Pioneer unveils $299 Blu-ray drive

Electronics manufacturer Pioneer has unveiled a $299 Blu-ray disc computer drive which will be available to consumers next month.

The BDC-2202 Pioneer Blu-ray Disc combination drive allows users to play back new high definition Blu-ray film titles as well as read and write digital content to DVD and CD.

The drive can read BD-ROM/BD-R/BD-RE at up to 5x and can read BD-ROM (DL) and BD-R/-RE (DL) at up to 2x speed.

The BDC-2202 comes bundled with media software that ensures compatibility with commercially released Blu-ray movies.

It also allows users to create personal DVD movies and digital photo slideshows, securely back-up personal data and media files to DVD or CD, and create and burn music to CD.

The software offers a Direct-to-Disc feature allowing users to capture movies directly from the camcorder to DVD without having to use hard drive space.

"The BDC-2202 offers computer savvy consumers what was previously only available to professional users," said Andy Parsons, senior vice president at Pioneer Electronics.

"In addition to maintaining the same benefits of current optical disc drives, the included software means that users can now enjoy their favourite Blu-ray movies as well as their own personal disc creations."