Buffalo Technology sent out a press release today, announcing its new MediaStation 8x Blu-ray Drives. The external BR-816SU2 and internal BR-816FBS feature 8x BD-R and 2x BD-RE writing speeds as well as a maximum BD-ROM read speed of 8x.

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Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking, storage and memory solutions today announced its new Blu-ray DVD Combo drives, the MediaStation 8x External Blu-ray Drive and MediaStation 8x Internal Blu-ray Drive. Offering unsurpassed 8x Read/Write speeds, these new MediaStation drives are the fastest on the market. They are ideal for "power PC" users who want optimal playback performance of Blu-ray discs, DVDs, or CDs on their PCs or notebooks or for those who want to archive content to optical discs.

The external MediaStation connects conveniently via USB 2.0 or eSATA, and the internal drive can be easily installed into your PC via SATA. Both devices also include CyberLink software suite for Windows with DVD Up-Sampling, which allows you to view DVDs in near HD quality. The MediaStation is a great solution to periodically backup and archive your data, preventing content from being altered or erased in the event your system is attacked by a virus or other malware.

"Everyday digital media continues to grow as an essential part of our lives," stated Ken Higgins, vice president of sales at Buffalo Technology. "By combining the ability to read, write and playback DVDs, CDs and Blu-ray discs, the two new MediaStation drives offer the best of both worlds with superior video quality and unmatched performance."

Both MediaStation devices have an easy setup process and no drivers are required to operate. Buffalo's MediaStation Blu-ray drives support the following formats: Blu-ray BD-R 8x, Blu-ray BD-RE 2x, DVD RAM 5x, DVD -R 16x, DVD +R 16x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD +RW 8x, CD-R 48x, and CD-RW 24x.

For full video editing and playback, both devices include PowerDVD for video viewing, PowerDirector for video editing, Power2Go for DVD authoring and burning, PowerBackup for archiving and backup, and PowerProducer for HD video capturing and authoring as well as burning DVDs and Blu-ray. In addition, both drives ship with InstantBurn and Medi@Show to complete any presentation. The MediaStation External drive offers the flexibility of two ports, one USB 2.0 and one eSATA. It measures 6.4" x 1.9" x 11" and weighs only 3.97 pounds. The internal drive simply slides into a standard drive bay.

Pricing and Availability

Backed by a limited one-year warranty and toll-free 24/7 technical support, the MediaStation 8x External Blu-ray Drive and MediaStation 8x Internal Blu-ray Drive will be available later this month at estimated street prices of $399.99 for the external (BR-816SU2) and $349.99 for the internal (BR-816FBS) drive.