LaCie d2 External Blu-ray burner (2X BD-R/E) review: LaCie d2 External Blu-ray burner (2X BD-R/E)
LaCie d2 External Blu-ray burner (2X BD-R/E)
Drive type | External Blu-ray multidrive |
Supported media | BD-ROM; BR-RE (25GB and 50GB); BD-R (25GB and 50GB); DVD-ROM; DVD-Video; DV+/-R DL; DVD+/-R; DVD+/-RW; CD-R; CD-RW; CD-DA; CD-ROM; Video CD, Photo CD, CD Text, CD Extra |
Maximum write speeds | 2X BD-R; 2X BD-RE; 4X DVD+/-R DL; 8X DVD+/-R; 8X DVD+RW; 6X DVD-RW; 32X CD-R; 24X CD-RW |
Buffer memory | 8MB |
Dimensions (WDH) | 5.75x7.48x1.63 inches |
Notable design features | None |
Interface | 1x USB 2.0 port; 2x FireWire 400 ports (6-pin IEEE 1394a) |
Supported operating systems | Windows XP SP2 or Mac OS 10.3.9 or higher |
System requirements | Windows: Pentium 4 Dual Core 3GHZ processor or higher; Mac: PowerPC G4 or Mac Intel processor or higher; minimum 512MB RAM |
HD video playback | Nvidia 7600GT, ATI X1600 series GPU with latest driver; minimum 1,280x1,024 monitor resolution. Playing protected BD movies in HD through a digital DVI or HDMI interface requires an HDCP GPU and HDCP-ready display |
Software included | Total media Extreme (Windows); Toast 7.1.1 Titanium |
Any additional features | Supports 8cm or 12cm discs |
Service and support | One-year warranty; toll-based phone support available weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT; LaCie's Web site includes FAQs, document downloads, and e-mail support. |
In our CNET Labs' tests, the LaCie d2 Blu-ray drive performed on a par with other Blu-ray drives we've tested. Technically speaking, though, the d2 had the edge based on its higher bandwidth connection. For our tests, we used the FireWire 400 port. Ripping an 8.47GB commercial DVD movie took 23 minutes and 12 seconds. Burning that image to a DVD+R DL took 20 minutes and 50 seconds. A 4.48GB mixed data file took 10 minutes and 23 seconds to burn to DVD. It took the drive 4 minutes and 13 seconds to rip a 746MB commercial CD. Burning the CD image to a CD-R took 4 minutes and 37 seconds. When it came to HD content, the LaCie d2 essentially matched the Sony BWU-100A internal drive, though the d2 won by a very slight margin. Burning a BD-R with 23GB of mixed data files took 1 hour, 39 minutes, and 46 seconds, where the BWU-100A took 1 hour, 40 minutes, and 11 seconds. Ripping that same file took the LaCie drive 4 hours, 56 minutes, and 5 seconds; the BWU-100A took 5 hours, 2 minutes, and 22 seconds.