Sony has just released its third generation internal Blu-ray disc writer for the masses without costing too much, ensuring you get to make an affordable upgrade for a cost-effective backup solution. This new model is known as the BWU-300S, and unless you have tons of data to burn and make backup copies at home or at the office, I still think regular DVDs will suffice. After all, not every home has a Blu-ray player at this point in time, but sure as heck nearly every home with a computer is able to read DVDs, right? More on the Sony BWU-300S right after the jump.

The new BWU-300S model burns single and dual layer BD-R media at up to 8X speed, recording a full 25GB disc in about 15 minutes and a full 50GB disc in about 30 minutes. The 8X recording speed is achieved using 6X compatible BD-R media. The drive also records DVDs at up to 16X, CDs up to 48X, and supports DVD-RAM recording, with an eye towards data backup, making it an excellent replacement burner for a standard DVD drive while offering all the benefits of Blu-ray Disc technology. The BWU-300S drive can record up to 50GB of data for random access storage and backup on BD-R (write once) or BD-RE (rewritable) discs, or up to 230 minutes of high-definition HDV 1080i video on a BD-R/RE 50GB disc. It also supports recording on standard single layer 4.7GB DVD+-R/+-RW/-RAM discs, 8.5GB DVD+-R double/dual layer discs, and CDs. The internal drive features a Serial ATA (SATA) interface and standard 5.25-inch form-factor for easy installation inside a desktop PC with Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista operating systems. Also included with the drive is CyberLink’s software suite for capturing, authoring, editing, burning and viewing high-definition personal content.

This $400 drive is not all about work though, since you get to have some fun by sampling a Blu-ray movie if you haven’t yet got the high definition bug. Each purchase comes with a Blu-ray version of Men in Black - an old film (by today’s standards) that is still as entertaining as it was when released many years ago. Compared to the regular DVD version, this Blu-ray version features advanced BD-Live enabled bonus features such as a multiplayer trivia game, an interactive Frank the Pug advice generator and an alien subtitle track among others.

Press Release