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Pioneer Announces Thin, Light External Blu-ray Burner

Pioneer has unveiled its external optical drive, touting it as the "world's smallest and lightest portable [Blu-ray] burner."

January 6, 2012

Pioneer has unveiled its external optical drive, touting it as the "world's smallest and lightest portable [Blu-ray] burner."

The BDR-XD04 measures a slim 0.55 by 5.2 by 5.2-inches (HWD) and weighs 8.46 ounces. It sports a black clamshell design, as opposed to a slot or tray-loading mechanism. Pioneer has outfitted the device with a USB 2.0 interface, which won't provide the same fast data transfer speeds as a USB 3.0 connection. The BDR-XD04 also draws power from the USB port on your computer—no AC adapter required, however, you'll have the option in case the PC can't provide the proper power output.

"As the popularity of drive-less ultrabooks continues to rise, the BDR-XD04 becomes the ideal accessory because of its compact size and portability," said Steven Cohn, director of Optical Sales for the Home Electronics Industrial Department at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. "There's a growing need for a drive that's highly transportable for playing CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs, as well as for storing valuable personal files on a secure, removable medium."

The BDR-XD04 has a 6x write speed and can handle a series of disc formats: triple-layer 100GB BD-R, quad-layer 128GB BD-R, triple-layer 100GB BD-RE, DVDs, and CDs. It features an auto quiet mode, which minimizes noise by reducing rotation speeds; PureRead2+, which prevents clicking noises when there are minor disc scratches; and PowerRead, which improves playback when discs are slightly damaged, and will move to the next available data point if the portion of the disc is beyond readable.

The Pioneer BDR-XD04 will be available in mid January for $149.

Earlier this week, two new networked audio players—the Elite N-30 and N-50—which can stream music over AirPlay and DLNA 1.5.