LaCie today introduced the first external Blu-ray burning solution for Mac OS and Windows called the LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drive.

The drive records, rewrites and reads 25GB or 50GB BD-R (recordable) and BD-RE (rewritable), as well as DVD±RW DL and CD±RW. LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drives come fully equipped with Roxio burning software and dual FireWire/USB interfaces. The external solution is housed in LaCie's d2 case made of sturdy aluminum alloy.



LaCie?s d2 Blu-ray Drive is addressed to proffessionals or video editors who need to distribute HD content while retaining quality of picture and sound. The drive also supports BD-ROM movie playback, using CyberLink's Power DVD software.

LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drives come with full-featured Roxio software including Roxio Easy Media Creator 8 for Windows, and Toast 7 Titanium for Mac - both with new support for Blu-ray. Software enables BD image-to-disc recording, disc-to-disc copy, and data transfer for file backup. All users can treat BD-RE like a removable storage device with drag-and-drop capabilities, while Mac users have the ability to mount burned BD on the desktop.

50GB BD offers 10x more capacity than a single layer DVD, which gives professionals the freedom to choose a much higher bit rate when mastering content thereby greatly improving sound and picture quality. BD employs a hard topcoat and new material making discs more resistant to scratches and light.

In a partnership with Panasonic Media, the LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drive comes bundled with a 50GB BD.

LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drives are available immediately online and widely available via LaCie's specialized dealer network later this month at the suggested retail price of $1149. In addition to Roxio burning software, drives ship with CinePlayer 3.4 for HD playback on Windows.