If burning Blu-ray disks is taking you too long, then a trip to Japan could save you some time. That’s because Buffalo has unveiled two super-speedy 8x Blu-ray drives in the country.

The 8x drive is available as either an external USB 2.0/eSATA model or an internal SATA drive. Both support 8x recording for single layer BD-R discs, or a comparatively sluggish 2x for dual layer BD-R, BD-RE and LTH BD-R discs. Both models have an 8MB internal buffer.

It’s worth noting that Buffalo’s external drive can only record at 8x when connected through its eSATA interface. The USB 2.0 connection limits the drive to 6.5x burning.

Both drives provide 5x for DVD-RAM, 6x for DVD-RW, 8x for DVD±R DL, 8x for DVD+RW and 16x for DVD±R. Fans of the humble CD are, of course, well catered for too.

Cyberlink's PowerDVD 7 software suite will also be bundled with each drive.

Both models will be available in Japan next month, with the external model set to cost ¥46,700 (£215/€250/$435) and the internal drive priced at ¥41,000 (£190/€225/$380). A UK release date or price hasn’t been specified.

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