Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions (PLDS) introduced the Lite-On DH-4O1S, the company's first BD-ROM drive available for €179.

The Lite-On DH-4O1S is a read-only device for all popular media formats, including Blu-ray discs. Besides Blu-ray discs, the drive can read DVD+/-R(W) and CD-R(W) media. The retail pack includes an extra silver bezel and a SATA cable to connect the drive to the motherboard of the PC. It also includes a Cyberlink Blu-ray software package for playback Blu-ray media in high definition. The complete pack will be available from December for an estimated retail price of €179,-.





"With this BD-ROM drive we make the Blu-ray format available to a wider audience then ever before," says Jelmer Veldman, marketing manager for PLDS in Europe. "Because it is a read-only device, we are able to reduce the price to a level that it becomes more interesting to make that step to the next generation format. People can now enjoy high definition playback on their PC. And instead of spending hundreds of euros on a standalone Blu-ray player, one can use an HDMI cable to connect his/her PC with a TV-set and enjoy high definition using their BD-ROM drive as their Blu-ray playback device."

The DH-4O1S has a Serial ATA interface and reads BD-R/RE/ROM/SL/DL media at a maximum of 4X. Single Layer DVD ±R can be read at 12X, while Double Layer DVD±R and Single Layer DVD-±RW can be read at 8X. CD-R(W) can be read at a maximum speed of 32X.

The DH-4O1S appears to be the only device currently on the market that solely supports BD/DVD/CD playback. Pioneer has also released the BDC-202 BD-ROM drive, but it additionally offers DVD/CD burning capabilities besides BD-ROM. On the other hand, the companies that back the HD DVD format have not come up with any HD DVD-ROM solution for PC, at least for the retail market.

PLDS (Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions) is a joint venture between Royal Philips Electronics and Lite-On IT Corporation, established in 2007 and active in the market of Optical Disc Drives (ODD). PLDS has multiple ODD brands in its portfolio: Lite-On, HP (under exclusive license) and Philips (in United States only).