioneer Launches its Second Generation Blu-ray Disc writer  - The BDR-202

As momentum builds behind HD content with the launch of a range of new movie titles pressed to Blu-ray Disc (BD), Pioneer today confirms the European availability of its latest BD writer. The BDR-202 internal drive for PCs supports the reading and writing of both write-once (BD-R) and rewritable (BD-RE) single-layer BDs at 144Mbps and 72Mbps respectively. The versatile writer is equipped with a range of proprietary technologies to enhance writing performance and is also compatible with a range of DVD and CD media; speeds include 12X writing to DVD-R/+R, 6X to DVD-RW/+RW and 24X to CD-R/RW.

The BDR-202 is targeted at professional users working with data intensive applications such as graphics houses and creative companies composing HD content. Authoring houses will also purchase the writer to remaster commercial BD releases. In addition, consumers who regularly work with voracious data applications, including building video and music libraries, may elect to use the 25GB capacity offered by BD to manage their multimedia files. Using MPEG-2 compression at a high-definition (HD) bit rate (19.4Mbps), a typical film of 135 minutes requires approximately 19.6GB of storage space - equivalent to around four single-layer DVDs - compared to a single BD that can easily accommodate the movie and a range of interactive extras.

The BD format is leading the transition towards HD content. It's strongly promoted by movie studios; seven out of the eight major studios press their titles to BD. Furthermore, the format enjoys backing from consumer electronics, PC manufacturers and media companies: over 170 major organisations support it. In the PC market these include Dell and HP; in the consumer electronics sector, Pioneer, Philips, Sony, Hitachi, LG and Samsung; and in the media sector, TDK, Verbatim, Sony and Panasonic.

‘Interest in HD among consumers is increasing. The scale of the major brands backing the format across IT and CE environments ensures that manufacturers can quickly respond to meet demand. This in turn will increase price competition to add additional momentum to BD,’ says Chris Tampsett, Sales Director, Pioneer Europe Multimedia Division. ‘It’s also important to recognise that BD delivers the step-up in optical storage performance that consumers require and content companies need to deliver feature-rich movies and HD gaming on a single disc; the format provides the capacity to ensure that it’s the natural long-term successor to DVD.’

Main features

BD/DVD/CD compatible lens

The optical pickup unit is equipped with Pioneer's newly developed BD/DVD/CD three-way compatible lens that realises high-speed recording at a maximum speed of 4X on BD-R media and 2X speed on BD-RE. The writer also reads BD-ROM and DVD-ROM discs, and read/writes to DVD-R/+R, DVD-RW/+RW, DVD-R DL/+R DL Dual/Double-Layer discs and also CD-R/RW discs.

Proprietary high-quality technologies for both BD and DVD discs

The BDR-202 includes a range of innovations to enhance read/write capabilities including:

Ultra DRA: Ultra DRA is a technology developed to suppress vibration when writing based on know-how that Pioneer has been cultivating in the development of DVD writers.

Limited Equalizer LSI: the Limited Equalizer LSI dramatically improves reading reliability 

Multi-Effect Liquid Crystal Tilt Compensator: this advances the recording and playback characteristics by adding correction to the laser beam which compensates for disc impurities such as titled media and media of various thickness. 

 Software support
The BDR-202 includes bundled software to enable the creation and playback of BD movies and the creation and playback of DVDs and CDs.

 Availability
The BDR-202 will be available on an OEM basis from June 2007 and it can also be purchased through Pioneer’s distribution network.

About Pioneer Europe NV

Pioneer Europe NV is the regional European headquarters of the Pioneer Corporation, a global leader in electronics and audio/video products for the home, car, commerce and industry, particularly in the following core multimedia technologies - digital versatile disc (DVD), plasma display panels (PDP), and in-car navigation and AV systems. Its shares are traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Product Specifications

BDR-202

Buffer Memory Size:          4MB ('Buffer Under Run' protection for BD, DVD and CD)

ATAPI Interface:                Serial ATA Revision 1.0a

Data Transfer Mode:          Gen1i, 1.5Gbits/sec

Audio Interface:                 Stereo audio output

Dimensions:                      W=148 x D=185 x H=42.3mm (including front bezel)

Net Weight:                       0.98Kg

Write speed

Read Speed