Computer and Software Support


Blue Ray Writer with Lightscribe 

While current optical disc technologies such as DVD, DVD±R, DVD±RW, and DVD-RAM rely on a red laser to read and write data, the new format uses a blue-violet laser instead, hence the name Blu-ray. Despite the different type of lasers used, Blu-ray products can easily be made backwards compatible with CDs and DVDs through the use of a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical pickup unit. The benefit of using a blue-violet laser (405nm) is that it has a shorter wavelength than a red laser (650nm), which makes it possible to focus the laser spot with even greater precision. This allows data to be packed more tightly and stored in less space, so it's possible to fit more data on the disc even though it's the same size as a CD/DVD. This together with the change of numerical aperture to 0.85 is what enables Blu-ray Discs to hold 25GB/50GB. Recent development by Pioneer has pushed the storage capacity to 500GB on a single disc by using 20 layers. Information on Blu-ray is from http://www.blu-ray.com/info/

This drive has the following specifications

  • Can read program, data and music CDs.

  • Can write to a CDR disk

  • Can write and erase CDRW disks

  • Can write to a DVD disk

  • Can write and erase DVD+/- RW disk

  • Cannot write to a DVD dual layer disk

  • Can read DVD disks

  • Can read and write dual layer disks

  • Can erase and rewrite dual layer disks

  • Can read or write Blue-ray disks

  • Cannot write to lightscribe technology.

  • Can play DVD movies

  • No software needed to use drive. To listen to music, you will need a music application, such as Media Player, Musicmatch

  • A CD will hold up to 600 Megabytes of data.

  • A DVD will hold up to 4.5 Gigabytes of data

  • A blue ray can hold between 25 to 50 Gigabytes of data

Note: If you want to edit a document or file that is on the disk, you will have to copy it to the hard drive. Then if you want it back on a CD, you will have to a new CD disk. To put it on the disk

For instructions on how to install the drive, click here.

For help with the differences between a bit, byte, Megabytes, Gigabytes, and so on, click here.

Note A: a program, data or music CD that you make yourself in the CDRW or DVDRW may not work in all drives. This doesn't indicate a hardware issue. This is a compatibility issue between the drive that wrote the CD and the drive trying to read the CD.

Note B: The DVD-RW drives will not copy store bought DVD movies. This means you can't take Raiders of the Lost Ark and make a copy of it. It will allow you to make a home movie and then copy the home movie to a DVD-R or DVD-RW disk. 

 

Lightscribe technology - is new technology developed by Hewlett-Packard (HP) that allows you to use special software to have the drive burn a image that you either design or pick right into the disk. No labels are involved and therefore reduces the risk of the label coming unglued and damaging the drive. You will have to have a drive that supports this technology, software to create the image and special CDs. 

 

Blu-ray (not Blue-ray) also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD), is the name of a next-generation optical disc format. The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. This extra capacity combined with the use of advanced video and audio codecs will offer consumers an unprecedented HD experience.