Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of storage and wireless networking, today announces, the availability of its newest external 8x Blu-ray drive, the BR-X816U2-EU.

Ideal for users who want to upgrade their laptop or desktop PC to Blu-ray, the BR-X816U2-EU attaches via any USB 2.0 port with no additional AC power required and is ready to use immediately without any complicated installation process.

Perfect for storing, editing or watching high definition content, or writing large amounts of data to an optical drive, Buffalo’s new external 8x Blue-ray drive is also backward compatible with existing DVD and CD formats.

The drive features in-built CyberLink Blu-ray Disc Suite software which allows users to view their DVDs in near high definition quality as well as offering the option to create back-up discs of important data.

Paul Hudson, Northern European Sales Director, Buffalo Technology, said: “More and more people are expecting to watch their favourite films in high definition quality and more PCs and televisions are now supporting this. This new external Blu-ray drive provides consumers with a low-cost option for watching their own high definition content and taking advantage of the latest technology.”

Other key features include:
·         Up to 8x Blu-ray Write using a USB connection with TurboUSB® technology (Up to 5.6x Blu-ray write using USB 2.0 connection)
·         16x DVD-R Read/Write
·         32x CD-R Read/Write
·         Experience regular DVDs in near HD quality with the CyberLink DVD Upscaling feature
·         CyberLink Blu-ray Disc Suite – includes: PowerDirector, PowerProducer, PowerDVD, Power2Go, PowerBackup, InstandBurn and MediaShow
·         Ideal for use when backing up videos, photos and music
·         2 year Warranty

Pricing and availability
Buffalo’s external 8x Blu-ray drive available from November 2009 from Amazon, Dabs, Insight, Misco and other leading resellers.

BR-X816U2-EU – SRP – £189.99