FAQ

Drive speed	Data rate		Write time for Single Layer BD
1X	36 Mbit/s	4.5 MB/s	95 min.
2X	72 Mbit/s	9 MB/s	47 min.
4X	144 Mbit/s	18 MB/s	24 min.
8X	288 Mbit/s	36 MB/s	12 min.
12X	432 Mbit/s	54 MB/s	8 min.

Your output device (plasma/LCD TV, display or projector) should specify that it is "HD ready", which indicates that it can play back Blu-ray discs, i.e. minimum native resolution of the display is at least 720 physical lines, and be capable of playing back 720p (1,280 x 720 dots in full-screen mode) and 1080i (1,920 x 1,080 with 50 Hz interlaced, i.e. in half-screen mode/ PAL) formats.

A "HD ready" device must also be compatible with the HDCP Digital Rights Management system. This means that, among other things, it has to at least have either a DVI interface with HDCP or an HDMI interface.

Contact the manufacturer directly if you aren't sure whether your display supports HDCP.
Anyone who wants to exploit the excellent image quality of Blu-ray discs to the fullest should opt for a "Full HD" device with a resolution of 1920 ×1080 lines in full-screen mode (1080p).

The display or projector should also be capable of not just playing back image repetition rates of 50 and 60 Hz (progressive and interlaced), but also 24 Hz.

If your display has neither an HDMI nor a DVI input, you can play back your Blu-ray discs analogue via a D-sub/VGA connection - although the image quality will obviously not be as good.

Over 9 hours of high-definition (HD) video on a 50GB disc. About 23 hours of standard-definition (SD) video on a 50GB disc.

1. Check the Master Volume by double-clicking the speaker icon in the system tray. If the Mute check box for Master Volume or Wave is checked, please uncheck it.

2. Make sure your speakers are powered on with appropriate volume. Check if the speakers' audio line is correctly connected to the speaker out or audio out hole. The color of the hole should be light green.

3. Update your sound card driver. Please visit the Web site of your sound card manufacturer and download the latest driver for your sound card.

4. Use the configuration tool come with your sound card and switch off the S/P DIF output option if you intend to output the sound via a normal speaker. Similarly, if you intend to output the sound to an amplifier, please be sure to switch the output to digital (S/P DIF) mode. 

PC and notebook drives and burners with blue lasers offer many advantages over conventional DVD drives. Home cinema lovers appreciate the excellent high definition image and sound quality of Blu-ray discs, photographers and home video fans get considerably more memory capacity for the enlargement of their archives, and graphic artists and design studios can quickly and simply store and archive their designs on one single disc.
If you want to utilise the advantages of Blu-ray discs to the full, however, you need the right equipment. Not every PC or TV set has the necessary technology to deliver the extraordinary audio-visual experience that next generation optical storage media offer. Here's a check list of the things that you should consider before you purchase or install a Blu-ray drive:
Does my PC or notebook have the necessary components?
It's absolutely essential that your system meets the following requirements before you install a Blu-ray drive:
Operating system
Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista
CPU
Dual core systems are basically adequate for Blu-ray disc drives. If your PC has a single processor (e.g. Intel Pentium 4), it should have a tact rate of at least 3.2 Ghz or be an AMD Athlon 64 FX games model, or an Intel Pentium EE Edition.
Main memory
At least 1 GB RAM
Graphics card
nVidiaGeForce: 7600 GT and higher
AMD/ATI: X1600 and higher
Your graphics card should have at least 256 MB graphics memory and support HDCP. Contact the manufacturer directly if you aren't sure whether your graphics card supports the HDCP copier management system. You should also check on your graphics card manufacturer's homepage whether you also have a driver version which supports Blu-ray discs (AMD/ATI Catalyst 6.7 and higher or nVidia ForceWare 93.71), and download the latest driver if necessary.
Can my normal DVD drive also play Blu-ray discs?
No, it can't. However, our Blu-ray disc drives are fully downwardly compatible, which means you can use them to play all standard DVD and CD formats.
Can my display or projector play back high-resolution content?
Your output device (plasma/LCD TV, display or projector) should specify that it is "HD ready", which indicates that it can play back Blu-ray discs, i.e. minimum native resolution of the display is at least 720 physical lines, and be capable of playing back 720p (1,280 x 720 dots in full-screen mode) and 1080i (1,920 x 1,080 with 50 Hz interlaced, i.e. in half-screen mode/ PAL) formats. An "HD ready" device must also be compatible with the HDCP copier management system. This means that, among other things, it has to at least have either a DVI interface with HDCP or an HDMI interface. Contact the manufacturer directly if you aren't sure whether your display supports HDCP.
Anyone who wants to exploit the excellent image quality of Blu-ray discs to the full should opt for a "Full HD" device with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 lines in full-screen mode (1080p). The display or projector should also be capable of not just playing back image repetition rates of 50 and 60 Hz (progressive and interlaced), but also 24 Hz.
If your display has neither an HDMI nor a DVI input, you can play back your Blu-ray discs analogue via a D-sub/VGA connection - although the image quality will obviously not be as good.
Note: This Sony NEC Optiarc guide is designed to help you to identify the requirements for playing high-definition movies a computer system. The guide is made as a reference only and is prepared in good faith on the basis of data or information reasonably available. Sony NEC Optiarc does not guarantee its accuracy.
Sony NEC Optiarc and its logo and all Sony NEC Optiarc product names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony NEC Optiarc or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries.
AMD(ATI) and its logo and all AMD(ATI) product names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of AMD(ATI) or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries.
Intel and its logo and all Intel product names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries.
Microsoft and its logo and all Microsoft product names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries.
nVidia and its logo and all nVidia product names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of nVidia or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries.

DVI and HDMI are the next generation video connectors. In order to view true High Definition content, it is necessary to have these connections either on the PC computer or stand alone TV. The difference between HDMI and DVI is that the HDMI connector also supports audio whereas DVI only supports video.

The maximum video resolution for Blu-ray is 1920x 1080 (1080p).

The main founders of Blu-ray are Sony, Philips and Panasonics. Blu-ray technology also has the support of Dell, Apple, Walt Disney, Fox, TDK, LG, HP, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic, Mitsubishi Electric, Warren Brothers, MGM, Paramount, and many other companies

Most BD-ROM movie titles are copy-protected. In order to watch copy-protected BD-ROM movies, your computer must meet the minimum system requirements as stated here below.

CPU: Pentium D 3.4GHz (Recommend Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz or higher)
RAM: 512MB (Recommend 1GB or more)
Display: HDCP-supported HDMI or DVI video input (Recommend 1920 x 1080 or higher)
Graphic card: PCI Express compatible, HDCP supported HDMI or DVI video output, video RAM 256MB, the latest device driver from the graphic card manufacturers. Please visit Nvidia Website to obtain more information on HDCP compliant video cards and displays.
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 7600 or ATI Radeon X1600 or higher (Highly Recommend NVIDIA GPU with PureVideo HD technology or ATI GPU with UVD technology.)
Supporting playback software application
OS: Windows XP Home / Professional SP2, Windows Vista Home Basic / Home Premium / Business / Ultimate
Internet connection (Highly Recommend Broadband)
Cyberlink advisor tool can also help you determine if your computer meets the system requirements. Please visit Cyberlink Website to obtain this tool.  

It is called Blu-ray because the laser that is used to write and read data is blue instead of red or infrared which is used for CD and DVD. It is spelt Blu instead of Blue because by law daily-used name cannot be registered as a trademark.

To playback movies you will not need internet connection. However, you will need connection if you wish to interact with the purchased BD-ROM movies that have interaction features such as update to date news or shopping.