Duplicator Review:
Primera Bravo SE Blu Duplicator (page 2)

If your primary task will be duplicating Blu-ray Discs, it doesn't get much better than this for the time being. It takes quite a while to burn a full Blu-ray Disc (with the duplicator's Panasonic SW-5582 drive, about an hour and 45 minutes for a 25GB disc _ double that time for a dual-layer disc). To burn a full stack of 20 Blu-ray Discs that are chock-full of programming at 2x speed could take up to 35 hours _ roughly a day and a half. 4x drives and discs are out there, but both of those items currently command premium prices. (For $8,995, Primera also offers the Bravo XRP-Blu, which has a 100-disc input bin and two burners, but also includes an improved printer that uses a separate cartridge for black ink. However, it also utilizes 2x speed Blu-ray Disc burners.)

The $2,995 price tag on the Bravo SE Blu duplicator is pretty high, considering that the internet price difference for a DVD burner versus a Blu-ray Disc burner is somewhere between $325 and $350. We realize that there are also software license costs and other royalties involved, but it couldn't possibly double the price of its DVD-only counterpart. As competing products come out, though, we expect that a price cut will be forthcoming.

That's not to say that it's not a good choice _ it's just pricey. We really like the Bravo SE Blu, but it would be even better if it cost less, that's all.

Formats and Write Speeds: BD-R (E) (SL/DL): 2x; DVD±R (SL): 8x; DVD±R (DL): 4x; DVD+RW: 8x; DVD-RW: 6x; DVD-RAM: 5x; CD-R: 24x; CD-RW: 16x
Hard Drive: No
Printer: Inkjet
Input Bin: 20 discs
Included Software: PTPublisher (Windows), Describe (Mac)

• Very easy to set up and use
• Excellent-quality output

• Expensive compared to DVD-only counterpart
• Single ink cartridge is convenient, but has potential to waste ink
• A very good, if expensive, choice for a Blu-ray Disc duplicator.

A very good, if expensive, choice for a Blu-ray Disc duplicator.

Charles Fulton is Videomaker's associate editor.

Primera Technologies
2 Carlson Pkwy N
Plymouth, MN 55447
www.primera.com
$2,995

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