Preview: Pioneer BDR-101A |
Pioneer Europe NV was kind enough to send us their first Blu-Ray drive, the BDR-101A. Pioneer has a good reputation for producing quality products. In this preview, will be taking a look at what this new technology has to offer
The Pioneer BDR-101A supports 2x BD-R/RE, 8x DVD±R, 4x DVD+RW/-RW and 2.4x/2x DVD+R DL/DVD-R DL writing technology, allowing BR-R/RE discs of 25 GB and Double/Dual Layer DVD+R/-R DL discs of 8.5GB to be written.
Drive specifications:
The key features and specifications of the Pioneer BDR-101A were found at the Pioneer UK website.
BDR-101A | |
Writes and reads BD-R/RE, DVD-R/RW and +R/RW formats | |
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Buffer under-run protection for BD/DVD | |
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Max. 2X writing speed for BD-R/RE | |
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BD data capacity: 25GB Single Layer disc. DVD data capacity: 4.7GB Single Layer disc, 8.5GB Dual/Double Layer disc. | |
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Software bundle included - Roxio DigtalMedia LE Ver.7 | |
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Specifications | BDR-101A |
Write Support | ⋅ BD-R (Ver 1.0 Single Layer), BD-RE (Ver 2.0 Single Layer) ⋅ DVD-R (Ver 2.0 for General disc only), DVD-R DL (Dual Layer, Ver 3.0), DVD-RW (Ver 1.0, 1.1 & 1.2) , +R (Ver 1.0, 1.1 & 1.2), +R DL (Double Layer Ver 1.0), +RW (Ver 1.1 & 1.2), +RW High Speed (Ver 1.0) |
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Read Support | ⋅ BD-ROM (Ver 1.0 Single & Dual Layer)* ⋅ BD-R (Ver 1.0 Single Layer) ⋅ BD-RE (Ver 2.0 Single Layer) ⋅ DVD-ROM & DVD-Video (Single & Dual Layer, Single & Dual Sided) ⋅ DVD-R, DVD-R DL (Dual Layer), DVD-RW ⋅ DVD-R (Ver 1.0 & 2.0 for Authoring) ⋅ +R, +R DL (Double Layer), +RW |
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Write Speed BD-R Single Layer | 2x CLV (8.99 MB/sec) |
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Write Speed BD-RE Single Layer | 2x CLV (8.99 MB/sec) |
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Write Speed DVD-R | ⋅ 8x Zone CLV (11.08 MB/sec) ⋅ 4x CLV (5.54 MB/sec)* ⋅ 2x CLV (2.77 MB/sec)* ⋅ 1x CLV (1.385 MB/sec)* |
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Write Speed DVD-R Dual Layer | 2x CLV (2.77 MB/sec) |
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Write Speed DVD-RW | ⋅ 4x CLV (5.54 MB/sec)* ⋅ 2x CLV (2.77 MB/sec)* ⋅ 1x CLV (1.385 MB/sec)* |
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Write Speed +R | ⋅ 8x Zone CLV (11.08 MB/sec) ⋅ 4x CLV (5.54 MB/sec) ⋅ 2.4x CLV (3.32 MB/sec) |
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Write Speed +R Double Layer | 2.4x CLV (3.32 MB/sec) |
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Write Speed +RW | ⋅ 4x CLV (5.54 MB/sec) ⋅ 3.3x CLV (4.57 MB/sec) ⋅ 2.4x CLV (3.32 MB/sec) |
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Read Speed BD-ROM Single and Dual Layer | 2x CLV (8.99 MB/sec) |
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Read Speed BD-R Single Layer | 2x CLV (8.99 MB/sec) |
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Read Speed BD-RE Single Layer | 2x CLV (8.99 MB/sec) |
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Read Speed DVD-ROM (Single Layer) | Max. 8x CAV (11.08 MB/sec) |
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Read Speed DVD-ROM (Dual Layer) | Max. 8x CAV (11.08 MB/sec) |
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Read Speed DVD-Video (with CSS, Single / Dual Layer) | Max. 5x CAV (6.925 MB/sec) |
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Read Speed DVD-R, DVD-R Dual Layer, DVD-RW | Max. 8x CAV (11.08 MB/sec), Max. 6x CAV (8.31 MB/sec), Max. 6x CAV (8.31 MB/sec) |
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Read Speed +R, +R Double Layer, +RW | Max. 8x CAV (11.08 MB/sec), Max. 6x CAV (8.31 MB/sec), Max. 6x CAV (8.31 MB/sec) |
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Access Time BD-ROM/DVD-ROM | 250msec, 150 msec (Random Average) |
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Interface | ATAPI (ATA-5, SFF-8090) |
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IDE Data Transfer Mode | PIO Mode 4, Multi Word DMA Mode 2, Ultra DMA Mode 2, Ultra DMA Mode 4 (Ultra-DMA66)* |
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Data Buffer | BD = 8MB, DVD = 2MB |
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Mounting Orientation | Horizontal and Vertical (+/- 5 degrees)* |
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Power Requirement | +5V 1.25A |
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Power Consumption | 25.4W (Maximum peak during start up), 3.09W (Standby average, Laser & Motor OFF), 7.42W (Average during BD-RE 2X CLV write), 7.57W (Average during DVD-R 8X Zone CLV Write) |
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Regulatory Approval | UL60950-1 First Edition, CSA C22.2 No.60950-1-03, EN60950-1:2001+A11, CB Report: IEC60950-1:2001, FIMKO, SEMKO (Optional) |
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Dimensions (W x H x D) | (Including height of Front Bezel) 148 x 42.3 x 198 mm |
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Net Weight | 1.1 kg |
What's inside the box?
Now it's time to take a look at the drive itself:
The drive supplied was the retail version, and was supplied with software and instruction booklet.
Bezel
The bezel of the Pioneer BDR-101A is cleanly styled. On the tray we can see the Blu-Ray logo, and we can also see an intake cooling vent, an emergency eject hole, a single coloured green LED for read and write, and an eject button.
Top
Label
On the top of the drive we found two labels, and we can see that the drive was made in Japan, dated March 2006.
Bottom
Rear
On the rear of the drive starting from the left, we can see a diagnostics connector, analogue audio connector, jumpers for cable select, slave, and master; IDE connector, and finally the power connector. We can also see a cooling fan just above the IDE connector.
Also supplied with our test Pioneer BDR-101A drive, was Roxio's DigitalMedia V7 software suite. We did not however use this software in this article.
Now let's take a look at the drive installation and features on the next page