Pioneer Japan announced its new BDR-X12J-UHD and BDR-X12JBK external SuperSpeed USB 3.1 Blu-ray Disc (BD) recorders.

Translated press release follows:

Pioneer Corporation – January 7, 2020

New release of two external BD / DVD / CD writers for Windows / Mac that support BD-R 16x recording –

playback of “Ultra HD Blu-ray” * 1 and direct import of CDs to Android ™ devices Support playback –

* Manufacturer: Pioneer Corporation Sales Company: Estee Trade Co., Ltd.
* 1 Only “BDR-X12J-UHD” is supported. To play Ultra HD Blu-ray, a device that supports the HDMI2.0a, HDCP2.2, and HDR (recommended) standards is required separately.

Planning intent
In recent years, the number of PCs not equipped with a drive has increased due to the miniaturization of the PC housing, such as those who have used high-performance half-height size internal drives in commercially available tower type desktop personal computers and home-built personal computers so far. There is a growing need for high performance external drives.

Pioneer is now supporting 4K content “Ultra HD Blu-ray” playback, which supports recording of BD-R discs (1 layer: 25 GB) at up to 16x speed and direct import and playback of CDs on Android devices * 1 We will release two high-performance external BD / DVD / CD writers.

Main features
(1) Supports high-precision 16x recording on BD-R discs (1 layer: 25 GB)

It supports high-precision 16x recording on BD-R discs (1 layer: 25 GB) * 2 . In addition to BD discs (1 layer: 25 GB / 2 layers: 50 GB), all BDXL ™ discs * 3 (BD-R XL: 3 layers 100 GB / 4 layers 128 GB, BD-RE XL: 3 layers 100 GB ) Can be recorded and played back * 4 .

(2) Supports high definition 4K content “Ultra HD Blu-ray” playback (“BDR-X12J-UHD”)

Supports playback of “Ultra HD Blu-ray” with richer color tone at 4K resolution (3,840 horizontal x 2,160 vertical), which is higher definition than Full HD. You can enjoy realistic images on your PC.

(3) Equipped with a function “PureRead (original sound reproduction)” that improves the reading accuracy of audio CDs

“PureRead 4+” (BDR-X12J-UHD) and “PureRead 3+” (BDR-X12JBK) functions to re-read audio CD data when the audio CD data cannot be read due to scratches or dirt on the disc surface. ) * 5 . In addition, “BDR-X12J-UHD” is equipped with “RealTime PureRead”, which reduces the frequency of occurrence of error data storage due to dirt and scratches on the disk surface in real time and reproduces the original sound quality of CDs.

(4) CD songs can be directly imported and played on Android devices without using a PC

If you connect this unit to an Android device that has downloaded the “Wireless Hi-Res Player-Stellanova-” application for Android smartphones (free of charge) with a USB cable * 6 , you can import music from a CD directly to your Android device without using a PC , Can be played.

(5) Can be placed horizontally or vertically on both sides

Includes insulators for horizontal installation (4 pieces) and insulators for vertical installation (8 pieces), and can be installed horizontally or vertically on both sides.

(6) Other features

• Supports recording and playback of optical media “M-DISC” for archiving that allows long-term data storage

• Compatible with “Pioneer BD Drive Utility” * 7 that allows various drive settings

• Equipped with a power saving mode (PEAK POWER REDUCER). Stable operation is maintained even when power supply is reduced by suppressing power consumption during peak operation

• Equipped with “PowerRead ™” function * 8 that can play BD / DVDs with scratches, fingerprints and dirt, and BD / DVDs with low writing quality

• Uses a high-speed rotation-compatible clamper that stabilizes disk rotation and further improves recording accuracy

• Adopted “disk resonance stabilizer” which improved writing accuracy by suppressing disk vibration by rotating wind

• Realizes power saving with the AUTO power supply linked with the PC power supply and “Intelligent Eco Mode”

* 2 It is necessary to install the dedicated “High-speed filter driver”. When “High-speed filter driver” is disabled, the speed may not be up to 16x.

* 3 Standard for large-capacity Blu-ray discs, determined by the Blu-ray Disc Association.

* 4 For details on compatible media, refer to the media list on the Pioneer website.

* 5 Reading of all disks is not guaranteed. Also, reading in all PC environments is not guaranteed.

* 6 Operation on all Android devices is not guaranteed. In addition, a conversion cable suitable for your Android device is required for connection. Please check our website for details.

* 7 Can be downloaded from our site.

* 8 Effective for BD / DVDs recorded in BD-MV, BD-AV, DVD-VIDEO, DVD-VR format, but playback is not guaranteed for all BD / DVDs. . Also, depending on the BD / DVD status, block noise may occur in images, and sound skips may occur in audio. PowerRead ™ function requires compatible BD / DVD player software.

List of bundled software common to both models (for Windows):
Free download

PowerDirector 15 (CyberLink) * 9

Edit HD videos comfortably with 64-bit native support. Not only video cameras but also digital cameras and smartphone photos and videos are supported.

Power2Go 8 (CyberLink)

Compatible with BDXL ™. In addition to creating BDs, DVDs, data CDs, and music CDs, it supports a variety of disc writing applications, including music CD import and encryption protection.

InstantBurn 5 (CyberLink)

You can write files on your PC to the disc by drag & drop operation. Since files can be added or deleted for each file, you can easily record files.

LabelPrint 2.5 (CyberLink)

You can easily design the label of the disc.

PhotoDirector 8 LE (CyberLink)

In addition to RAW development, various adjustment tools such as white balance, saturation, brightness, hue, etc. are installed. It can be used for a wide range of purposes such as managing photos, editing, printing, and uploading to SNS.

AudioDirector 7 LE (CyberLink)

Easily and quickly edit, de-noise, and restore audio to enhance the audio quality of your video productions.

ColorDirector 5 LE (CyberLink)

Software that corrects video colors. You can select and adjust the color of the entire video, or just any part.

List of bundled software only for “BDR-X12J-UHD” (for Windows):
Free download

PowerDVD 14 (Ultra HD Blu-ray ™ compatible) (CyberLink)

You can play Blu-ray ™ and DVD-Video such as movies, animations and music on your PC. It also supports CPRM and AVCREC ™. It can also play high-definition 4K content Ultra HD Blu-ray ™ and Blu-ray 3D ™, and convert 2D video to 3D for playback.

PowerProducer 5.5 (CyberLink)

Compatible with BD-MV and AVCHD. Create discs from high-definition video and edit BD / DVD videos. It supports BDXL ™ and can write various contents on one compatible disc.

PowerBackup 2.5 (CyberLink)

Data backup and restoration can be operated on an easy-to-read screen.

MediaShow 6 (CyberLink)

You can display a list of images and videos imported to your computer and edit them with special effects. You can create slideshows with background music and easily convert your videos to smartphone or web video file format.

MediaEspresso (30-day trial version) (CyberLink)

Convert videos, photos and music files to other formats. Various profiles for smartphones and tablets can be converted to the optimal format.

Bundle software only for “BDR-X12JBK” (for Windows):
Free download

PowerDVD 14 (Blu-ray ™ compatible) (CyberLink)

You can play Blu-ray ™ and DVD-Video such as movies, animations and music on your PC. It also supports CPRM and AVCREC ™.

* 9 “BDR-X12JBK” is “PowerDirector 15 LE”.

Supported OS