Nov 3 2009 - Now that the format war is over between the Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats, interest in the drives has picked up. The drives themselves are still quite expensive, but at least they support the ability to read and write CD and DVD media as well. If you are interestied in getting a drive for your desktop PC, you want to make sure you spend your money wisely. Here are my selections for the best internal desktop Blu-ray drives based upon my research and experience.
Best Blu-ray Burner - Pioneer BDR-205
©Pioneer Electronics Inc
If you are looking for the fastest drive to burn a Blu-ray disc (provided you can find compatible media), then the Pioneer BDR-205 is currently the fastest available. The drive can record BD-R and BD-R DL media up to 12x speeds. BD-RE (rewritable) media is still restricted to 2x speeds however. Speeds for the older DVD and CD media are a bit more restricted with 16x for DVD and 40x for CD media. The drive uses the SATA interface and comes with a 4MB buffer. Prices are around $220.
Best Value Blu-ray Burner - LG Electronics WH08LS20K
©LG Electronics
If you don't need the fastest drive when it comes to writing Blu-ray media but want a good all-around drive for Blu-ray as well as DVD and CD media, then LG Electronics WH08LS20K is certainly the best overall value. The drive can record to BD-R media at 8x while BD-R DL is a bit slower at 4x. DVD+/-R speeds top out at 16x but the CD-R speeds are a bit higher at 40x. It uses the SATA interface and can be found for around $180.
Best Blu-ray Combo Drive - LG Electronics CH08LS10
©LG Electronics
A Blu-ray combo drive is something that users will want to purchase to have the ability to play Blu-ray movies on their computer but don't need the ability to burn Blu-ray discs. While they don't have the ability to burn the high definition format, they can still burn both DVD and CD media. Those looking for a drive like this would be best served by the LG Electronics CH08LS10. The drive features an 8x read speed for Blu-ray media and can record DVD media up to 16x speed. CD media can be recorded up to 40x speeds. It uses a SATA interface. Prices are around $120.
Best Value Blu-ray Combo Drive - Lite-On ihes108-29
©LITE-ON IT Corporation
If you are looking for the least expensive Blu-ray drive to add to your desktop computer, the Lite-On ihes10829 will have you covered. The drive supports playback of Blu-ray discs at 8x speeds while having some outstanding CD support. The DVD recording and playback speeds are standard with 16x recording and 8x dual layer or rewritable speeds. The CD support for the drive is outstanding though with a very fast 48x recording and playback speed. The drive is sold as an OEM unit meaning that it lacks any playback software for Blu-ray movies. It uses the SATA interface and is priced around $90.
